|
-
POSTING RULES

-
Donate yearly (please).
-
Advertise in here!
-
Today's Posts
|
Insert Pics
|

11-14-2018, 05:55 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Dallas/Ft Worth, TX
Posts: 5,686
|
|
Really great stuff, weather has always been one of those things I feel I know just enough about to get me in trouble, think I'll pays my money and see what I can learn!
__________________
Walt Aronow, DFW, TX (52F)
EXP Aircraft Services LLC
Specializing in RV Condition Inspections, Maintenance, Avionics Upgrades
Dynamic Prop Balancing, Pitot-Static Altmeter/Transponder Certification
FAA Certified Repair Station, AP/IA/FCC GROL, EAA Technical Counselor
Authorized Garmin G3X Dealer/Installer
RV7A built 2004, 1700+ hrs, New Titan IO-370, Bendix Mags
Website: ExpAircraft.com, Email: walt@expaircraft.com, Cell: 972-746-5154
|

11-14-2018, 06:09 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Dallas/Ft Worth, TX
Posts: 5,686
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwilbur
I watched your video. It's very informative. Actually making me wonder if I really want to finish my IFR rating at all. I know I don't have the time or the smarts to become a competent amateur meteorologist in order to interpret weather products I thought were produced for people like me to be able to make decisions. Seems from the video that even a detailed briefing is inadequate when "rain in the vicinity" is a cause for serious concern. I think I've got some serious thinking to do. ...
|
I Strongly encourage you to get that IFR rating, it will make you a better pilot and it give you more tools in your tool box, always a good thing.
__________________
Walt Aronow, DFW, TX (52F)
EXP Aircraft Services LLC
Specializing in RV Condition Inspections, Maintenance, Avionics Upgrades
Dynamic Prop Balancing, Pitot-Static Altmeter/Transponder Certification
FAA Certified Repair Station, AP/IA/FCC GROL, EAA Technical Counselor
Authorized Garmin G3X Dealer/Installer
RV7A built 2004, 1700+ hrs, New Titan IO-370, Bendix Mags
Website: ExpAircraft.com, Email: walt@expaircraft.com, Cell: 972-746-5154
|

11-14-2018, 06:49 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Charlotte
Posts: 22
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwilbur
I watched your video. It's very informative. Actually making me wonder if I really want to finish my IFR rating at all. I know I don't have the time or the smarts to become a competent amateur meteorologist in order to interpret weather products I thought were produced for people like me to be able to make decisions. Seems from the video that even a detailed briefing is inadequate when "rain in the vicinity" is a cause for serious concern. I think I've got some serious thinking to do. ...
|
I wouldn't give up on the IR. And you don't have to become a meteorologist either. But it does take some training. You can be great at playing a musical instrument, but never write your own music. I like to think that pilots need to be good at playing an instrument. You don't need to be a forecaster.
I've taught thousands of pilots aviation weather over the last 20 years. Many of my students can run circles around even the most seasoned pilots with respect to weather. It just takes some dedication...but the pay off is being able to feel confident when you fly. A little knowledge goes a long way.
I just did a one-on-one online session today with a pilot who has been training with me for many years. He is making a trip tomorrow and we spent an hour looking through the weather together. He knows this stuff quite well, but likes the recurrent training.
__________________
Scott Dennstaedt
CFI & former NWS research meteorologist
Aviation author
|

11-15-2018, 07:26 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,346
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Sisk
www.weatherspork.com is by far the best aviation weather info and training available. I regularly fly ifr and use this every trip. Go through all the training videos and learn to use a Skew-T chart. Everything will become a lot clearer.
Charlie
|
As a VFR pilot and long-trip-weather scaredy-cat, I used WeatherSpork this year for the Oshkosh trip and it was fantastic. My favorite feature is the way it will time-shift the weather forecast along your route based on your departure time and speed. You can literally slide your departure time and watch your enroute line move through the weather forecasts. This allowed me to find the optimum departure time for best conditions along the route. The app was spot on. If I had used the static apps and weather websites, I would have launched early and been sitting on the ground somewhere along the way waiting for the ceilings ahead to lift.
__________________
Mike W
Venice, FL
RV-6A. Mattituck TMX O-360, FP, GRT Sport EFIS, L3 Lynx NGT-9000
N164WM
N184WM reserved (RV-8)....finishing kit in progress. Titan IOX-370
|

11-15-2018, 07:33 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Willis Texas
Posts: 15
|
|
JWilber
Dont give up on the ifr ticket. Dont give up. Even if you never fly imc, it will make you a better pilot. Keep working, one day you will be very glad you did !!!
Charlie
|

11-15-2018, 08:46 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Charlotte
Posts: 22
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by fl-mike
As a VFR pilot and long-trip-weather scaredy-cat, I used WeatherSpork this year for the Oshkosh trip and it was fantastic. My favorite feature is the way it will time-shift the weather forecast along your route based on your departure time and speed. You can literally slide your departure time and watch your enroute line move through the weather forecasts. This allowed me to find the optimum departure time for best conditions along the route. The app was spot on. If I had used the static apps and weather websites, I would have launched early and been sitting on the ground somewhere along the way waiting for the ceilings ahead to lift.
|
Great feedback Mike. That's what we're hoping to accomplish. The patent pending Wheels Up Departure Advisor really makes it easy to find that time so you can stack the deck in your favor. We wanted to attack the VFR into IMC issue which still kills more pilots than any other weather-related cause. We hope this will help save at least a few lives making it convenient (fast) without a significant amount of interpretation to find that perfect time to depart.
__________________
Scott Dennstaedt
CFI & former NWS research meteorologist
Aviation author
Last edited by scottd : 11-15-2018 at 08:50 AM.
|

11-15-2018, 09:24 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Garden City, Tx
Posts: 5,145
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt
I Strongly encourage you to get that IFR rating, it will make you a better pilot and it give you more tools in your tool box, always a good thing.
|
Ditto on that. It's a whole lotta goodness in one rating.
__________________
Greg Niehues - SEL, IFR, Repairman Cert.
Garden City, TX VAF 2020 dues paid 
N16GN flying 700 hrs and counting; IO360, SDS, WWRV200, Dynon HDX, 430W
Built an off-plan RV9A with too much fuel and too much HP. Should drop dead any minute now.
|

11-15-2018, 10:44 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Battleground
Posts: 4,348
|
|
Weather is like my Archery Elk hunting. I am really good at telling you where the Elk have been. Not so good at telling you where they are now, or where they will be later.
As mentioned earlier, use all the tools you have available.
I will look into Weatherspork. Sounds like the forecasting tools might be presented in a better format than most.
__________________
Smart People do Stupid things all the time. I know, I've seen me do'em.
RV6 - Builder/Flying
Bucker Jungmann
Fiat G.46 -(restoration in progress, if I have enough life left in me)
RV1 - Proud Pilot.
|

11-21-2018, 07:01 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Aptos, CA (previously Reno, 21 years!)
Posts: 247
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwilbur
I need advice on how to make the go/no-go decision. I cancel a lot of cross country flights because some element of a forecast is less than ideal. I'm still VFR only (currently working on an IFR rating) and a low-timer. I like ceilings greater than 3000', no precipitation, and visibility with the ground (i.e., I fear getting stuck on top).
|
Your cancellations are occurring for a good reason - you are still gaining experience and you are a VFR only pilot who is understandably making safe decisions based on the limitations of your experience and your equipment. Understandably you are looking to explore the limits of your capability. However, even when you get your IFR ticket, you are still flying a light GA aircraft. Anything without a turbine powerplant and robust FIKI capability is pushing it in anything close to icing conditions or convective activity (enroute and terminal), if we are honest with the safety numbers and capability of light piston aircraft, performance capable or not, in weather.
https://www.aopa.org/training-and-sa...s/vfr-into-imc
As you keep earning hours and stripes, you'll realize you will see trends in your weather understanding and dynamic decision making capabilities coupled to your equipment (air, space and ground based). To safely expand your cross country dynamic flight planning weather analysis and decision making, the IFR certificate is a good place to start and also a lot of research and studying. Slow, metered progress is the key. Get home-itis (or let's take a look itis) consistently takes victims over time and repeated attempts. Don't be suckered by pushing too far too fast.
Last edited by Eddie P : 11-21-2018 at 07:06 PM.
|

11-30-2018, 10:09 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Culpeper, VA
Posts: 693
|
|
WeatherSpork
Appreciate the encouragement to finish the IFR training. I think I will.
I decided to check out the WeatherSpork app. My first thought was reluctance to get into yet another subscription. You know: data for this, data for that, EAA, AOPA, etc. .... WeatherSpork has a 2 week trial and after playing with it for a week I'm in. I'm just amazed at how much data is available in one place and how easy it is to use and understand. This app is well worth the cost in my opinion. Very well done to the WeatherSpork developers.
__________________
-Joe Wilbur (N520LW)
Phase II - 11/2017
First flight - 8/2017
RV-10 Build Log
|
| Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
|
| Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:53 AM.
|