The ducks were going to be walking soon. It was sometime in the early 1980s-I had just flown my rented Skyhawk down to the ILS Runway 5R minimums at the Raleigh-Durham (N.C.) International Airport (RDU), breaking out at decision height. Earlier, I missed the 600-foot minimum descent altitude radar approach at the nearby Horace Williams Airport at Chapel Hill, N.C. This was Plan B. After discharging my passenger-her car was at Chapel Hill, but there was no way for me 288
The problem With Internet Weather
The ducks were going to be walking soon. It was sometime in the early 1980s-I had just flown my rented Skyhawk down to the ILS Runway 5R minimums at the Raleigh-Durham (N.C.) International Airport (RDU), breaking out at decision height. Earlier, I missed the 600-foot minimum descent altitude radar approach at the nearby Horace Williams Airport at Chapel Hill, N.C. This was Plan B.
Key Takeaways:
- Modern internet-based weather resources have significantly improved aviation safety by providing high-quality, detailed, and graphical flight planning information.
- Pilots must actively interpret weather data, relating it to their specific experience and aircraft capabilities, and ensure the information is current and aviation-specific.
- Effective pre-flight decision-making involves continuously evaluating the weather, being willing to delay or reroute, and prioritizing cancellation when conditions are unsafe.
- Despite the advancements in online weather tools, Flight Service remains a crucial resource for clarifying complex weather situations, understanding NOTAMs, or when internet data is insufficient or confusing.
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