Expert Opinion
AINsight: Limitations of Pilot Weather Apps
While the utility and popularity of weather apps is impressive, they are no substitute for knowledge of weather required to operate an aircraft safely.

Pilots are increasingly relying on apps for preflight weather briefings. Built for convenience, these apps provide a host of information, including the latest weather conditions, forecast, radar, and charts.

As an example of their popularity, one radar app has sold more than 30 million copies. The problem is these tools might not provide the pilot with a complete weather picture in very dynamic scenarios such as rapidly-growing thunderstorms, and there are some known data latency issues with radar returns. 

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Stuart “Kipp” Lau
Contributor - Safety
About the author

Pilot, safety expert, consultant, and aviation journalist Stuart “Kipp” Lau writes about flight safety and airmanship for AIN.

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