Flight Training - May 2014 - 53

terrible idea for a pilot is when you plan
to fly around the pattern. Even here it's a
good idea to look at reports and shortterm forecasts for the weather around the
airport, to make sure a squall line isn't just
over the horizon-heading your way with
the fast, shifting winds that often race
ahead of thunderstorms.
FAR 91.103 says: "Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight,
become familiar with all available
information concerning that flight. This
information must include:
"For a flight under IFR or a flight not
in the vicinity of an airport, weather
reports and forecasts, fuel requirements,
alternatives available if the planned flight
cannot be completed, and any known traffic delays of which the pilot in command
has been advised by ATC."
In other words, both common sense and
the federal aviation regulations tell you
that before flying over the horizon, you
need to obtain a weather briefing. It's just
as important as making sure you'll have
enough fuel for the planned flight.
NUTS AND BOLTS OF BRIEFINGS. Obtaining an FAA standard weather briefing
is the best way to ensure you have the
weather information you need. Finding the information in the order listed is
efficient because you start out by learning
about any dangerous weather that could
make canceling your flight a good idea.
Here's what you should ask for and
the order you should use for a standard
briefing:
Adverse conditions. Begin by learning about conditions-either existing or
forecast-that might make you want to
cancel the planned flight. If the weather is
too bad for your comfort you can stop the
briefing right there.
VFR flight not recommended. At
this stage, the briefer could tell you,
"Visual flight rules [VFR] flight is not
recommended" if you are planning such
a flight. This statement doesn't mean
regulations forbid the flight, but until you
have a lot of experience flying in various
kinds of weather, you should take the
briefer's advice.

your flight and to calculate how long the
trip should take.
Notices to airmen (notams) refer to
information from the FAA about a host
of things that could be important, such a
closed runway or taxiway at your destination airport, or a radio navigation beacon
that has been shut down for repairs.
Air traffic control delays. Here the
briefer will tell you about any air traffic
delays that might affect your flight.

Synopsis. This is a description of the
general weather situation, including the
kinds, locations, and movements of any
weather systems that might affect your
flight. With this big weather picture in
mind, you're ready to take a more detailed
look at what the weather is doing now and
expected to do during your flight.
Current conditions. Even though you
might not expect to arrive at your destination for two or three hours, knowing what
the weather is doing now will help you
understand how it could change by the
time you arrive.
En route forecast. Here you are looking
for a general picture of the weather along
your route of flight. Text products that will
help are area forecasts, which describe
general conditions over large areas of the
United States, as well as route forecasts
issued for routes between various airports.
Weather maps known as significant
weather prognostic (prog) charts give you
a general picture of what's forecast to be
happening at the surface and aloft.
Destination forecast. Here you are
looking for a text product known as a
terminal aerodrome forecast (TAF) for
your destination. These give you the
anticipated conditions that could affect
aviation, broken down by time periods
for individual airports.
Winds and temperatures aloft. You
need information about wind speeds and
directions to select the best altitude for

PREPARING FOR A BRIEFING. Save time
and trouble by tracking the weather a
day or two before a planned flight. You're
more likely to understand a preflight
briefing if you have a general sense of
what the weather is doing over the part
of the country where you plan to fly.
Following the weather is no more
complicated than watching the weather
segment of local television news or
spending some time on weather websites-especially those that have maps
showing the current and forecast
weather.
You should be looking for things such
a storm that could threaten your area, or
your planned flight route when you want
to make your trip. For example, is your
local television meteorologist forecasting
rain for the day you plan to fly? If so, is the
rain expected to be steady, covering most
of the area, or will it fall as showers or
thunderstorms for part of the day?
When you take off for a cross-country
trip in your airplane, you don't wad up
your flight plan and toss it in the trash
bag. You use the information to keep
track of where you are compared to
the times and locations you planned to
make sure you are not straying from your
planned course.
Once you earn your private pilot certificate, you can't just forget what you learned
about obtaining preflight briefings. In fact,
you should expect to continue not only
getting briefings but also learning about
weather as long as you fly.
Jack Williams is an instrument-rated private pilot.
His latest book is The AMS Weather Book: The Ultimate
Guide to America's Weather.

MAY 2014 FLIGHT TRAINING

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