When pilots start learning how to fly, they are taught all the basics. When it comes to weather, they are taught to listen to the ATIS, learn to read prog charts, winds aloft, etc. All weather planning can be critical to conducting a flight, especially cross country, but where does it come from? There’s weather.gov, 1800-WXBRIEF, NOAA, etc. Okay, those are the services, but each service has a focal point. Here, let’s discuss the most basic piece of weather equipment at most airfields in the U.S.—almost all of us have flown into fields with weather-reporting equipment, like an ASOS or AWOS. Do you know the difference?
Do you know what happens to that data? If there is a phone number at a field for the ASOS/AWOS, do I still need to listen to the actual ATIS? The ATIS is just the weather read out loud, right? Let’s not forget that ATIS has pertinent information that is NOT weather related, yet pertinent to your flight, so that’s an easy “Yes, you should still listen to the ATIS before you taxi out, or well before you arrive at your destination.”
