MET.OR.215 Forecasts and other information

METEOROLOGICAL DATA TYPE On request by the operator, the meteorological information supplied for flight planning should include data for the determination of the lowest usable flight level.

PREPARATION OF FORECASTS The extent of the aerodrome meteorological office responsibilities to prepare forecasts may relate to the local availability and use of en-route and aerodrome forecast material received from other offices.

COMPETENT AUTHORITY The competent authority identifies the types of forecasts and other meteorological information that need to be provided by the aerodrome meteorological office to flights with which it is concerned.

FORMAT OF FORECASTS The length of the forecast messages and the number of changes indicated in the forecast should be kept to a minimum.

AUTOMATIC CANCELLATION The issue of a new forecast by an aerodrome meteorological office, such as a routine aerodrome forecast, automatically cancels any forecast of the same type previously issued for the same place and for the same period of validity or part thereof.

TAF CONTINUOUS REVIEW GUIDANCE Guidance on methods to keep Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAF) under continuous review is given in Chapter 3 of ICAO Doc 8896 ‘Manual of Aeronautical Meteorological Practice’ as last amended.

AMENDMENTS TO WARNINGS If it is known that an existing warning no longer accurately describes the existing or expected future evolution of the phenomena, a new warning, correctly describing the hazard should be issued (avoiding the use of the code word ‘AMD’, not included in the templates for warnings), followed immediately by the cancellation of the original, erroneous one. The new warning should be issued before the cancellation in order to ensure there is always a warning in force and that the cancellation is not mistakenly understood to mean the hazard has completely dissipated.

BRIEFING AND CONSULTATION

(a)Briefing should be understood as being preparatory meteorological information on existing and/or expected meteorological conditions.

(b)Consultation should be understood as discussion, including answers to questions, with a meteorologist or another qualified person of existing and/or expected meteorological conditions relating to flight operations.

(c)The purpose of briefing and consultation is to provide the latest available information on existing and expected meteorological conditions along the route to be flown and at the aerodrome of intended landing, and on alternate aerodromes and other aerodromes as relevant, in order to either explain or amplify the information contained in the flight documentation.

PRE-FLIGHT PLANNING The service for pre-flight planning should be confined to flights originating within the territory of the State concerned.

FLIGHT DOCUMENTATION ‘Flight documentation’, for the purpose of meteorology, is understood as being documents, including charts or forms, containing meteorological information for a flight.

CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION The aerodrome meteorological office should make available such climatological tables within a time period as agreed between the competent authority and the relevant user.

AIS — NOTAM/ASHTAM AND AIC The aerodrome meteorological office should provide the relevant aeronautical information service provider with meteorological information:

(a)necessary for the preparation of NOTAM or ASHTAM, including, in particular, information on the establishment, withdrawal and significant changes in operation of aeronautical meteorological services sufficiently in advance of the effective date to permit issuance of NOTAM; and

(b)necessary for the preparation of aeronautical information circulars, including, in particular, meteorological information on expected important changes in aeronautical meteorological procedures, services and facilities provided.

SEARCH AND RESCUE To facilitate search and rescue operations, the aerodrome meteorological office or meteorological watch office should provide:

(a)complete and detailed meteorological information on the current and forecast meteorological conditions in the search area;

(b)current and forecast conditions en-route, covering flights by search aircraft from and returning to the aerodrome from which the search is being conducted; and

(c)on request from the rescue coordination centre, meteorological information required by ships undertaking search and rescue operations.