FAA Safety Briefing Magazine
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The Weather Plan You Never Write Down: Understanding Flight Plans, Flight Following, and Search-and-Rescue Services
Most pilots are great at planning the flight they intend to fly. Pilots look at the weather, choose a route and altitude that make sense, pick a reasonable departure time … and sometimes file a flight plan. But sometimes they don’t. If the weather looks marginal, pilots will glance through alternates and maybe even write down a few airport codes. Even if all looks good, they still check for the usual trouble spots — TAFs (terminal aerodrome forecasts), radar, NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen), etc. It...Too Much Weather: How to Choose Which Resource to Use and When
As it turns out, certain types of weather products are best suited to particular windows of time ahead of a flight. Here, just in time for the next “mail run,” is a time-to-flight guide to weather products.Air Masses and Fronts: The Movers and Shakers of Weather
Weather has a tricky tendency to show up unannounced and throw a continent-sized wrench in a pilot’s flight plans. It’s a scenario all too common within the general aviation (GA) community and can have risky consequences for unprepared pilots. So, what can pilots do to keep weather surprises from ruining their flight? A look at air masses and fronts could offer much-needed insight.Silver Linings, Silver Bullets, and Other Fictions: Avoiding VFR Flight Into Instrument Weather
Flying under visual flight rules (VFR) is a great way to experience general aviation (GA). VFR offers a sense of freedom that many pilots prize. So long as the weather cooperates, pilots can fly VFR from one end of the country to another. VFR flying allows a more flexible, less rigid approach than instrument flight rules (IFR). In some cases, VFR flexibility can offer advantages over IFR, even when the weather deteriorates, and air traffic control (ATC) procedures may restrict operations. While...Beyond the Briefing: Navigating the Physics-Based Traps of Wild Weather
While the mantra “don’t fly in bad weather” is sound advice in theory, the reality of the cockpit is often much more complex. Weather is dynamic; it evolves faster than the standard briefing cycle can refresh.Steering Around the Storm: A GA Guide to Thunderstorms
Weather awareness is crucial in general aviation (GA) for several reasons, the primary being safety. Pilots must be mindful of potential hazards, such as thunderstorms, to make informed decisions that ensure the safety of passengers, crew, and the aircraft.March/April 2026 issue of FAA Safety Briefing magazine
Rotorcraft Safety InsightsThe March/April 2026 issue of FAA Safety Briefing magazine focuses on the realm of rotorcraft operations. Articles in this issue focus on the real-world risks helicopters face, along with insights on the FAA's strategy to improve safety in this dynamic operating...