AIM
4/3/14
7−1−4
Meteorology
2.
R & D and controlled testing.
3.
Experimental application.
4.
Operational application.
f.
Pilots and operators should be aware that
weather services provided by entities other than FAA,
NWS or their contractors (such as the DUAT/DUATS
and Lockheed Martin Flight Services) may not meet
FAA/NWS quality control standards. Hence,
operators and pilots contemplating using such
services should request and/or review an appropriate
description of services and provider disclosure. This
should include, but is not limited to, the type of
weather product (e.g., current weather or forecast
weather), the currency of the product (i.e., product
issue and valid times), and the relevance of the
product. Pilots and operators should be cautious
when using unfamiliar products, or products not
supported by FAA/NWS technical specifications.
NOTE
−
When in doubt, consult with a FAA Flight Service Station
Specialist.
g.
In addition, pilots and operators should be
aware there are weather services and products
available from government organizations beyond the
scope of the AWRP process mentioned earlier in this
section. For example, governmental agencies such as
the NWS and the Aviation Weather Center (AWC), or
research organizations such as the National Center
for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) display weather
“model data” and “experimental” products which
require training and/or expertise to properly interpret
and use. These products are developmental proto-
types that are subject to ongoing research and can
change without notice. Therefore, some data on
display by government organizations, or government
data on display by independent organizations may be
unsuitable for flight planning purposes. Operators
and pilots contemplating using such services should
request and/or review an appropriate description of
services and provider disclosure. This should include,
but is not limited to, the type of weather product (for
example, current weather or forecast weather), the
currency of the product (i.e., product issue and valid
times), and the relevance of the product. Pilots and
operators should be cautious when using unfamiliar
weather products.
NOTE
−
When in doubt, consult with a FAA Flight Service Station
Specialist.
h.
With increased access to weather products via
the public Internet, the aviation community has
access to an over whelming amount of weather
information and data that support self-briefing. FAA
AC 00-45 (current edition) describes the weather
products distributed by the NWS. Pilots and
operators using the public Internet to access weather
from a third party vendor should request and/or
review an appropriate description of services and
provider disclosure. This should include, but is not
limited to, the type of weather product (for example,
current weather or forecast weather), the currency of
the product (i.e., product issue and valid times), and
the relevance of the product. Pilots and operators
should be cautious when using unfamiliar weather
products and when in doubt, consult with a Flight
Service Specialist.
i.
The development of new weather products,
coupled with the termination of some legacy textual
and graphical products may create confusion between
regulatory requirements and the new products. All
flight−related, aviation weather decisions must be
based on all available pertinent weather products. As
every flight is unique and the weather conditions for
that flight vary hour by hour, day to day, multiple
weather products may be necessary to meet aviation
weather regulatory requirements. Many new weather
products now have a Precautionary Use Statement
that details the proper use or application of the
specific product.
j.
The FAA has identified three distinct types of
weather information available to pilots and operators.
1. Observations
. Raw weather data collected
by some type of sensor suite including surface and
airborne observations, radar, lightning, satellite
imagery, and profilers.
2. Analysis
. Enhanced depiction and/or inter-
pretation of observed weather data.
3. Forecasts
. Predictions of the development
and/or movement of weather phenomena based on
meteorological observations and various mathemat-
ical models.
k.
Not all sources of aviation weather information
are able to provide all three types of weather
information. The FAA has determined that operators
and pilots may utilize the following approved sources
of aviation weather information:
1.
Federal Government. The FAA and NWS
collect raw weather data, analyze the observations,