Got to be careful with dates on TAFs
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,460
Likes: 0
Got to be careful with dates on TAFs
Just got this, from the American website which most weather sites use for tafs and metars:
Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS)
Output produced by TAFs form (1601 UTC 29 February 2012)
found at ADDS - TAFs
EGKK 291550Z 21005KT 190V260 9999 FEW020 13/08 Q1024
TAF EGKK 281700Z 2818/2924 23005KT 9000 SCT018 BECMG 2818/2821 BKN012 BECMG 2821/2824 4000 BKN006 PROB40 2902/2909 2000 BR BKN003 BECMG 2910/2913 9999 FEW018 SCT040 PROB30 2919/2924 4000 BKN005
The current TAF is
TAF EGKK 291057Z 2912/0118 23006KT 8000 NSW BKN010 TEMPO 2912/2919 9999 SCT015 BECMG 2918/2921 4000 BR BKN004 BECMG 2921/2924 0600 FG BKN001 TEMPO 0100/0108 1500 BR SCT002 BECMG 0108/0111 8000 NSW SCT010 TEMPO 0112/0118 CAVOK=
[my bold]
Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS)
Output produced by TAFs form (1601 UTC 29 February 2012)
found at ADDS - TAFs
EGKK 291550Z 21005KT 190V260 9999 FEW020 13/08 Q1024
TAF EGKK 281700Z 2818/2924 23005KT 9000 SCT018 BECMG 2818/2821 BKN012 BECMG 2821/2824 4000 BKN006 PROB40 2902/2909 2000 BR BKN003 BECMG 2910/2913 9999 FEW018 SCT040 PROB30 2919/2924 4000 BKN005
The current TAF is
TAF EGKK 291057Z 2912/0118 23006KT 8000 NSW BKN010 TEMPO 2912/2919 9999 SCT015 BECMG 2918/2921 4000 BR BKN004 BECMG 2921/2924 0600 FG BKN001 TEMPO 0100/0108 1500 BR SCT002 BECMG 0108/0111 8000 NSW SCT010 TEMPO 0112/0118 CAVOK=
[my bold]
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,460
Likes: 0
I wonder if it is a leap year issue.... I would be suprised if that site or any other site actually looked at the data. The metars and tafs are fed into the AFTN (or whatever it is now) distribution system by each ICAO contracting state in the specific format and nobody should have any need to decompose them.
I have a semi-private site (running on my own server) which presents various essential wx items in a compact form, with font specifications, advertising etc stripped off, for airborne satellite phone (9.6kbits/sec) use. It uses a mixture of client-side javascript and server based C/PHP code to do it. We had problems with that too recently on the tafs, but it wasn't down to the dates; it was a change of format by ADDS whereby they added the word TAF before the airport code. I think that broke a large number of free wx sites at the same time.
Actually I'd say that internet dating is a really good way to get a partner who doesn't resent your flying 
Highly recommended 
I have a semi-private site (running on my own server) which presents various essential wx items in a compact form, with font specifications, advertising etc stripped off, for airborne satellite phone (9.6kbits/sec) use. It uses a mixture of client-side javascript and server based C/PHP code to do it. We had problems with that too recently on the tafs, but it wasn't down to the dates; it was a change of format by ADDS whereby they added the word TAF before the airport code. I think that broke a large number of free wx sites at the same time.
Gotta be careful with dates anywhere and anytime and especially on internet dating sites! Been there, tried that!
Highly recommended
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 487
Likes: 0
From: Daventry UK
I think you'll find that the 'authorities' have benignly fixed this problem on our behalf by refusing to give us any TAF's (with a couple of exceptions) beyond tomorrow lunchtime, so you can't really get confused about what day it is.
Avoid imitations
Joined: Nov 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 15,114
Likes: 1,088
From: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
This is the reason I prefer to use only the "official" national sites for weather and NOTAMs.
The fewer the links in the chain, and all that.
The fewer the links in the chain, and all that.
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,460
Likes: 0
But what is "official"?
If ADDS is not "official" then what is?
I'd think half of the USA uses the ADDS site. The NOAA site is the main one but the output from there is not so machine readable.
I have noted that Avbrief showed the Tafs OK, but I assume they get a VPN feed from Eurocontrol or something like that.
If ADDS is not "official" then what is?
I'd think half of the USA uses the ADDS site. The NOAA site is the main one but the output from there is not so machine readable.
I have noted that Avbrief showed the Tafs OK, but I assume they get a VPN feed from Eurocontrol or something like that.
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,118
Likes: 0
Gotta be careful with dates anywhere and anytime and especially on internet dating sites! Been there, tried that!
Actually I'd say that internet dating is a really good way to get a partner who doesn't resent your flying Highly recommended
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,460
Likes: 0
Gets better...
Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS)
Output produced by TAFs form (0753 UTC 11 March 2012)
found at ADDS - TAFs
EGHI 110720Z 00000KT 0800 R20/0225 FG OVC001 05/05 Q1038
TAF EGHI 291407Z 2915/2923 20006KT 9999 FEW020 TEMPO 2915/2918 8000 BECMG 2918/2921 5000 BR PROB40 2921/2923 3000 BKN010
In actual fact there is no EGHI TAF out at this moment, so the stupid website throws in some random one. It works fine for EGHH for example.
The actual site is NOAA which is the US Govt.
Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS)
Output produced by TAFs form (0753 UTC 11 March 2012)
found at ADDS - TAFs
EGHI 110720Z 00000KT 0800 R20/0225 FG OVC001 05/05 Q1038
TAF EGHI 291407Z 2915/2923 20006KT 9999 FEW020 TEMPO 2915/2918 8000 BECMG 2918/2921 5000 BR PROB40 2921/2923 3000 BKN010
In actual fact there is no EGHI TAF out at this moment, so the stupid website throws in some random one. It works fine for EGHH for example.
The actual site is NOAA which is the US Govt.
