Jet Stream

[Guest]

Hi,Is it possible to get any jet stream information in fs2002. I was wondering because it is important when planning you altitude(above or below a head wind). I know it changes from places, but how do real pilots or virtual pilots get that info.Thanks,Al

[henry 19]

http://www.knightsofpride.org/atcinfo/http://www.aeroplanner.com/flightplanning/menu.cfmhttp://maps.weather.com/images/maps/aviati...et1_720x486.jpgHenry. CYXT

[Guest jase439]

TWC also has a handful of other aviation related maps here:http://www.weather.com/maps/aviation.html

[Guest]

Wow, thanks guys these look helpful! but i was wondering does the defualt FS2002 wx downloader actually pick acuarate weather as in real life???Al

[someone 0]

Here are a few more:http://adds.aviationweather.noaa.gov/http://aviationweather.noaa.gov/http://weather.unisys.com/surface/sfc_depict_inv.html

[Guest CYOW_pilot]

I see you got lots of info on sites providing upper wind data. On an upper wind prog (FL300, FL340 or FL390) it is usually pretty easy to pick out the jetstream. By definition, a jetstream is where the wind speed exceeds 60 knots. Just look for all the wind barbs with 1 or more filled in triangles (each triangle representing 50 knots)and a few 10 knot barbs added for good measure.With reference to you question about the default FS2K weather machine, my experience has been that it is unreliable and not accurate, particularly the winds aloft data. That is why most of the hard-core simmers (or at least those desiring a great level of realism) use FSMETEO or other similar program to import real-world weather and winds aloft info into FS2K.Kevin in CYOW

[Guest]

would also suggest getting an addon for real world weather. i personally use FSMETEO and is well worth the money. FS2k2's default weather downloader isnt too reliable.so basically choose which addon you want. a freeware or a payware one. if its a freeware one then try actviesky, if its a payware one you want then get fsmeteo

[Guest]

Here's a chart that covers the Arctic, N America, N Atlantic and Europe: http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~mdc1/jet.gif. It also shows major weather systems. I must admit I don't understand it all, so if someone is a met expert, I would be glad to hear from him/her..Edit: That last sentence showed the chart where I wrote the address. It is "http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~mdc1/jet.gif" See if that comes through as an address, not a chart..

[Guest]

Can someone with FS Meteo tell me if it picks up specific weather for NZKK or if it uses NZAA or NZWP?ThanksBevan

[Guest CYOW_pilot]

lynbrey,I don't know if I would call myself a met expert but I have received a great deal of practical weather training (Canadian military trained Instrument Check Pilot with an ATPL). As well, I have been using these charts for years and am pretty sure I know how to read/interpret them. Here is a quick ref guide:Always check the valid time and altitude coverage (in this case 00Z on 2 Nov 02 and from FL 250 to FL 600) to make sure you have the right map!boxed figures represent the local Tropopause height. Boxed figures with the triangle shaped bottom represent the lowest trop height in that area. Boxed figures with the triangle shaped top represent the highest trop height in that area. Solid black line represents the path of the jet stream. Each black triangle on the jet stream represents 50 knots of wind speed. Each barb represents 10 knots.Double hash lines crossing the jetstream represent a 20 knot change in core windspeedNumbers like FL300 immediately below the jetsteam indicate at what FL the core is at.boxed numbers with arrows pointing to cloud areas represent areas of signicant wx (usually thunderstorms) with the top number representing the tops and the bottom number representing the bottom (it will be xxx if the bottom is below the area covered by this chart (FL250).Areas of Clear Air Turbulence (CAT)are enclosed in broken lines the the tops and bottoms indicated as for the sig weather. Was there a specifc question you had about how the data is presented?Kevin in CYOW

[Guest]

Hi KevinThanks v much for your lucid explanation. You have answered many of my questions already.Just wondering about the boxes attached to the sig wx areas (clouds). Do ISOL and OCNL refer to isolated and occasional thunderstorms within that area?One final request: please say something by way of explanation about (a)the tropopause and its significance, and (:( how so much detailed data over such a wide area is gathered so precisely and regularly.Thanks in anticipationDon Hunt

[Guest CYOW_pilot]

Don,Yes, the ISOL means isolated or individual CBs, OCNL means occasional and is used to delineate areas of well-separated CBs. The other term seen is FRQ which means frequent and is used for CBs with little or no separation.The tropopause is the top of the lowest layer of the atmosphere called the troposhere. The troposphere generally contains almost all the moisture in the atmosphere and clouds and weather are confined to the troposhpere (except for major CBs which may pop through it by several thousand feet). The tropopause is marked by a temperature inversion. The temperature in the troposphere decreases at an average of approx 2deg C per 1000 feet until the troposphere at which point the temperature remains steady or even increases. The tropopause is generally lower over cold airmasses and higher over warm airmasses.Turbulence frequently occurs at the tropopause, winds normally increase with height up to the tropopause and then decrease. There are also some aircraft performance ramifications related to temperature, for example, for a jet engine, max endurance will occur at the troposhere (so there is no sense in climbing higher to improve endurance, range will generally still improve though, depending on winds), also it may be a consideration if you are heavy and wondering whether you should climb any higher. If you will pass through the tropopause where the temperature will remain the same or increase you may find she might have some trouble climbing.As to the value of the trop information on the chart, not a great deal of use in my experience. The same information is also available on the FL300, FL340 and FL390 upper wind progs (temp is reported with the wind info) and I have used that more that the SIG WX prog trop info.As to how they gather the information, I am beyond my expertise here but they do send up radiosonds (weather balloons) all the time to gather the upper atmosphere data and aircraft on oceanic tracks are frequently required to report wind/temp information with their position reports. Take all that data, put it in a computer and voila, I guess you get a prognosis of where the tropospause is at a given location and time.As I said though, in the end, as an operator I just use that chart to get a general idea of the path of the jetstream and areas of CBs and turbulence. I never pay any attention to the trop height data.Kevin in CYOW

[Guest]

Thank you Kevin (Mr Lucidity)BTW, have you ever thought of taking up teaching? :-wave.

[Guest CYOW_pilot]

Thanks Don,Well, I was a Qualified Flying Instructor in the Air Force (although I never taught groundschool) once upon a time as well as a Training and Standards Pilot on different aircraft/Squadrons so I guess I have some "teaching" background.In all honesty, I just love flying and aviation related topics and if I can help someone else learn a little more about it then that's great. Cheers,Kevin in CYOW