Cloud Tops

GaryP1007

GaryP1007

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Feb 21, 2018
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Chandler, AZ
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GaryP1007
Other than a PIREP or getting info from ATC what tools do you use to determine cloud tops when prepping for XC travel?


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Aviation weather center pirep Web page is what I use.
 
The SkewTPro app on my I phone. Also if you look hard in aviationweather.com, it has tops info
 
Skew T and Windy for an overall picture for long XC.
 
Thanks. I see just how easy it is now. Much appreciated.


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The weather center GFA is pretty inaccurate. Would definitely double check with other sources until that product gets a little better. I miss the FA (aviation forecast, which was accurate)
 
@mscard88 don't forget this . . .
93b715249c8dec7a28a3ba13bf09ee73.jpg
 
mscard88 said:
Mines bigger than yours! :eek2:

Goes to 100'!
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I carry mine on my belt for work every day . . . if I tried that with yours, I'd need to put wheels on it!!

Back on topic . . . why don't developers make the same neat apps for us 'Driod users as they do for the iCrowd?
 
kc4wsd said:
I carry mine on my belt for work every day . . . if I tried that with yours, I'd need to put wheels on it!!

Back on topic . . . why don't developers make the same neat apps for us 'Driod users as they do for the iCrowd?
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The answer usually given is that the development environments are different. It's not a simple thing to write for both. For those who choose iOS, there's also an issue with there being only one iOS compared to more than a dozen flavors of Android.
 
kc4wsd said:
. . . why don't developers make the same neat apps for us 'Driod users as they do for the iCrowd?
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plenty of free apps available. now if you want to pay for misinformation...…….
 
eman1200 said:
plenty of free apps available. now if you want to pay for misinformation...…….
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No thanks . . . I prefer accuracy.

Quality beats quantity any day!
 
Not what you asked, but There is an in flight app I recently discovered called cloud topper, that helps measure how high a cloud top is that is visible, but I haven’t figured out yet if it’s useful or not or how to use it well
 
Cloud Coverage Forecast Charts included in your online 800wxbrief.
 
Skew T charts and weatherspork.com.

Weatherspork has skew T charts but l like to access through NWS web page.
 
GaryP1007 said:
Other than a PIREP or getting info from ATC what tools do you use to determine cloud tops when prepping for XC travel?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

The purée is only useful when pilots give the tops. They love to give the bases, so can atis, awos. But pireps on tops are scarce. I think those are a hell of a lot more useful than a base pirep.
 
GaryP1007 said:
Other than a PIREP or getting info from ATC what tools do you use to determine cloud tops when prepping for XC travel?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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As others have mentioned, I look at the GFA tool at aviationweather. I am surprised how right on it can be many times and how very off it is others. I'm sure it will only get better.
 
Rockymountain said:
The weather center GFA is pretty inaccurate. Would definitely double check with other sources until that product gets a little better. I miss the FA (aviation forecast, which was accurate).

You are saying that a forecast is always accurate? Are you being paid off by theNWS?

Bob
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scottd said:
The only sure way is to become familiar with IR satellite images. Once you know the cloud top temperature, you usually can determine the cloud top height (+/- 3000 ft). In WeatherSpork we have a fairly good cloud tops height forecast that goes out 18 hours and it's updated hourly.

View attachment 65940
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I have downloaded Weatherspork but not really looked it over. Do you cover US only or also other continents?
 
As with everything government weather, it's a nice resource, but don't bet your life on it.
 
scottd said:
That works pretty well for warmer stratiform clouds, not so good for cold stratiform clouds and definitely not cumuliform clouds.
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Absolutely! It's one of the reasons I prefer the NWS Skew-T to most of the apps out there which don't allow for visually plotting the parcel line. Particularly in the summer, I want to see that.
 
I haven't good luck finding tools that are good at predicting cloud tops. Have tried many different tools but at least in my luck and where I've flown they seem merely suggestive of where the clouds tops *could* be

kc4wsd said:
don't forget this . . .
93b715249c8dec7a28a3ba13bf09ee73.jpg
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why's there a pencil mark at 3 inches?
 
why's there a pencil mark at 3 inches?

I was always told to measure twice . . .
 
If there aren't any T-storms, and no icing, then I pretty much don't care. . .in a 172, if there are T-Storms or icing, I'm not heading to the tops anyway.
 
scottd said:
Right now it's only the U.S. We will eventually expand the app to support Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean before we move into Europe (we show METARs for Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean).
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FWIW, I downloaded app and don’t think a 7 day free trial was enough time to get a feel for whether I wanted to become a paying subscriber. I only flew one time during that week and so only tried it out once. 30 days trial would be better. If I used it over the course of a month I might decide I can’t live without it. As of now, it looks interesting but I don’t have enough info to pull the trigger and subscribe. Not clear to me after one use whether it added more value than the free resources out there. Just my 2 cents
 
How much is it after the 7/14 day free trial?
 
Hunter said:
How much is it after the 7/14 day free trial?
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Less than the basic ForeFlight subscription...

Head to http://weatherspork.com/ and click the pricing link.

For the price, you are getting much more than an app that combines a bunch of aviation weather data into an quickly digestible product. Your getting lots of weather education and access to Scott's main site, www.avwxworkshops.com and a discount on any of his premium workshops and live events.
 
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