#Wx 500 stormscope how to

One example is the phrase, “VFR not recommended.” FAA research has shown the phrase is offered much too often. NTSB statistics show weather as one of the top five accident causes in general aviation, with an 85% fatality rate. But it’s the middle where the briefing falls short.” “It’s useful when the weather’s really good, or when it’s really bad.

“I don’t believe that a flight service briefing can keep you safe on its own,” says Dennstaedt. But learning what this briefing can’t do is an important part of learning what it can do.

The Flight Service briefing is still the most popular way pilots get weather information, and is usually the first step in getting a complete weather picture.

#Wx 500 stormscope how to

One of the best techniques to avoid getting into weather trouble is learning how to use traditional aviation resources. His website,, is a treasure trove of weather information, tips and technical videos. degree in meteorology and computer science, and today spends his time as a CFI in technically advanced aircraft (TAA) teaching pilots about weather. Dennstaedt spent several years as a National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist, earned an M.S. To help us delve into this complex subject, we spoke with Scott Dennstaedt, a pilot and recognized weather expert. Technology presents the information, but we must know enough about it to make the right go/no-go decision. Today, the responsibility has shifted to the pilot more than ever. There’s a great tradition in aviation where the truly complex stuff was left to the real weather experts-the meteorologists who sat at the local flight service station office-and looked out the window. Thanks to advances in technology, we only need to understand weather enough. With that in mind, how we do learn to avoid the worst Mother Nature can throw at us?įirst, we have to accept the fact that most of us will never become expert meteorologists. Yet, the weather knowledge required to successfully pass the FAA’s written and practical tests is marginal at best. According to the latest NTSB statistics, weather remains one of the top five accident causes in general aviation, with an 85% fatality rate. It’s one of the great paradoxes in aviation that one of the biggest killers of pilots -weather-is one of the least understood and least taught subjects in primary flight instruction.