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 and flight-planning tools have significantly improved aviation safety by providing high-quality, detailed graphical and textual information for pre-flight briefings.
- Pilots must actively interpret weather data, relating it to real-world conditions, and continuously update their "go" decisions, considering delays or alternate routes when facing adverse weather.
- Despite the benefits of extensive online weather resources, human judgment and the ability to consult Flight Service remain invaluable for nuanced interpretation, complex situations, or when online data is insufficient or contradictory.
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