3/21/24 

AIM 

2. 

R & D and controlled testing. 

3. 

Experimental application. 

4. 

Operational application. 

f. 

Pilots and operators should be aware that weather services provided by entities other than FAA, NWS, or 

their contractors may not meet FAA/NWS quality control standards. Hence, operators and pilots contemplating 

using such services should request and/or review an appropriate description of services and provider disclosure. 

This should include, but is not limited to, the type of weather product (for example, current weather or forecast 

weather), the currency of the product (that is, product issue and valid times), and the relevance of the product. 

Pilots and operators should be cautious when using unfamiliar products, or products not supported by FAA/NWS 

technical specifications. 

NOTE

−

 

When in doubt, consult with a FAA Flight Service Station Specialist. 

g. 

In addition, pilots and operators should be aware there are weather services and products available from 

government organizations beyond the scope of the AWRP process mentioned earlier in this section. For example, 

governmental agencies such as the NWS and the Aviation Weather Center (AWC), or research organizations such 

as  the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) display weather “model data” and “experimental” 

products which require training and/or expertise to properly interpret and use. These products are developmental 

prototypes that are subject to ongoing research and can change without notice. Therefore, some data on display 

by government organizations, or government data on display by independent organizations may be unsuitable 

for flight planning purposes. Operators and pilots contemplating using such services should request and/or 

review an appropriate description of services and provider disclosure. This should include, but is not limited to, 

the type of weather product (for example, current weather or forecast weather), the currency of the product (i.e., 

product issue and valid times), and the relevance of the product. Pilots and operators should be cautious when 

using unfamiliar weather products. 

NOTE

−

 

When in doubt, consult with a FAA Flight Service Station Specialist. 

h. 

With increased access to weather products via the public Internet, the aviation community has access to 

an overwhelming amount of weather information and data that support self

−

briefing. the 

Aviation Weather 

Handbook

, FAA

−

H

−

8083

−

28 (current edition), describes the weather products distributed by the NWS. Pilots 

and operators using the public Internet to access weather from a third party vendor should request and/or review 

an appropriate description of services and provider disclosure. This should include, but is not limited to, the type 

of weather product (for example, current weather or forecast weather), the currency of the product (i.e., product 

issue and valid times), and the relevance of the product. Pilots and operators should be cautious when using 

unfamiliar weather products and when in doubt, consult with a Flight Service Specialist. 

i. 

The development of new weather products, coupled with the termination of some legacy textual and 

graphical products may create confusion between regulatory requirements and the new products. All 

flight

−

related, aviation weather decisions must be based on all available pertinent weather products. As every 

flight is unique and the weather conditions for that flight vary hour by hour, day to day, multiple weather products 

may be necessary to meet aviation weather regulatory requirements. Many new weather products now have a 

Precautionary Use Statement that details the proper use or application of the specific product. 

j. 

The FAA has identified three distinct types of weather information available to pilots and operators. 

1.  Observations

. Raw weather data collected by some type of sensor suite including surface and airborne 

observations, radar, lightning, satellite imagery, and profilers. 

2.  Analysis

. Enhanced depiction and/or interpretation of observed weather data. 

3.  Forecasts

. Predictions of the development and/or movement of weather phenomena based on 

meteorological observations and various mathematical models. 

Meteorology 

7

−

1

−

5