Inflight weather map for backup

SkySpy

SkySpy

Pre-Flight
Joined
Dec 23, 2006
Messages
70
Location
Palm Beach, Florida
Display Name
Display name:
Jerry
Often Approach will alert me to localized heavy rain showers on my route. Is there an app that can show me this? I have Storm Tracker but I do not have any of the other external weather tools.
 
Any of the EFBs (ie GarminPilot, ForeFlight, etc) if connected to FIS-B will show NEXRAD. An alternative to FIS-B is an XW weather subscription. However, anything showing NEXRAD will be 5 to 15 min old by the time you see it regardless of the platform due to how the system gathers and transmits data--IOW it's not real time.
 
I know of no real time weather in the cockpit for GA. There's certainly a desire for it, I wonder how large the market is.
 
Sluggo63 said:
Exactly. I have an older color weather radar in my Seneca, and despite the cost, when it finally ****s the bed, I’ll probably spring for a new radar. It’s that useful.
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Color me green. Maybe someday I’ll add radar but for now I give storms a wide berth with lots of help from ADS-B, ATC, and trying to stay in VMC so the nasty clouds are obvious.
 
iamtheari said:
Color me green. Maybe someday I’ll add radar but for now I give storms a wide berth with lots of help from ADS-B, ATC, and trying to stay in VMC so the nasty clouds are obvious.
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Yeah. The plane came with it, so that was fortuitous for me. I still don't completely trust it, but it makes it nice when what the radar is showing matches up with ADSB and what ATC is saying. Just adds to the warm fuzzy.
 
I don't worry about the precipitation so much as I do the TS. It's why I love the stormscope. I've flown through "red" that was non convective. Just makes a lot of noise when going through it.
 
Thank you everyone ! I love the soft puffy clouds but, for now, will still count on a good pre flight briefing and ATC to avoid anything heavier.
 
FWIW, I think having NEXRAD in the cockpit is a game changer, even with its limitations. Lightning depictions even more do. It helps tremendously with overall weather situational awareness. Although its limitations make immediate (ie less than 5 min in the future) type of flight path decisions not ideal, it still gives you an idea if what’s going on. I’ve used it a lot in making enroute deviations. Oh and in just about every instance where I received an ATC precip alert I was already aware.
 
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