30-Hour long TAFs...

[dispatchguy]

http://aviationweather.gov/notice/taf30.php

Now if they could only get the first 6 hours right, before they start expanding the time line...

 

[propsarebest]

I for one am glad to see 30 hour tafs. Too many times we dispatch on the end of a 18 hour taf, and the 24 hour ones are horrible inaccurate, especially in certain areas of the world.

 

[WalterSobchak]

http://aviationweather.gov/notice/taf30.php

Now if they could only get the first 6 hours right, before they start expanding the time line...

Can't say I'm a fan of the idea. I'm with dispatchguy here...maybe they should concentrate on getting the first few hours right before expanding on their inaccuracy.

I guess it doesn't matter...they're just going to aft-cast them anyway.

 

[OPNLguy]

Howz this for an idea? Let the military forecasters do the TAFs for the top 50 or 60 air carrier airports for a test period of 1 year, and see what kind of job they do. I suspect the military will do much better.

 

[WalterSobchak]

Howz this for an idea? Let the military forecasters do the TAFs for the top 50 or 60 air carrier airports for a test period of 1 year, and see what kind of job they do. I suspect the military will do much better.

I'm digging the idea. At least they have someone to answer to when they're way wrong.

 

[propsarebest]

Howz this for an idea? Let the military forecasters do the TAFs for the top 50 or 60 air carrier airports for a test period of 1 year, and see what kind of job they do. I suspect the military will do much better.

They do the WORST forecasting out there. I will say this though, they are timely.

 

[dispatchguy]

They do the WORST forecasting out there. I will say this though, they are timely.

Are all branches equally bad - or is one branch worse than others - I mean, looking at some of the Naval Stations, their forecasters have a LOT of web-based WX tools out there...

 

[OPNLguy]

What absolutely gets me is how a line/clump of TSRA can be bearing down on some place (Say, MCI for example) for 3-4 hours straight, yet MCI has a Chamber of Commerce VMC TAF with narry a whiff of precip, and the approaching WX will cross the airport fence, generate the SPECI for TSRA, which then seemingly auto generates the TAF AMD for the new condition in the SPECI.

As an alternative theory to the SPECI software automatically driving a TAF amendment, I have another: The approaching WX gets close enough to the airport; the thunder awakens the forecaster (Hey Earl, what was that noise?) and someone finally looks out the window and issues the SPECI and TAF AMD..

 

[dispatchguy]

I have had the same problems, specifically at MCI!

Must be Dunkin Donut time at MCI NWS