The HRRR, NOAA's Three-Kilometer Rapid-Refresh Model That Redraws the Thunderstorm Forecast Every Single Hour
How NOAA's HRRR model simulates thunderstorms on a 3-km grid every hour, and how pilots should actually use it to time storms.
Vectoraviation weather
The Pilot Report, the PIREP, and Why the One Weather Product Written by Pilots Is the One Most Pilots Never File
Learn how to read, trust, and file a PIREP - the only weather product written by pilots - to turn forecasts into real go/no-go decisions.
PatternThe Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, the TAF, and How FM, BECMG, and TEMPO Tell You When the Weather Is Actually Going to Change
Radio Hangar explores The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, the TAF, and How FM, BECMG, and TEMPO Tell You When the Weather Is Actually Going to Change.
PatternAIRMET Sierra, Tango, and Zulu, the Three Weather Advisories Hiding in Plain Sight in Your Briefing, and How to Read Them Before They Read You
Learn what AIRMET Sierra, Tango, and Zulu mean, how they differ from SIGMETs, and how to read them before every flight.
PatternThe Pilot Report, the UUA That Means Somebody Is Already in Trouble Up There, and Why You Are the Only Weather Sensor at Seven Thousand Five Hundred Feet
Learn to read and file PIREPs (pilot reports) - the only aviation weather product created by a pilot inside the weather in real time.
PatternReading a Raw METAR From the Top, Decoding One Line of Code Field by Field So the Weather Talks Back to You
Learn to read a raw METAR left to right - station, time, wind, visibility, sky, temp, and altimeter - so the weather talks back to you.
PatternThe TAF and the Change Groups, What BECMG, TEMPO, and PROB Thirty Really Promise You When You Read a Terminal Forecast
Learn what BECMG, TEMPO, and PROB30 actually promise in a TAF so you can read a terminal forecast like a pilot and make smart go/no-go calls.
PatternThe Winds and Temperatures Aloft Forecast, the Coded FB Table, and Why Nine Nine Zero Zero Means Dead Calm
Learn to decode the winds and temperatures aloft (FB) forecast, why 9900 means calm, and how to use it to pick the right altitude.
PatternThe PIREP, the One Weather Report Made by a Human in the Air, and How to Read One and File One on Your Next Flight
Learn how to read and file a PIREP - the only weather report made by a pilot in the air - to sharpen your go/no-go decisions.
PatternThe NEXRAD Age Indicator, the Mosaic Lag, and Why the Radar Picture in Your Cockpit Is Always Older Than the Timestamp Says
Your cockpit datalink radar can be 15-20 minutes older than the sky, even when the timestamp says two - here's why, and how to fly it safely.
VectorThe Stormscope, Sferics, and the Passive Box That Finds Thunderstorms by Listening to Their Radio Static
How the Stormscope finds hidden thunderstorms by passively listening to the radio static from lightning - and where it fits alongside radar and datalink today.
VectorThe METAR, Decoding the Hourly Weather Observation Line by Line, and Why the Remarks Section Hides the Story Nobody Reads
Learn to decode a METAR field by field - and why the remarks section holds the weather story most pilots never read.
PatternThe TAF, the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, and How to Read the FM, TEMPO, and BECMG Groups Before You Ever Trust the Sky
Learn to read a TAF and decode the FM, BECMG, TEMPO, and PROB change groups so you can plan around what the sky is actually doing.
PatternThe Pirep, the Pilot Report, and the One Weather Product You Do Not Just Read - You Create It for the Airplane Behind You
A pilot report (PIREP) is the one weather product you create, not just read - here's how to decode, use, and file one.
PatternThe TAF, the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, and Decoding the FM and TEMPO Lines Before You Launch on a Cross-Country
Learn to read a raw Terminal Aerodrome Forecast line by line, including the FM, TEMPO, and PROB change groups, before your next cross-country.
PatternThe PIREP, the Weather Report Made by Pilots for Pilots, and How to Read and File One From the Cockpit
Learn what a PIREP is, how to decode every field, and how to file one in plain English from the cockpit.
PatternThe Dropsonde, the GPS Weather Dart That Falls Out of a Hurricane Hunter, and the Storm Data That Lands in Your Cockpit at Oshkosh
A dropsonde is a GPS weather sensor dropped from hurricane hunter aircraft to measure storms from the inside, sharpening the forecasts pilots fly against.
VectorFIS-B, the NEXRAD Latency Trap, and Why the Free Datalink Radar on Your Tablet Is Older Than the Timestamp Says, Told From the Oshkosh Avionics Hangars
FIS-B datalink NEXRAD can be up to 20 minutes older than its on-screen timestamp - here's why, and how to use it safely.
VectorDecoding the TAF, the FROM and TEMPO Groups, and Reading Wittman's Terminal Forecast the Night Before You Launch for Oshkosh
Learn to decode a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) and read the FROM, BECMG, TEMPO, and PROB groups before flying into Oshkosh.
PatternThe Graphical Forecasts for Aviation and Reading the Weather Map That Replaced the Area Forecast on Your Way to Oshkosh
Learn to read the Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) with a four-question scan that turns the whole-sky weather map into a confident go/no-go decision.
Pattern