There's always a lot of debate regarding METARs and TAFs. Should we show them raw or translate them? You know, some things are better seen raw and I believe METARs are one of them. The big complaint is that they are difficult to read. But they're only cryptic if you haven't made any effort at all to decipher one. I mean, how cryptic can "29005 10SM" be? The wind is out of 290 degrees at 5 knots and the visibility is 10 statute miles.
If you are having trouble figuring out METARs and TAFs, your first goal is to get past the psychological barrier. Stop telling yourself that they are cryptic. You don't have to be able to instantly decipher every thing in every METAR. Understand that the basics - wind, visibility, sky condition - are probably 90% of what you need, and they are easy as Paris Hilton to figure out. There's simply not much there, but it's all you need.
We do have a couple of resources to help you out if you're having problems. In the Online Ground School, take the lesson entitled "Understanding METARs and TAFs". It is narrated and if you'll go through it just a couple of times, you should be ready to tackle these reports without fear. Note: Your same email and password works in both places - FlightCentral and the Gold Seal Online Ground School use the same user database. Easy for you!
Second, in the Pilots Almanac, you will find a list of abbreviations commonly used.
Got any comments? Serve 'em up right here.
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5 comments:
So, what do you guys think? Should we add a tooltip that shows a translated METAR? Similar to how we show Crosswinds in the runway areas?
no, but adding a quick link that give ALL the abbrevation's would be nice. I some time come across a abbreviation that is dificult to deciper.
Excellent suggestion, colonel. We do have such a page on www.pilotsalmanac.com - see the Blog text. Maybe we should put a link to that on the Airport pages. Good call.
I may be missing something but I see very little downside in adding the translated METAR tooltip (easy for me to say - I'm not developing it!!). In fact, I'd like the ability to select whether I want actual or translated METARs on my personalized pages, via an option in settings.
I am also a little uncomfortable with the statement "You know, some things are better seen raw and I believe METARs are one of them." Why? Working for a software company, if we fell back to "well, customer should just KNOW or work it out themselves" I don't think we would have seen much success :-) Usability is a good thing...
I agree with MarkWill890. Add the tool tip but perhaps include a link to the list of abbreviations to provide the service to those who'd like to brush up on their abbreviations.
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