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The Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology is required to support civil aviation by the provision of aviation weather services in addition to the provision of national climate, weather and warnings information.
The following aviation products can be accessed from the BoM aviation services web page. If a user name is requested use 'bomw0007' and the password 'aviation'. The BoM also supplies the aviation products to Airservices Australia for their online pilot briefing system.
National surface synoptic charts
- Mean sea level pressure analysis
- Mean sea level pressure forecasts
Aviation forecasts and aerodrome observations pertinent to recreational pilots
- Area Forecasts [ARFOR] are a 'plain language' statement of the general weather situation and the expected conditions for a particular forecast area — the latter as detailed on the PCA. The forecast period is not less than 9 hours or greater than 15 hours. The forecast is available at least one hour before commencement of the validity period. Pilots should regard forecasts as the best possible predictions from professional meteorologists supported with extensive computer modelling. However, meteorologists and computer modelling may not predict local micrometeorological events.
- Area QNH
- Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts [TAF] are a statement of the most likely meteorological conditions expected, for a specified period, in the airspace within the vicinity of the aerodrome. TAFs are issued for about one third of Australian aerodromes, at not less than six hourly intervals, and are usually valid for 12 hours. Most of the weather reports and forecasts are encoded using the World Meteorological Organization/International Civil Aviation Organization international weather code.
- Aerodrome routine meteorological reports [METARs] are routine observations of weather conditions at an aerodrome issued on the hour or half hour, often through automatic weather stations. SPECI are special reports issued when conditions meet specified criteria.
- Automatic weather stations [AWS] are located at about 190 airfields. All the stations are accessible by telephone and about 70 are also accessible by VHF NAV/COMM radio. For the access telephone numbers and VHF frequencies look for 'location information' on BoM's Aerodrome Weather Information Service (AWIS) page. For an example of the service call 08 8091 5549 to hear the AWS aerodrome weather at Wilcannia, NSW.
- Terminal Trend Type Forecasts [TTF] are only issued for about 20 airports or military bases. TTFs are an aerodrome actual weather report combined with a forecast of changes to conditions during the next three hours. The TTF was introduced to overcome the time-span deficiencies of the TAF.
General weather observations
- All latest weather observations by state.
- Snapshots of radar images (precipitation location and intensity), from about 50 weather watch radars, are available at 10 minute intervals. The images cover an area of 256 km radius from the radar. The last four snapshots from each radar can be looped to provide a good indication of current storm development, intensity and rate of movement. See radar images.
- Satellite imagery; visible and infrared.
Information for glider pilots
- Vertical temperature and wind profiles
- Aerological diagrams
Further details
Instructions on how to decode the TAFs, TTFs, METARS, etc. is available online at the BoM's aviation eHelp page. Ian Boag is trialling an excellent, freely available, online, plain language meteorological translator [PLMT] for current ARFOR, METAR and TAF within all Australian ARFOR areas. However, pilots must still get the NOTAM from the Airservices site. The PLMT is conceived as a learning tool for student pilots, it presents the coded report followed by the decode; see AVMET. Student pilots should be aware that the ability to decode BoM aviation reports and forecasts will be tested in some of the aviation examinations.
Airservices Australia publishes online versions of the AIP Book and ERSA at www.airservicesaustralia.com/publications/aip.asp. You may have to click the 'I agree' button to gain entry. For further information about the meteorological service reports and forecasts, read the section AIP GEN 3.5 (about 50 pages). To find a particular section of AIP or ERSA you have to click through a number of index pages. The section/sub-section/paragraph numbering system was designed for a readily amendable loose leaf print document and you may find it a little confusing as an on-line document.
The most convenient way to download ARFOR, TAF and METAR (plus NOTAM) is from Airservices Australia's AIS/MET page. Just click the area you want on the map of Australia and the ARFOR plus TAFs and METARs for the aerodromes in that area will be presented in the form of a pre-flight briefing. See an actual briefing with explanatory notes added. For further information read the weather check section of the Flight Planning and Navigation Guide.
There is also a method of acquiring weather information from Airservices Australia by fax [AVFAX]; see ERSA GEN for details.
There are several means of obtaining a limited amount of weather information while airborne:
- AERIS — the Automatic Enroute Information Service network
- ATIS — the Automatic Terminal Information Service at some aerodromes
- AWIS — the Aerodrome Weather Information Service at some aerodromes; sometimes referred to as the Automatic Weather Information Broadcast [AWIB]. The AWIS information at all automatic weather stations can be accessed by mobile phone and about 70 of them also allow VHF access.
- FLIGHTWATCH — the on-request service provided by Airservices Australia.
For further information read the acquiring weather information section of the VHF Radiocommunications Guide.
Weather warnings
- SIGMETs report the occurrence or expectation of significant meteorological events such as widespread duststorms, a severe line squall or heavy hail. SIGMETs are issued by the BoM but broadcast by the Air Traffic Service for the affected area as a hazard alert.
- AIRMETs report the occurrence or expectation of less severe meteorological events and applies only to aircraft operating below 10 000 feet. AIRMETs are issued by the BoM but broadcast by the Air Traffic Service as a hazard alert for the affected area.
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