When you get right down to it-the ground, that is-precise knowledge of local weather is the single critical factor determining whether your three-hour instrument flight is going to have a happy ending. Youll either get an easy peek at your flight-storys last page or itll become a cliffhanger at decision height, followed by a missed approach. Naturally, weather has a significant effect on the critical few minutes of an instrument approach (even a VFR approach), as well as our decision-making process. 288
AWOS/ASOS Lies
When you get right down to it-the ground, that is-precise knowledge of local weather is the single critical factor determining whether your three-hour instrument flight is going to have a happy ending. Youll either get an easy peek at your flight-storys last page or itll become a cliffhanger at decision height, followed by a missed approach. Naturally, weather has a significant effect on the critical few minutes of an instrument approach (even a VFR approach), as well as our decision-making process.
Key Takeaways:
- Automated weather observation systems (AWOS/ASOS) have significant limitations in accurately reporting dynamic ceiling and visibility conditions, often failing to reflect the real-world experience of pilots.
- These inaccuracies stem from their fixed-location, time-averaged measurement methods, which can miss rapidly changing or localized weather phenomena, such as fog banks near water or low clouds obscured by haze.
- Pilots must be aware of these limitations, cross-reference multiple weather sources, apply caution in marginal conditions (e.g., halving visibility in haze), and always be prepared for a go-around.
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