Wind forecasts - yet another

tinyE · Since 21 Jan 2006 2004 Posts not really an XTreme Poster

you may have seen this, but I thought it was kind of cool... 'Winds Aloft'
http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/Winds/Aloft.cgi?icao=AST&hr=06

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

Thankfully winds aloft don't have much to do with the surface winds though. Pilots always need this info whenever planning a flight. Civilian pilots especially when deciding what altitude to fly for best performance. I would guess the FAA also tries to use this to sped up commercial travel. If not I would assume a commercial pilot would be able to request a different altitude to optimize the fuel consumption. I am sure Nak would know.

Nak · Sun Jul 20, 08 11:02 pm

Sorry for the late reply, ben a busy few days! Very Happy

Jim's right, winds aloft don't relate directly to surface winds. Probably figures into the forecast somewhat? But you'd need to be a meteoroligist to use the info I think...

The FAA really dosen't care about fuel economy, but we do of course. We have our own meteorology dept at NWA that takes datalinked info from all of our flights so that we get the latest info. Other airlines use the winds aloft forecasts and pireps (pilot reports) to figure the best altitudes. On longer legs, routing is figured with the winds too. Crossing the Pacific, our route might vary by three or four hundred miles North or South to get the best winds...