the "not worthy of it's own thread" thread

[asicer]

Why isn't density altitude listed in METARs?

I hear it on several AWOS broadcasts, even at airports where it's not really a concern for 99.9% of the traffic there.

 

[ArrowFlyer86]

Why isn't density altitude listed in METARs?
I know pressure is, and temperature is - but then do you always calculate the density altitude before flying? Or just on hot days, for example?

It seems to me like it would be a good item to put in the METAR for safety, and since it's so critical to performance. I know we're supposed to do NWKRAFT before each flight, but does everyone do that, all the time? Somehow I doubt it, especially in familiar terrain.

ForeFlight calculates it from their data and shows it in the METAR page.
Lots of automated weather stations at airports give out this information too, even though in my neck of the woods they could safely leave it out.
Turns out the flat plains of IL doesn't offer much in the way of challenging DAs