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TRUSTING XM AND FLYING ANY TYPE OF CLOUD


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My stormscope is live data. Your XM has a variable delay, directly proportional to your need, plus wires/batteries to deal with. Mounting a handheld GPS so that I can pay for weather data by the month will cover up my clock if I put it on my yoke; on the right yoke, I can't see it; there's no space to cram in a panel mount; I've not seen a floor mount that I like and trust; I don't need the GPS functions of the handheld GPS, only the weather and certainly not XM radio; the glare shield is too flexible to put anything that heavy.


Get a full briefing. Check radar before departure. Look out the windows. Use 122.0, XM, stormscope, ATIS, AWOS/ASOS, whatever you have available, to stay out of ice and thunderstorms and active convection. It never hurts to tune in the weather broadcasts of airports along your route of flight in front of you. I generally list them out, along with VOR freq's and identifiers, and put the list on my kneeboard. The worse the weather seems to be, the further ahead I check the radio. What does the FAR say:  all available information, right?

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Quote: Hank

Usually by the time I'm that close, I can pick up automated weather [AWOS, ATIS, etc] from somewhere in the vicinity of my destination. If it's a long-duration flight with unsettled weather, you better believe my Stormscope and I chat up Flightwatch. Sometimes I call in a pirep when the briefer mentions "there are no pireps along your route of flight." Seems like they are always interested, and someone else may actually want to know, too.

P.S.--My IA checkride was 23 months ago. Staying current is more difficult than I expected. Right now, I'm good through Saturday, then will need 2 more approaches. I'm not quite hitting my target of at least one every month.

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Quote: aviatoreb

Hey, I just now purchased Richard Collins "Flying IFR" on Amazon based on your recommendation - and I am sure it is good since I have liked other things he has written.  Besides that - 1) the copy I got has a Mooney on the cover, 2) I got a used copy for $0.94 plus $2.99 shipping.  Wow!  I am not quite a newly minted IFR rated, as its been 3 years now, but I consider myself still an IFR youngling and boy I sure could benefit from the advice of an old salt like Collins.

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Quote: maropers

I'll preface my post with the fact that I'm not IFR rated but in the beginning stages -

Does no one use flightwatch?  I find it a bit odd it isn't mentioned in any post thus far. 

I've used it on the way from Alabama to Texas about 45 minutes out to confirm my expectations of conditions at the home field

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