Build one weather picture
Do not read a single weather app and stop. Combine current observations, forecasts, radar and convective information, winds, NOTAMs, and actual site conditions. Compare conditions with aircraft limits, payload, route, terrain, obstacles, and the return leg.
METAR essentials
- Wind: direction from which the wind blows, speed in knots, and gusts.
- Visibility: prevailing visibility in statute miles.
- Weather: rain, mist, fog, thunderstorms, and intensity descriptors.
- Sky condition: FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC and height in hundreds of feet AGL.
- Temperature/dew point: a narrowing spread can signal saturation, fog, or low cloud.
- Altimeter: such as A2992 for 29.92 inches of mercury.
TAF use
A TAF forecasts terminal-area conditions across a time window. Check valid time, changes, temporary conditions, probability groups when present, and whether the mission falls near a forecast transition.
Wind and terrain
Gusts reduce control and battery margin. Buildings, trees, ridges, and roof edges create mechanical turbulence and rotors. Winds aloft may be stronger and from a different direction than surface wind. When practical, plan the outbound leg into the wind so the return is not an energy emergency.
Density altitude and batteries
High elevation, high temperature, and low pressure raise density altitude and reduce aerodynamic/propeller performance. A heavy payload compounds the effect. Cold batteries may provide less usable capacity and voltage under load; hot batteries can age quickly and create thermal risk.