Search results

  1. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    I don't know if I can answer that question. I don't know the nuts and bolts of how the FAA and the NWS are internally funded, and I really don't think I need to know. I am a user of their products available to the public, I am a taxpayer, and I vote. I should be able to make suggestions to...
  2. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    I understand your sentiment. Thats why I titled the article "Tipping at Windmills... " It takes some perseverance to get the FAA (and the NWS) to make a change that could be meaningful for all of us. I do have some limited experience in this area. In June of 2008 I petitioned the FAA to add...
  3. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    Let me re-phrase that... " Do you want Mustard or Mayonnaise on your sandwich? " me: "Yes. Both please. " The funding comes from Aviation Use taxes, just like it does now. All we need is to get the right people to embrace the concept, the tool platforms already exist, so it is just a matter...
  4. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    The short answer to your question is YES. If successful, We will have available to us an Aviation Graphical Weather tool that will allow us to plan VFR trips to our own personal weather preferences, and begin planning our trips from 7 days in advance. The tool will provide you with enough...
  5. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    I am still looking for one or two people who can copy some JPEG screen saves for me on the days when I am busy. Anyone interested?
  6. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    I understand what you are saying, but I respectfully disagree. I think the NWS has all the data available, but they don't have that data in the best tool for the task. I think it would be easy to apply the existing data into the Graphical Forcast for Aviation tool, and it would be relatively...
  7. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    That is why I am asking the NWS to make enhanced tools available so that we can check them ourselves everyday.
  8. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    First, since you do have a lot of questions, please read the reference article: 7-day VFR cross country weather planning : Air Facts Journal This article will answer a lot of your questions. In 2013 I wrote: "A 400nm trip from Fredericksburg, VA (EZF) to Hilton Head Island, SC (HXD) is fair...
  9. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    I am trying to establish that with 30 days of weather data. Look at the first post yes-no chart
  10. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    >>>> What data do you have access to that they don't that makes you expect better results? >>>> I don't have anything different than they do, but I do have a history of using that information to my advantage. If you are only looking for VFR weather, the main thing is to identify bad weather...
  11. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    These 4 pictures show how the cloud base can be calculated on a clear day 4 days in advance. The formula (Temp F - DewPt F ) / .0045 = Expected Cloud Base Altitude. Extrapolating this data along our route of flight from left to right Temp = 19 24 24 21 and DewPt = 9 2 -3 2 which corresponds...
  12. William Pete Hodges

    Tipping the Windmill: 7-Day VFR Weather Planning

    I am working on a presentation to convince the FAA NWS to embrace 7-Day VFR weather planning. I want the AWC to use existing NWS Graphical Weather data already available and apply that data to the AWC Graphical Forecast tool for Aviation platform to extend the time frame out to 7 days. I...
  13. William Pete Hodges

    New FAA Aviation Weather Handbook

    The FAA and the NWS have a close working relationship, but the systems available for us to use have only relatively short lead times. These systems can be very complex, and I get that for IFR and MVFR flight planning it has to be that way. Their newer AWC Aviation Graphical Forecast tool is a...
  14. William Pete Hodges

    Is rotation closer to Vx, than Vr necessarily a bad idea?

    I was too young and green to be able to answer your questions. That was back in 1980. I stopped flying the following year and didn't start again until 2004. I've been flying ever since.
  15. William Pete Hodges

    Is rotation closer to Vx, than Vr necessarily a bad idea?

    I was 19 when I started and when I got there that day, it was too windy to legally teach a low time green student like me with less than 10 hours of flight time. No other instructors were there, and I was too green to know it was too windy to fly. The owner of the flight school was a real...
  16. William Pete Hodges

    Is rotation closer to Vx, than Vr necessarily a bad idea?

    My first instructor taught me in a 150/152 at Vr to apply light elevator back pressure to lighten the nose and the airplane will lift off if by itself as it gains airspeed. Then I showed up one one windy day and the chief instructor took me flying but wouldn't let me log any time. He told me...
  17. William Pete Hodges

    Folding E-bicycle.

    I have just completed my 3rd recharge on my EUC, but I didn't deplete the battery quite as much this time. I found a data page on the app that displays mileage and hours. I have 17 hours and 50.98 km (31.84 miles) on the machine now. My dog likes to run with me when I practice so I have to...
  18. William Pete Hodges

    Getting Seaplane Rating

    I did mine a few years ago. It was really fun. I read a book about Seaplane flying prior to signing up. It gave me an idea what to expect.
  19. William Pete Hodges

    Pilot's festive flight path reveals Christmas tree over Central Florida

    I think that is pretty cool. Merry Christmas everyone!
Back
Top