Pilot safety hub

Weather and forecasting

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Pilot Safet Hub Weather

Non-controlled operations

Weather and forecasting

Flight planning

Controlled aerodromes and operations

AvSafety investigation – Deteriorating weather

'There are three people who were in this aircraft today who learnt a very important aviation lesson that they’ll never forget'

In our latest AvSafety video, our expert panellists analyse a VFR into IMC incident which was the subject of an ATSB investigation report.

A group of aviation experts sitting around a table

Videos

Two female pilots looking over some maps together

Summer flying

Haze, aircraft performance, glare – flying in summer has special challenges. Watch our AvSafety webinar to learn all you need to know.

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Weather forecasts

Weather forecasts

Watch an animated explanation of the rules that apply when you can’t get a weather forecast before you take-off.

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A man in a high-visibility vest is looking up an an airplane while holding a tablet computer

Cracking weather codes

PROB, INTER and TEMPO? An AvSafety webinar explaining the weather codes and what they mean for your next flight.

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Visual meterological conditions

Explaining the rules – VMC criteria

Refresh your knowledge of VMC criteria by watching our new animated explainer video.

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A view of an airstrip over the edge of an airplane's wing, surrounded by green bushland and with the ocean in the distance behind it

Wet season tips

Get top tips on flying in the wet season for VFR pilots. Know what to do if the weather deteriorates.

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178 seconds to live

178 seconds to live - updated

We’ve updated one of our most popular videos – but it’s not for the faint hearted. Experience VFR into IMC from the cockpit.

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A pilot with a map on his lap and a hand on the controls of the plane

The GAF and the TAF webinar

Watch our AvSafety webinar with Bureau of Meteorology forecasters on what goes into their reports – and what you can take out.

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Crash comic - A hazy memory

Crash comic - Hazy memory

Watch an animated comic of one pilot’s encounter with smoke from a bushfire - as all those stories about disorientation and survival time come…

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GAFs

Graphical Area Forecasts

How to read, understand and interpret the information in a GAF – from the Bureau of Meteorology.

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Audio

Lightning in a storm

AvSafety podcast – wet season webinar

A podcast of our popular wet season seminar – helping you confidently manage risk and make good operational decisions.

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A dark, wispy cloud hangs in the sky

Clouded thinking

'…cloud was fast approaching. 'What are you doing?' I asked. He replied, 'I don’t know.' Two low hour pilots drift into danger.

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Small plane flying with a lightning strike in the background

They say it never strikes twice

A newly minted instructor is jolted out of his complacency by an unexpected thunderstorm in this close call podcast.

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An airplane flying through a foggy blue background, with snowflake images around it

The ice bucket challenge

One pilot’s tale of surviving a severe icing incident gives him a newfound appreciation for the power of nature and new respect for the weather.

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The sky darkened by heavy clouds

What did I think I was doing?

A pilot boldly sets off in marginal weather because it appears to be improving. Now he’s the first to admit he shouldn’t have been out there

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A female pilot setting the radio of a small airplane

AvSafety Podcast – Weather in a changing environment

How do pilots get on top of interpreting weather forecasts and what do you do when the weather turns?

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Events and resources

The Bureau of Meteorology - Aviation Services - Smoke and vertical visibility

Smoke and vertical visibility

The Bureau of Meteorology explains their smoke and vertical visibility forecast. Look in Hazardous Phenomena tab.

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The word "QUIZ" written if red letters surrounded by a bunch of question marks scattered around it

Weather quiz

Do you know your PROB30 INTER from your PROB40 TEMPO? Test your knowledge with our weather quiz!

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A white plane sitting on a field in front of a green hill, with clouds in the sky above it

Probability and flight planning

Forecasts with the probability of adverse weather conditions or PROB trigger certain rules and regulations. Find out what’s required before you fly.

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The sky covered in dark clouds down to the horizon

Whatever the weather

Some character-building encounters with wind, rain and cloud teach this handful of pilots the perils of optimism.

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Cover of Australian Sport Pilot magazine

Take offs are optional

Recreational Aviation Australia’s head of safety with the questions you need to ask before your next flight – and weather is chief among them.

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An aerial shot of a red plane doing aerobatics over a green landscape dotted with buildings, and the blue sky behind it

AvSafety seminars

Join our Aviation Safety Advisors for the popular face to face pilot seminars in your area. Ask questions and refresh your knowledge.

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International resources

Accident case study: Hazardous Attitudes

Hazardous attitudes case study

In this video from the AOPA Air Safety Institute, we learn how hazardous attitudes can betray pilots.

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An aeroplane on the ground spinning up its propeller even though the sky is covered in clouds

VFR into IMC research lessons

VFR-IMC is consistently one of the top 10 causes of aviation accidents worldwide. New research throws fresh light on pilot decision-making.

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A plane flying over mist-shrouded mountain peaks

Inexplicable

Weather was a major factor but why 2 experienced pilots died on the New Zealand appears to be a classic 'Swiss cheese model' tragedy.

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Resources from our store

Safety resources for purchase or free download.
Don't fly near bushfires

Don't fly near bushfires

A poster showing the minimum safe distance and other safety advice when flying or operating drones near a bushfire.

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A graphic image of clouds full of gears, aeroplanes, and electronics

Human factors for pilots

A kit, including workbooks, case studies and videos, covering all aspects of human factors for pilots including situational awareness and decision…

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The pilot contact cards slightly overlapping each other

Safety contact card for pilots

Aircraft cover blew off in strong winds or aircraft rolled backward! These are just some of the issues reported by airport staff.

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A picture of a cloud beneath steadily-less-transparent strips of blue color

Weather booklet

This handy booklet combines aviation reference material from the Bureau of Meteorology in one place – GAF, TAF, METAR, SPECI, AIRMET and SIGMET.

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A thumbnail of the cover pages of the different pilot safety campaign resources fanned out across a dark blue background

Pilot safety campaign

Finding our safety messages useful? You can get copies of all the posters and flyers from the pilot safety campaign.

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Carburettor icing chart

Carburettor icing probability chart

Essential for every pilot’s flight bag. Keep track of your risk of carby icing using this probability and fact chart.

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Online version available at: https://www.casa.gov.au//resources-and-education/pilot-safety-hub/weather-and-forecasting
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