Vv////
 

What does this mean in a TAF?

It means that you won't be flying

Vertical Visibility

In conditions of fog when the cloud cover cannot be seen then the vertical visibility will be reported using VV as the code.
e.g. VV003 = vertical visibility 300 feet.
If the fog is so bad that no measurement can be taken then you will see VV/// in a METAR.

Or, more likely, the machine that measures vertical visibility is bust. But quite why we want vertical visibility I'll never know. Cat I minima are based on purely visibility and non-precision approaches on Vis and cloudbase, not vertical visibility. And I also thought that you would only see this in a METAR.

assuming that you have access to the met-office web site, the following link may help

http://secure.metoffice.com/aviation/taf_decode.jsp

I used it last night when I found quite a few references to VV ///

I have just been looking at the TAFs and trying to remember the correct answer to an old instructor's favourite question:-

"in a TAF what is the difference between VV/// and OVC000 ?"

He never accepted my reply of:-

"Who cares? I'm not going flying in either of those!" :)

Does anyone know the correct answer?

As an ATCO, I understand it as -
VV/// when there is fog, (which really forms when the wind is below 5kts and you have close to 100% humidity) and you cannot see the sky to determine what the cloudbase is.
OVC000 is used if we get the same effect in higher wind conditions (which can be up to 40kts here at Bristol). Then it's not textbook fog, but rather low cloud.

That is of course a correct answer which is precluded by the dumbed-down multiple-choice way people are examined these days.

Here's another one:

Q: "How long does the law require you to keep your log book?"

A: "I don't care, because I'm going to keep mine for life, like most other pilots, and that should be sufficient to ensure that I'm legal."

Nope, if you don't tick the correct one of A, B, C, D you don't get the marks, even though you're going to actually do the right thing.

Not quite. It means you won't get back in!

Standard Noise
Thanks for that info - it makes sense to me now :)

I was hoping commit to aviation in sunny Dorset/Somerset tomorrow morning.

But in view of all the FZFG VV/// & FZFG OVC000 forecast, I think I will stay in and revise meterology instead!

Sounds like a wise decision...................til the wx gets a tad better, anyway.