WEATHER
There are few things that are more important to a pilot than the current weather, and weather forecast for the duration of a flight. Not only do we pay close attention to weather for flight training but we also like to make sure our students are fully versed in the nuances of reading the weather, how to research upcoming weather, and what tools are most reliable.
Why focus on weather?
The weather is unpredictable. No matter how much we prepare as pilots, there could always be a change in the weather. It is our responsibility to know as much as possible so that we may complete every mission safely. Not only do we use all of the tools available to us as pilots, but we also educate ourselves to predict the weather to the best of our ability to assure our crew and our equipment are always safe.
Trusted Weather Sources.
We have multiple sources of information for weather at our fingertips 24 hours a day. So many apps, websites, media outlets and occasionally… opinions. There are very few weather sources that are trusted by the FAA for “official” flight weather, and we’re sorry to say, The Weather Channel isn’t one of them.
There are actually only two official weather sources for pilots to use, Lockheed Martin Flight Services and Duats.com. Even though this is the case, we very much like to indulge the NOAA powered aviationweather.gov as well.
Featured Weather Apps
Aero Weather iPhone Android
MyRadar iPhone Android
ForeFlight iPad/iPhone (Android not available)
Garmin Pilot App iPhone/iPad Android