Does anyone know of a site to determine what the weather will be prior to takeoff?I process my flightplan via Activesky but I am not a METAR expert yet and wanted to get a better understanding of what I will encounter.Thanks,

Hi,The Decode Window does a pretty good job.The manual has a whole chapter on METARs.Here is a good link:http://weather.cod.edu/notes/metar.htmlThere are places where you can get METARs decoded, but they read much like our Decode Window.Hope this helps,Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/Active Sky V6 Development TeamActive Sky V6 Proud SupporterHiFi Beta TeamRadar Contact Supporter

I'm a private pilot and wouldn't leave the ground without a thorough briefing through this site:http://adds.aviationweather.noaa.gov/You can get TAFs/METARs decoded in plain language from there until you pick up the shorthand. But the really cool feature of the site is all of the Java-based maps available... fully interactive so you can click / drag to zoom, hover to get data, and it loads up fairly quickly.For a normal x-country flight in a C-172, I always check the following:Prog ChartsTAF/METAR for origin / destinationMETAR at various points betweenAIR/SIGMETs along the route (will tell you where the nasty weather is)PIREPs (nothing like a good, actual observation of the weather firsthand by a fellow pilot)Last thing I'll check before hitting the bathroom one last time is the current radar... anything beyond level 2 buildups in my way and I don't go.

Gentlemen, Thank you for your help. Guy - I appreciate you pointing me to that website. It's perfect.