accuarcy of UAV Forecast ..?

[kakao]

Looking at this Forecast it says its Cloud Cover is 94%, whilst in reality it was extremely sunny, without any clouds.

What do you think?

 

[Qoncussion]

I'd say it's as accurate as every weather forecast ever... A good guess, at best.

 

[RayOZ]

check location again. tap on the triangle arrow on the search bar

 

[AeroMirage]

I only look at local weather report to see the wind speed.
My eyes can tell me pretty accurately whether it is cloudy....

 

[kakao]

check location again. tap on the triangle arrow on the search bar

The location was spot on, my home address.

The cloud's info was incorrect.

.

 

[lannes]

The location was spot on, my home address.

The cloud's info was incorrect.

.

What you want to be accurate on is the wind speed at different altitudes

 

[Marko9219]

It's simply one more piece of the "should I fly?" decision.

 

[kakao]

What you want to be accurate on is the wind speed at different altitudes

Now, I do not believe the wind speed is correct either ...

 

[Kào]

I use this along with Ventusky which is really good especially for wind speed/direction.

 

[locoman]

I use UAV Forecast as a guide only, just like the weather forecast on my computer or TV, they are never what it actually is when I step out the door. I also look at my neighbor's flag for ground wind and 60' tall tree tops around my yard for winds aloft. If the trees are swaying, then I know it is windier highter up. I got a wind meter for Christmas but haven't used it yet.

 

[eastsidedronr]

Anyone know where it is pulling the data from to calculate the wind speeds at altitude? Local nws stations and pws? I live in a pretty rural area with intense micro climates due to the deep valley we live in and the adjacent mountain ranges. We dont have very manynearby stations. Point is dont really know if i can trust their clacd wind speeds.

 

[msinger]

Anyone know where it is pulling the data from

The data comes from Dark Sky (which uses these free data sources).

 

[eastsidedronr]

The data comes from Dark Sky (which uses these free data sources).

Thanks!

 

[jason38]

I think that Cloud cover is just a information... Like said aeromirage, your eyes can see really accurately how much clouds are un the sky...

But when I see that UAV tells me to not fly because the only red item is cloud coverage, I dont mind... Because there is often 8/8 cloud coverage, but around 6000-10000ft... No chance to loose or crash the mavic with those conditions...but , for sure, photos and videos are really poor "quality"...

 

[TheoMatthias]

I think it is important to also refer to METARs (MEteorological Terminal Aviation Routine weather report) and TAFs (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) at a minimum. TAFs report the current and future conditions within a 6-mile radius of a specific airport and are updated every 6 hours. METARs report the current conditions at a specific airport on a hourly basis. Not all airports issue TAFs and METARs; an airport must have an AWOS/ASOS system installed.

I usually operate at a location that is within 6 miles of two airports with AWOS/ASOS installations. Before I leave the house, I check both airports' TAFs and METARs. Along with using the other data at the AWC website, I can construct a reasonable set of expectations for the conditions before AND during my upcoming flight.

To get METAR/TAF data:

1. Make sure you know the ICAO identifier(s) for the airport(s) near you. You can search for them at THIS site.
2. Go to the Aviation Weather Center ADDS METAR site.
3. At the top right under "Request METAR data",
   - enter your airport's ICAO identifier;
   - click the "Decoded" radio button (if you've never translated a METAR/TAF);
   - choose default time (most recent only);
   - check the "Include TAF" checkbox.
4. When you are ready, click the "Get METAR Data" button.

The following attachment shows the METAR/TAF data for the Hartford/Bradley International Airport in CT (ID: KBDL). Note that if you had not checked "Decoded" in Step 3 above, you would only see the text that is in bold with gray background.


Also note that the times shown above are Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) time. To convert UTC time to the time in your timezone, use the UTC converter at THIS site. Make sure to put in your timezone, city or town in the box near the top of the site.

In reviewing the TAF, I would NOT fly before 10:00 am this morning since the wind will average about 14 mph. Better to wait until after 10:00 am when the wind is expected to drop down to about 6 mph and stay at that speed until 7:00 pm.

In short (THAT ship has sailed!!! ), I would suggest that you not depend on a single source for an assessment of flying conditions.

HTH!