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FTW

WEATHER

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

MISSION 3

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LET’S FLY

Paper Airplane DesignChallenge

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    • 4 min to build paper plane
    • 3 test flights

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no fan

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Record your data.

fan on low

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fan on high

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headwind

tailwind

quarterwind

headwind

tailwind

quarterwind

with a

with a

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HOPPER DEMO

Based on your data, what will happen when we fly Hopper with the same conditions?

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no fan

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fan on low

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fan on high

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headwind

tailwind

quarterwind

headwind

tailwind

quarterwind

with a

with a

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LET’S DISCUSS

    • How did the location where your plane landed change across the three trials?

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    • If you could redesign your plane after Trial 1, what would you change and why?

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    • How might the shape, weight, or size of your paper plane have impacted how it flew in the wind?

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WINDY.COM

Select an airport in the US and search for the current weather - wind, clouds, rain, temperature.

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SKYVECTOR.COM

Record additional information about your airport using this site. What do the red lines mean?

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WHO REMEMBERS THIS?

Image Source: FAA

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C-152

+ 1 SM

AIRSPACE + WEATHER RULES

10,000 MSL

F-111

1,000 ft

5 sm

1,000 ft

1 sm

E

think

think

B

C

D

E

3 sm

1,000 ft

500 ft

2,000 ft

G

*

1,200 AGL

visibility

sm = statute mile: a unit of linear measure equal to 1,760 yards

MSL = mean sea level AGL = above ground level

G

}

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    • Above 10,000 feet MSL Classes E and G
    • Below 10,000 feet MSL Classes B, C, D, and E
    • Class G Airspace Nighttime below 1,200 feet AGL
    • Class G Airspace Daytime above 1,200 feet AGL

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VFR TRIANGLE

Let’s revisit airspace rules.

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    • Above 10,000 feet MSL

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VFR TRIANGLE

Now let’s add visibility rules for clouds.

10,000 FT MSL

E, G

1200 FT AGL

B, C, D, E

G

G

5-111 - 5 statute miles and cloud clearances of 1,000 ft above, 1,000 ft below, & 1 statute mile horizontally required

2. Below 10,000 feet MSL

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3-152 - 3 statute miles and cloud clearances of 1,000 ft above, 500 ft below, & 2,000 ft horizontally required.

3. Class G Airspace (Night)

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4. Class G Airspace (Day)

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1-152 - unless under 1,200 ft AGL - then visibility of 1 statute mile & no clouds is required

1-152 - visibility of 1 statute mile and cloud clearance of 1,000 ft above, 500 ft below, & 2,000 ft horizontally required.

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WEATHER

We’re going to learn how to interpret aviation weather reports & forecasts.

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WEATHER CODES

The National Weather Service (NWS) works with the FAA to ensure accurate weather forecasts are availble for pilots. These weather reports - called METARs & TAFs are coded with lots of critical information.

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Just like a code you might write for Hopper.

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Let’s learn how to read the codes.

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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

METAR

TAF

LIKE A PHOTO OF WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

LIKE A MOVIE PREVIEW OF WHAT’S COMING SOON.

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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

A movie preview of what’s coming

FEATURE

METAR

TAF

What it is

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A real-time weather report (current observation)

A forecast (prediction of future weather)

When it’s updated

Every hour (and sometimes more often for sudden changes)

The current conditions only

Snapshot of right now: wind, visibility, clouds, temperature, and pressure

Every 6-12 hours

Future conditions, usually over 24-30 hours

Expected changes in weather: when conditions may improve, worsen or shift

A photo of the weather

Time covered

What it tells you

Think of it as...

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BREAKING THE CODE

Let’s learn to read a METAR.

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METAR

Metorological Aerodome Report

[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

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METAR

[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

STATION ID

4-LETTER AIRPORT CODE (E.G., KJFK FOR JFK AIRPORT)

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METAR

[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

DATE/TIME

      • Format: DDHHMMZ
      • DD = day of month, HHMM = time in UTC, Z = Zulu (UTC)
      • Example: 121651Z means 12th day at 16:51 UTC

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METAR

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

WIND

      • Direction (degrees) + speed (knots) + optional gusts
      • Example: 18012KT = wind from 180° at 12 knots

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[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

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METAR

[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

VISIBILity

      • Usually in statute miles (SM) or meters
      • Example: 10SM = 10 statute miles visibility

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METAR

[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

WEAther

      • Present weather conditions (e.g., RA = rain, SN = snow, HZ = haze)
      • Intensity can be indicated by + (heavy) or - (light)

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NO RAIN, SNOW OR HAZE IN THIS METAR

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METAR

[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

CLOUDS

      • Amount and altitude in hundreds of feet
      • Few (FEW), Scattered (SCT), Broken (BKN), Overcast (OVC)
      • Example: BKN025 = broken clouds at 2,500 feet

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METAR

[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

TEMPERATURE/DEW POINT

      • In Celsius, separated by slash
      • M before number means minus (below zero)
      • Example: 28/17 = temperature 28°C, dew point 17°C

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METAR

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

PRESSURE

      • In inches of mercury (A####) or hectopascals (Q####)
      • Example: A2992 = 29.92 inHg, Q1015 = 1015 hPa

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[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

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METAR

[Station ID] [Date/Time] [Wind] [Visibility] [Weather] [Clouds] [Temperature/Dew Point] [Pressure] [Remarks]

KJFK 121651Z 18012KT 10SM FEW050 SCT120

BKN250 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2

REMARKS

      • Additional info like runway conditions, recent weather, sensor type

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YOUR TURN

METAR

TRIVIA

Now it’s your turn—use your new decoding skills to interpret these sample METAR reports.

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No stress if you’re not 100% sure yet! In just a bit you’ll team up to compare answers, and once you’ve cracked the code together…it’s game time with METAR Trivia.

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METAR

TRIVIA

    • Each team starts with 10 points to wager.
    • In each round, a METAR from the workbook is given.
      • 1 answer for team submitted
      • Wager extra points - at least 1 point per METAR.
        • only earned if METAR is 100% correct

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    • Scoring:
      • Part 1- 1 point for each section (station ID, date/time, wind, etc.) up to 9 points per METAR.

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      • Part 2 - Extra points earned for wagers.
    • The team with the most points at the end wins!

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Bonus Plays (use once per game):

🎲 Skip – Skip one METAR with no points lost.

🔥 Double – Double your wager on one METAR for extra risk/reward.

HOW TO PLAY