reading FF radar

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
20,772
Location
west Texas
Display Name
Display name:
Dave Taylor
Which way did I go?
I will tell/show you the sky after your answer.
 

Attachments

  • image.png
    image.png
    1.5 MB · Views: 129
Trick question. No true Scotsman would make tactical decisions based upon old nexrad data.
 
Agreed, without seeing the trend of the weather and also with no radar coverage south, my decision would be to not penetrate. Especially if I am not in VMC.
I too would need more data to make an informed decision.
 
Yes, south was formidable, ugly -(although the day before, same 'storms in the high ground' problem, south was the only way through). Wish we had full adsb coverage down here.
Despite the delay in radar data, the pic very closely resembled the situation - there was little movement or growth.
Anyone concerned about the bow presented directly to my path?
 
Top photo - ADS-B
Bottom Photo - XM

I should add that on this flight I diverted to KGED. I was ten minutes from home but worth the wait. When KOXB went MVFR I launched from GED that was VFR. There was a fog bank and cloud layer sitting over the airport on the coast. Shot the GPS14 and had to go missed then shot the GPS 32 and broke out at 280' just 20 above the DA.

IMG_0181.PNG


xm%2Bwx%2B1.JPG
 
Last edited:
The question you have to ask yourself is "Do I feel lucky?" Well do ya?
 
South was blocked, north did not have a visually clear path, but with only minor maneuvering I was able to go direct. The bow was plainly visible above me and looked angry, but was producing little, no lightning, minimal turbulence. No way I'd want to go through that in the teens but as is often the case here, much of the trouble is in the upper levels.
Here I am in the bow, the returns ahead of me must have been aloft as I saw none of it.


image.png
 
There are a lot of things that "bow" could be. Looking only at the radar, I might be concerned a squall line was forming, or there was a gust front there.

But there really is no substitute for a Mark I Eyeball, especially with some time evolution observations.

I wouldn't have gotten that close to "extreme" precipitation, but I can and have gotten close to much weaker showers, while looking for lightning (and any sight of that would have gotten me to bug out).
 
Even though I passed below with no trouble, the speed drop in the last pic suggested some outflow as if the activity overhead were trying to produce something, but over the 30 minutes of watching it approach me and then pass, it never did finish the job.
image1(2).PNG
 
Radar shapes. Anyone remember Archie Trammel's old videos?
 

Attachments

  • airpla2.jpg
    airpla2.jpg
    18.2 KB · Views: 27
So, dumb question: why can't EFB's slice radar returns vertically?
 
Last edited:
GeorgeC said:
Funny, FF 7.7 just introduced some new radar mojo:
https://blog.foreflight.com/2016/07/14/new-radar-layer-updates/
Click to expand...

Foreflight Support said:
The radar imagery shown on the Maps page is composite reflectivity. This is true regardless of whether the source is ADS-B, XM, or via the internet.
All of the radar images on the Imagery page are taken from the lowest elevation level, and are therefore base reflectivity.
To learn more about composite reflectivity, the NWS JetStream Online School for Weather: Composite Reflectivity article is very helpful. You can see that here: http://forecast.weather.gov/jetstream/doppler/comprefl.htm
Further, the NWS JetStream Online School for Weather: Base Reflectivity article is a good read to learn more about base reflectivity. You can see that here: http://forecast.weather.gov/jetstream/doppler/baserefl.htm

Let us know if there is anything else we can do for you!
Click to expand...


2 months ago before I knew anything about Nexrad I scrubbed a flight because of some mild radar returns on Foreflight coming toward my area (admitted weather chicken). However, when the returns got to me, there was no precipitation to be seen. I then compared FF to my non-aviation weather apps (WeatherBug, etc.) but the same returns were missing.

Being kind of peeved that I scrubbed a flight for no reason, I wrote to FF saying that their radar was screwy, but then one of them kindly wrote back the response above. I interpret it as saying (in a nice way) that I know nothing about radar imagery, which was 100% true!

So I think I am at least partially responsible for their radar layer updates. Personally I would just prefer that they put big red blobs on the screen with "NO FLY HERE" superimposed, but that might be oversimplifying things a little.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top