On-Line Weather Tools, What Do You Use?

eoliverosh · Dec 6, 2014

A bit off topic but maybe useful if any of you guys visits the region. In South America there is no nexrad. Best tool after many years of use: http://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES/goeseastnheir.html
Reliable with quite good coverage.
If you fly in Colombia this is the page:http://190.27.249.248
Keep in mind that if something can be said about tropical weather is that it is unpredictable, so a forecast is worth just for hours.

aviationinfo · Dec 6, 2014

Steve, don't forget that none of this stuff actually counts for legality purposes even though every site mentioned is better than basic DUATs. To cover myself I always download a complete route briefing via the DUATs app on my smart phone so I can prove (via my N#) that I actually did get a briefing. Looking at it is optional since I've already gathered all of the info via other sites, even TFRs.

OLDCROWE · Dec 6, 2014

aviationinfo said:
Steve, don't forget that none of this stuff actually counts for legality purposes even though every site mentioned is better than basic DUATs. To cover myself I always download a complete route briefing via the DUATs app on my smart phone so I can prove (via my N#) that I actually did get a briefing. Looking at it is optional since I've already gathered all of the info via other sites, even TFRs.

I believe Four Flight's downloaded brief fully qualifies...

RaisedByWolves · Dec 7, 2014

Tim said:
Yup, free app use it all the time. If I'm not sure its safe to fly, I call Glenn, and he says go or no go

Tim taught me to go up and take a look

RaisedByWolves · Dec 7, 2014

OLDCROWE said:
I believe Four Flight's downloaded brief fully qualifies...

Never got that, guess there's a bunch of features I don't even know about. Foreflight on my
Phone is what I use. Sometimes on the iPad.

skywagon8a · Dec 7, 2014

I carry a blue card with a hole in it. When I hold the card up to the sky, looking through the hole, if the colors match I'm is good to go.

sj · Dec 7, 2014

So you don't have to have a tradeaplane subscription to get free weathertap? It was prompting me for a login...

sj

Tim · Dec 7, 2014

I just went to the play store and downloaded it, free. Maybe things have changed

sj · Dec 7, 2014

I don't have a WeatherTap login, which my "free" version prompted me for.

Ruffair · Dec 7, 2014

Lockheed Martin Flight Services web site is the FSS's site for briefs and filing flight plans. Also covers the "legal" part of a brief.
www.1800wxbrief.com

You can open and close plans with a text msg. Pretty cool in areas where no radio coverage, or when the one briefer is busy on multiple freq's, and you are trying to close before going NORDO. One can save flight plans, all info is there for next time, kind of like your own personal Master Flight plan. Makes filing much faster.

I think their graphics are ok. I like a combo of NOAA's metar maps http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/zoa/mwmap3.php?map=usa
NWS local and aviation stuff.
The Wind Map is neat http://hint.fm/wind/ while its not an app.

Cell phone apps include MyRadar Pro. AeroWeather. and Mike's web cam viewer AKAvCAMsLt.

The AeroWeather app, one can customize different "groups". such as specific cross country routes. While in cell coverage you can update along the way, can be set to display in Raw or Decoded,

( VfrNotRecommendedWeAppreicaiatePilotreportscontactflightwatchononetwentytwopointzeroforfurtherinformation)

S2D · Dec 7, 2014

different goals, but these two are all I've needed for years,

www.wrh.noaa.gov/byz

www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/mwmap.php?map=byz

tophand · Dec 12, 2014

I found this today on a FB post from Back Country Flyers

https://www.windyty.com/
At first glance it just looks cool but if you dig into it you can actually get some good weather.

......Mike

I like that you can get a winds aloft guess for a week out

skywagon8a · Dec 12, 2014

Here's another which does similar winds. http://earth.nullschool.net/about.html

sjohnson · Dec 13, 2014

Here's one for air quality, useful for smoke forecasts in the summer: http://airquality.weather.gov/sectors/idaho.php#tabs
The link is for Idaho, but you can navigate to other locations.

aviationinfo · Dec 13, 2014

aviationinfo said:
Steve, don't forget that none of this stuff actually counts for legality purposes even though every site mentioned is better than basic DUATs. To cover myself I always download a complete route briefing via the DUATs app on my smart phone so I can prove (via my N#) that I actually did get a briefing. Looking at it is optional since I've already gathered all of the info via other sites, even TFRs.

EDIT: In retrospect, I wasn't completely accurate. Much if not all weather info comes from government sources or contractors. I would think the weather info on non-government sites actually is legal, but not all sites maintain a log of your activity. What I should've emphasized was you may need to be able to prove that you did your preflight weather homework. Sorry.

It is such a good exercise for someone to ask this question every now and then so we can see all the great new tools out there---thanks SJ!

stewartb · Aug 6, 2018

Thread ressurection.

Anyone else use the Aeroweather app? It’s my favorite current conditions weather source. Have you noticed the new version has runway/waterlane diagrams that show runway heading wind and crosswind components? Very interesting. Not that I couldn’t figure it out if I wanted to, but I haven’t done so since I was a student pilot.

GeeBee · Aug 6, 2018

I use AeroWeather Lite. Works good for a quick glance.

jnorris · Aug 6, 2018

Another vote for Weathermeister. I've tried dozens of sites, and often visit several, but my "go-to" site is Weathermeister. Been using it for years, and I find it to be very complete and easy to digest. I think it's the best out there.

Cappt · Aug 6, 2018

stewartb said:
Thread ressurection.

Anyone else use the Aeroweather app? It’s my favorite current conditions weather source. Have you noticed the new version has runway/waterlane diagrams that show runway heading wind and crosswind components? Very interesting. Not that I couldn’t figure it out if I wanted to, but I haven’t done so since I was a student pilot.

That and MY Radar app on the Iphone phone, also use intellicast radar summary a lot.

sj · Aug 6, 2018

www.navmonster.com

Farmboy · Aug 7, 2018

For super fast info I like the StationWX app on a phone. Provides a very easy to see visual display of conditions.
For more in-depth then these others posted above are great.

Sent from my imitation glass cockpit using SuperCub.Org mobile app

cubdriver2 · Aug 7, 2018

I like windows, and a few webcams.

Glenn

Gordon Misch · Aug 7, 2018

I've yet to find a good source for cloud tops. Suggestions?

aktango58 · Aug 7, 2018

Regions seem to have better weather from different sources.

We found that WindyTV and weather underground was very good in Sitka, however, we had about seven sights we would look at including the radar and sat. pictures.

We have cameras, bouys, and various other sources, yet we still have to use good judgement when we get out in the air. Sometimes the sats and radar will tell you the wrong thing!

On-Line Weather Tools, What Do You Use?

eoliverosh

aviationinfo

Registered User

OLDCROWE

RaisedByWolves

RaisedByWolves

skywagon8a

sj

Tim

sj

Ruffair

S2D

tophand

Registered User

skywagon8a

sjohnson

aviationinfo

Registered User

stewartb

GeeBee

Registered User

jnorris

Cappt

sj

Farmboy

Attachments

cubdriver2

Gordon Misch

aktango58

Similar threads

On-Line Weather Tools, What Do You Use?

Cali, Colombia

Registered User

Southwest WA

Meanwhile,...

Tx

Tx

SE Mass MA6

Northwest Arkansas

Petersburgh, NY

Northwest Arkansas

Lower Chena

Montana

Registered User

Northwest South Dakota

SE Mass MA6

Boise, ID

Registered User

Southwest WA

…

Registered User

Lake Lanier, GA

Wisconsin

Reno, NV

Northwest Arkansas

Middlebury, VT

Attachments

upstate NY

Toledo, Wa (KTDO)

18AA

Similar threads