More and more pilots are finding YAWS ...
... and making it their's. Activitae's free flight data service for GA pilots - specially designed for low bandwidth mobile devices can be found here. YAWS accesses the venerable and respected US National Weather Service servers to get your data fast. A typical call via your phone service provider will cost aound 3 UK pence or 5 US cents; the TAF, METAR, NOTAM or graphical data you access is free! We don't charge you for what we, and others, get for nothing. With activitae's 99.7% up-time, YAWS data is accurate, available and concisely presented when and where you need it. But remember YAWS works extra fast from your desktop too! And, if you are in the UK, there really is no need to pay a 'TAX' for NOTAM access either - get it free here

With a high-spec phone/mobile device you may be able to get more more useful graphic information at your fingertips. Have another look now because YAWS is constantly being improved and updated. Which YAWS version is suitable for your phone? Can you help spread the word by putting this flyer on your club's notice board?

The Pre-Flight Plog is proving increasingly popular. Almost all your pre-flight data is available from one interactive interface; neat, easy to read printed output is only a click away. Whether you are a new pilot or old hand, check it out!

YAWS has an easy to remember dot mobi address! Just use http://yaws.mobi from your mobile device! And remember, you can always get YAWS from here ... or there ... or wherever you can get a phone signal...all for FREE!

actiVitae!
actiVitae!
YAWS - Yet Another Weather Service  

Quick fix? See how to get YAWS on your cell/mobile or see it in action now!
Or want to know more?

YAWS has a family of products. It is called 'YAWS Smartphone'. This YAWS version, suitable for modern phones having an internet browser, is outlined below.

  • YAWS Smartphone
    • The Original Access TAF & METAR data in a fast, easy-to-use interface.
    • In addition to an ICAO search you can now search on a place name too. This provides a fast ICAO code lookup and weather link all in one hit, saving you call charges! NEW!
    • DENSITY ALTITUDE in feet and meters has been added as part of the standard station data returned. The value is calculated. NEW!
      • YAWS Extra
        • World graphical aviation data
        • World NOTAM
        • ICAO lookup - decode
      • UK YAWS
        • United Kingdom graphical aviation data including MET Office forms 215/4, VFR depiction, radar and satellite images.
      • EU YAWS
        • European graphical data including winds aloft, VFR depiction, satellite, rainfall radar and visibility by country.
      • NA YAWS
        • North American graphical aviation data including winds aloft, VFR depiction, radar by State - some States having radar by County, analysis charts, SIGMETS and warnings.
      • Possible future additions eg Ozi Yaws for Australasia.
    • Multi YAWS
      • Find TAF & METAR for multiple airfields.
    • Geo YAWS
      • Find TAF & METAR for a geographic region defined by map coordinates.
    • Route YAWS
      • Find TAF & METAR for a route defined by map coordinates.

The display of graphical data on mobile devices continues to grow. All cell phone users should try to access YAWS Smartphone as the starting point of choice. Phone browser settings may need experimentation to ensure images are rendered in the best possible way. Try to set your device so as not to cache (store) images.

However, if either your phone has no proper browser or your ISP restricts web access, but the phone can run Java programs, then Opera Mini is thoroughly recommended. Read about it and send to your mobile phone from here.

In areas of the World with a less than well developed phone infrastructure the older, text only, service at http://activitae.com/wap is still available as an alternative for TAF and METAR data. But there will be no further development with the WAP service.

For further help on phones and access to YAWS, see the Phone help page with example interface

 

image missing
image missing
image missing
image missing
image missing
image missing
image missing
image missing
image missing
image missing
image missing
image missing
Plogs - various flavours  

Produce a printable plogs ready for your kneeboard.

The following are web-browser based and make automatic calculations - no special software is required, but you do need Javascript enabled in your browser. You can easily print and save routes from your browser.
As always, check calculated results.

Excel Plogs.

  • Microsoft Office software required for these Excel automated forms almost all lack any attempt at aesthetics! There are hundreds of versions around; try one , two , three - these are neater than many but check their accuracy!

Plain Vanilla Plogs,
where you still have to do the hard work, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Almost every pilot has there own 'best form' design. You may find some examples you like by following the links below.

If you need to do your own calculations:-.

 
Airport and FIR Briefing  

European Aeronautical Information Services Database

  • EAD Basic: Easy Access European Aeronautical Information. Needs free registration.

NOTAMS online

Route planning Safety Airport data online Airport Frequency Charts - UK World Airport Frequencies Searchable Database World Airport Information Services (AIS Sites)

LFAT Compulsory customs clearance:

  • If you are channel hopping to Le Touquet compulsory notification for customs clearance is now needed 2 hours before arrival.
    Use the online web form.

World Annual Sunset/Sunrise Table

 
TAFs and METARs Online  
TAFs and METARs Online

YAWS (Yet Another Weather Service)

  • If you have managed to avoid what this site is all about - so far - it is still not too late to use YAWS Smartphone for TAF and METAR data! YAWS is written in compliant XHTML - suitable for more mobile devices!
 
 
ICAO code/decode  
ICAO Lookup: Latitude, Longitude and TAF availability  
Synoptic Charts  
Surface analysis
 
Satellite Imagery  
Satellite images
 
Current and Forecast UK Weather  
UK Rainfall Radar European Rainfall Radar UK Weather Summary

 

 
GPS in the cockpit?  

Having a hand-held GPS has done wonders for my confidence in my navigation accuracy. But having a GPS as a secondary navigational aide is not without hazards; the books at cockpitgps.com are well worth reading to assist in avoiding common pitfalls. (Scroll down to the bottom of the opening page for downloads.)

The UK's CAA Safety Sense leaflet # 25 is also important reading.

Garmin have two useful guides for GPS users; a basic introduction and using a GPS with paper maps - not specifically for aviation. Both need Adobe Reader.

Another general on-line book for GPS users.

GPS in the IFR System: A Guide from the Ground Up

Partial Panel + VFR GPS

 
GPS software  

EasyGPS is free software that can help program your hand-held with routes and way points. The interface is clunky and non-intuitive. However it is free!

EasyGPS needs accurate airport/navaid data. To avoid error-prone hand-entering of data, navaid.com/GPX/ provide a data generator for any region you specify. Save the data as a gpx file to read in to EasyGPS. See the above online book at cockpitgps.com for more details.

GPS Waypoints for UK Towns and Motorway service stations. A zip file.

Garmin add-ons

 
Reading and video for days you can't fly ...  

LASORS together in one easily understandable book all the flight crew licensing information otherwise found in JAR-FCL, the UK ANO, AICs and the old CAPs 53/54. (Around 8Mb Adobe pdf file)

American Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) FAA

Several cockpit videos of altiport and glacier takeoffs and landings.

Adrian Cybriwsky, an FAA CFI, is writing an informative and authoritative article on the hazards facing pilots training in the US intending to fly in the UK and vice versa. It is work in progress.

See How It Flies: A new spin on the perceptions, procedures, and principles of flight by John S. Denker. But is he paranoid or what? I tried to load his book into Adobe Acrobat to read as a pdf file offline - My IP address got banned by his site for my trouble. Be careful to tip-toe around this guy!

Power Off Approaches This is much more than my instructor told me!

 
Weight and Balance  
G-RSKR weight and balance calculator  
Radio Traffic  

Airforce 1 landing at Heathrow Tuesday 18 November 2003
compressed RT for last 15 minutes of flight . - one .wav file 1.5Mb download/play

Practice making sense of live Air Traffic Control transmissions. Listen to ATC traffic around the world. Unfortunately, in the good old backward and paranoid UK, regulations prevent the re-broadcasting of ATC transmissions. You might want to ask your MP why!
The ATC audio streams linked to here may not be active now, nor are they necessarily active at the same time!

See real time traffic movements around several US airports

A very odd volmet station sent to me by Tony Ling from Proma, found on 10405Khz 06:00 UTC 01:04:05 - an mp3 file.

Want to improve your Franglais for those channel (La Manche variety) hops?
Using Franglais in the circuit.

 
What Else?  

www.freechecklists.net - hundreds of free downloadable aircraft checklists, pilot's notes, weight and balance spreadsheets, and more for Cessna 150s to Boeing 747s.

Wake turbulence as art?

Passenger Briefing Card and when that doesn't work you could always try this!

VOR simulator

V terms and what they mean?

Unusual aviation photographs

Everything you wanted to know about map folding but were too afraid to ask!

Looking for a parcel service? DON'T use UPS ughh! A tale of woe and poor service..

 
The Small Print  

Contact:
Report database errors, omissions and wish lists here.

Disclaimer:
Please read the conditions attached to using this site!
Yet Another Weather Service
If it's not on YAWS, it won't be on anyone else's!

YAWS is at

Search
this site   web