The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, TAF, is a staple of aviation weather, known to almost every pilot. During my own Air Force career, I composed hundreds of TAFs for pilots not too different from you. In this article we’ll take an inside look at this tool in a more readable format than you’re probably used to. Though we’ve touched a bit on the TAF in the past, it’s time to give this trusty planning tool an exclusive article.
The story of TAF code goes back to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, held at the Stevens Hotel in Chicago in December 1944. Members from 52 nations set out an ambitious postwar plan for international cooperation in aviation, which included standardizing coded messages. The TAF format was proposed, but unfortunately it was slow to gain acceptance, and for another 20 years countries continued to use what worked for their customers.
