Heed this practical advice during preflight planning. Even as today’s sophisticated digital weather-forecasting tools have supplanted the Farmers’ Almanac, legacy knowledge and common sense are still critical to a pilot’s decision-making process. It’s smart to harness all available resources to weather Mother Nature’s whims. Below are five dos and don’ts for your preflight weather planning. DO consult weather cameras. Nothing beats seeing the conditions for yourself. The expanding network of webcam services, including the FAA’s 500-plus weather cameras and Airservices Australia’s weather cameras, provides near real-time views of current surface weather conditions. These services are especially valuable when flying in areas that lack air traffic control surveillance, such as mountain passes, or where the weather changes rapidly. “It’s been an unbelievably useful tool in Hawaii,” said Casey Riemer, special projects manager for Jack Harter Helicopters, in the Dec. 6, 2022, “FAA Weather Camera Program” webinar. “We believe it will be a significant aid in reducing accident rates … because the weather changes in Hawaii—like in Alaska—really easily and very dramatically.” According to the FAA, implementation of the agency’s weather camera service across Alaska resulted in an 85% reduction in weather-related accidents from 2007 to 2014. DON’T rely on just a couple of weather sources. Reports can differ dramatically, especially between automated surface observing systems and crowdsourcing reports, according to the US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) report Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC) Research. Use a variety of weather source types, including crowdsourced observations. Talk with the FAA’s Flight Service, and check METARs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, weather camera images, historical data, and other sources to understand weather context and trends. An excellent all-in-one source for weather reports is the helicopter low-altitude mode in the Aviation Weather Center’s new Graphical Forecasts for Aviation—Low Altitude, which offers expanded capability from the former HEMS Tool. Select the “layers” icon to toggle on additional data, including radar and satellite images. DO consider latency with weather reports. It takes time to capture, process, and submit data, and some technology services are faster than others. Even near real-time data can lag behind the reported condition by 2 to 15 minutes, according to the FAA’s Aviation Weather Handbook. DON’T assume that favorable conditions will continue. Sudden weather changes can put your mission at risk. Plan to check weather reports while flying, and make sure you have enough fuel for weather delays. Don’t begin an IFR flight with fuel for a VFR flight, said Jason Quisling, senior VP of flight operations and air command for Air Methods, during the USHST’s Oct. 5, 2023, IFR Weather Camera Summit. DO brush up on your meteorology and weather-planning knowledge. Every region—and every season—offers unique challenges. Even experienced pilots need a refresher when operating in a new area. For specific US regions, for example, start your research with the FAA’s Aviation Weather Handbook. For more on the value of aviation weather cameras, see the Part 1 and Part 2 of the May 2023 HAI Spotlight on Safety feature. Hi, I'm Christine Knauer
