Pilot Institute

MARCH 19, 2025

So, you will want to know what the air and prevailing weather conditions are doing. You will want detailed and accurate weather information. Key Takeaways A METAR is a standardized aviation weather report for a specific airport. Pilots use METARs for flight safety, runway selection, and weather planning.

Weather

Plane and Pilot

JANUARY 10, 2025

hours of single-pilot IFR spread over three days, most of it between 8,000 and 10,000 feet, dodging cumulus buildups. I experienced dense morning fog, afternoon thunderstorms, and made a timely weather divert with the help of incredibly helpful air traffic controllers. This last point is important.

Pilot

AV Web

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

Seattle Center, N13DZ, request climb to VFR-on-Top. They say again, N13DZ, requesting climb to VFR-on-Top. Fortunately, someone somewhere had the foresight to make uncommon clearances (like VFR-on-Top) quickly accessible for a time just like this. The pilot requests VFR-on-Top.

VFR On Top

Air Facts

DECEMBER 30, 2024

This was the actual conversation that started the journey for this green commercial pilot. The year was 2017, and I was two months into my first pilot job flying skydivers in the C182 at a small Canadian drop zone, when my boss approached me with this question. I checked THE weather and made plans for the next leg. “What?

Weather

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 17, 2024

Top questions for the week include: What are the cumpulsory IFR reporting points? Pilots are able to discontinue reporting compulsory points when informed by ATC that the aircraft is in “radar contact.” What’s the difference between VFR, MVFR, IFR, and LIFR weather? AIM 5-3-3 ) When an approach has been missed. (

Instrument Flight Rules