Question for those who use DUATS

[UA-RESURRECTED]

I request a standard weather briefing for a VFR X-country flight, and I get 33 pages of nonsense. The information I actually need could be displayed one, maybe two pages max. Any input on this would be appreciated.

 

[Doozer]

I use the Cirrus interface, highlight what I need from the umpteen page "brief" and use the File...Print...Selection option.

Depending on the route/area requested, this usually knocks it down to a few pages max.

 

[Fearless Tower]

I typically get the full/standard briefing and usually scroll through it to make sure that there aren't any new NOTAMS that might pertain to my flight and then go back and request an abreviated briefing selecting only the features that I want printed out. I'll then print out the abbreviated briefing and take that with me.

 

[UA-RESURRECTED]

I typically get the full/standard briefing and usually scroll through it to make sure that there aren't any new NOTAMS that might pertain to my flight and then go back and request an abreviated briefing selecting only the features that I want printed out. I'll then print out the abbreviated briefing and take that with me.

Great idea, thanks.

 

[FlaZoomie]

Try www.fltplan.com

 

[charter dog]

I use the CSC DUATS flight planner for all of my domestic flight plan filing and am quite happy with the format and printability. However, the briefing format is such that printing it is out of the question. There is simply no easy way I know of to edit the content down to a managable size without copying and pasting to another document for subsequent printing. So while I will review the briefing on the computer screen, I never print it. For printing TAFs, METARS and airport NOTAMS, I find fltplan.com to be the easiest way to get a printable report. FBOs that have WSI terminals also are quite useful. I believe AOPA members can access these the same information products plus TFR depictions through their member site as well.

So the short answer is that a standard DUATS briefing will assail you with more information than you want while making it difficult to ferret out what items you need. I guess their view is that too much is better than not enough. Probably intended to satisfy the definition of "All information pertinent to the intended flight" as required by regulation. As with a phone briefing, a record of the DUAT transaction is created to satisfy legal, goverment accountability and post accident/incident/violation investigative purposes. Useability does not seem to be a priority worthy of governmental fiscal consideration.

I read somewhere that Lockheed-Martin was going to develop a new, more modern online planning and briefing service as an addendum to their flight service station operation. I haven't heard how this is going though.

Best,

 

[A Squared]

I request a standard weather briefing for a VFR X-country flight, and I get 33 pages of nonsense. The information I actually need could be displayed one, maybe two pages max. Any input on this would be appreciated.

I select abbreviated WX: Location, then I put in just the reporting stations I want and select the briefing elememts I need. You can get notams and FDC notams but you skip tll the crap like "security procedures in Nigeria not in compliance with internatinal standards" Even then, I still gtet several pages of extra worthless cr@p warning me to watch for suspicious people at the airport. I print ou what I actually want using hte same method Doozer described.


I use Cirrus, but you can do the same thing with CSC Duats online.

 

[User998]

I can't say I've ever had a 33 page briefing from DUATS, but I've certainly had them run up in to the high teens without much effort.

Three things you can do.

1) Quit telling it to print it out in 'Plain Language'. Print it out in raw form and read it that way. It's not as bad as you think. Especially someone thats where your at in training right now, learn to read those weather reports in raw form and understand them. You'll find out later in your career that FBO's and dispatchers don't give you 'plain language' weather information. This will cut down the amount of pages dramatically.

2) When you go to get your brief, and it allows you to checkmark "optional reports" the only one I ever click on is 'Adverse Weather'. No use adding anymore to your report then you need.

3)And what I personally do is I select my briefing, and when it displays on the screen, I then select all and paste it into a Word document. From there I edit down all the fluff and information I don't need, and then I can just print out the pertinent information and put it in my flight bag for the flight. You should typically have no more then two or three pages of weather after you get done editing down.