Weather Information Available to Pilots Flashcards
What is a METAR?
Routine aerodrome reports issued hourly in NZ, Aussie and Pacific Islands.
Where can a METAR AUTO report be available outside hours of service of an ATC unit?
From an Automatic Weather Station (AWS).
How often are METAR AUTO’s issued?
Half hourly, day and night.
How often are manual METAR’s issued?
Hourly on the hour during ATS or contractor operational hours of coverage.
Can METAR AUTO’s determine certain weather conditions?
No. Instead, VC (vicinity) will only be included for events such as thunderstorms in the vicinity (VCTS).
What does “//” mean?
Weather sensor is temporarily inoperative.
What does “///” mean?
Weather sensor cannot determine cloud types such as CB’s or TCU’s.
What does “////” mean?
Weather sensor cannot detect visibility.
What does “/////////” mean?
Cloud not reported due to faulty weather sensor.
What are SPECI’s?
Special aerodrome reports which are issued at times other than ‘on the hour’ in METAR code.
Why are SPECI’s made?
When the value of some weather element changes significantly or passes a specified value as listed in the AIP.
When are SPECI’s disseminated (terminated) and when is the time of the observation coded?
A SPECI reporting deterioration and the time of the observation is coded to the nearest five minutes.
When is a SPECI reporting an improvement in conditions disseminated?
Only after the improvement has persisted for 10 minutes.
When will a ‘trend’ statement be added to a METAR or SPECI?
If the predicted weather conditions differ significantly from the observed conditions.
In simple terms, what is a basic weather report (BWR)?
Verbal comments on actual weather conditions
