Safety Topic of the Month: Preflight & Inflight Weather Briefing Essentials

Welcome to the Safety Section of the Flying Clubs Newsletter, Club Connector!

Every month we provide resources for flying club safety officers to keep their clubs informed and safe.   We include links to PDFs of presentations that we use at our own meetings, so there is always a topic for your club’s next safety meeting.  Along with the presentations, we also provide links to relevant articles, videos, and other media that you may also find useful.   You can find this month’s safety article and the full archive, here:  https://youcanfly.aopa.org/flying-clubs/flying-club-newsletter/safety

Alright then, let’s get on with this month’s safety topic!

August Safety Topic of the Month: Pre-Flight and In-Flight Weather Resources

Summary:

The last few years has brought an unparalleled level of information to our portable devices and general aviation flight decks.  Near real time graphical and textual weather products may contribute greatly to pilot situational awareness and decision making, but we must be fully aware of the limitations and capabilities of the source, equipment, and the information it provides, to really benefit from this technology.

Learning Points:

• More pre- and in-flight weather information is available than ever before, but with that wealth of information comes complexity and the potential for complacency.  Pilots must be comfortable with their choice of weather information services, and they must be competent in making critical flight decisions based on assessments of the information provided.
• A thorough understanding of the capabilities and limitations of weather information resources is essential for safe flight.
• Weather information procurement and weather decision making should be covered in all proficiency training programs and should be practiced before—and during—every flight.
• Never let an "app" fool you into making poor weather decisions.  Use the amazing resource of live flight service briefers as a major source of weather information...if we don’t, they'll disappear and then we will be on our own.
• We have provided an in-depth presentation on modern pre-flight and in-flight weather resources, with many examples.
• Please download and use these slides at your club’s next safety meeting:

August Safety Topic of the Month: Pre-Flight and In-Flight Weather Resources

August 2024 Safety Topic of the Month References:

• FAA WINGS Course ALC-683:Conducting Preflight Self-Briefings for Student and VFR Pilots

  https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/CourseLanding.aspx?cID=683

• Aviation Weather Handbook FAA-H-8083-28
  https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/FAA-H-8083-28_FAA_Web.pdf
• AC 91-92 - Pilot’s Guide to a Preflight Briefing
  https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory
  _circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/document
  ID/1036892
• Aeronautical Information Manual—Safety of Flight

  https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap_7.html

• AOPA Video:ADS-B or SiriusXM—What’s Right for You?
  https://www.youtube.com/embed/gcD54HMqONs

Other Safety Resources:

Here is a reminder of just some of the resources available to all pilots:

FAASTeam:

faasafety.gov

The FAASTeam website is the portal to a vast array of courses, videos, links, and much more.  Remember that WINGS not only encompasses “knowledge” activities, but also flight activities.  Use the various search options to narrow down, to say, flight activities for a basic phase of WINGS, and you’ll be able to find a syllabus and often a worksheet for each flight activity.

Don’t forget to regularly revisit these FAA safety gems:

Pilot Minute

57 Seconds to Safer Flying

FAA Safety Briefing Magazine

From the Flight Deck

Wait—what—you don’t do WINGS?

That’s a big shame—you are missing out on a free pilot proficiency program that will help you enjoy your flying even more, allow you to earn a flight review every 12-months just by flying, and may provide insurance discounts.

The FAASTeam WINGS pilot proficiency program is the best way for general aviation pilots to ensure they are competent, confident, and safe in their flight operations.   Oh, and being perpetually proficient will save you money in the long run.

If you are interested in using the FAASTeam WINGS program for your personal flying or with your flying club, create an account on the FAASTeam website, http://www.faasafety.gov, and explore the collection of courses and flight activities.  Also, feel free to contact me (Steve Bateman, Lead Representative and FAA WINGSPro), and I’d be pleased to walk you through the program.

More on “WINGS for Clubs” can be found here in Flying Clubs Radio Episode 8 and the May 2020 Question of the Month.

AOPA Air Safety Institute:

https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/air-safety-institute

AOPA’s Air Safety Institute, which by the way is funded by the AOPA Foundation just like the Flying Clubs Initiative, is packed with amazing content, including exceptional videos, podcasts, accident analysis, online courses, recorded webinars and more.  Completing these activities may also earn WINGS credits.  Of particular interest to flying club safety officers is the recently updated Safety to Go section.  There, you can download a selection of topics, each coming with PowerPoint slides and speaker’s notes!