A New TAF Parameter I've not Seen Before...

K

KennyFlys

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The guy who will be training me to do the traffic flights advised I follow Dobbins AFB (KMGE) for more accurate METARs and TAFs. So, I was looking to see what was expected through the night and tomorrow morning.

I was just looking and saw this....

KMGE 062255Z 27012KT 7SM FEW120 SCT250 17/03 A2978 RMK AO2A PK WND 23026/11 SLP078

KMGE 062222 25015G25KT 9999 SCT035 SCT250 QNH2975INS
BECMG 0102 25012G18KT 9999 SCT035 QNH2979INS
BECMG 0203 27008KT 9999 SCT040 QNH2989INS
BECMG 0809 30008KT 9999 SKC QNH2994INS T16/22Z T02/12Z LAST NO AMDS AFT 0704 NEXT 0706 2240
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Has anyone seen "QNH" for a predicted altimeter before? All I've found has been referenced to millibar reporting but these reports are in Hg.

The altimeter has been 29.75 or greater for most of the day around the region. What puzzles me is why the figure in the TAF? It's well below the critical 31 inches.
 
I'm pretty certain it's just a military thing...check out KVPS in florida...same thing....in the millions (literally) of TAFs i've read over the years, even the international ones I get to read now (Europe/Asia) the only place I've seen QNH forecast is military bases.

I didn't know there was any fixed wing traffic watch in ATL.......i've only seen the helo's...wish i had known that when I was out there
 
Kenny,

QNH is an ICAO term for the altimeter setting we use in the US below 18000. When the altimeter is set to a QNH setting, it will display MSL (ie field elevation when sitting on the ground). I think Dobbins puts the QNH notation on so there is no confusion for visiting foreign aircrew.

BTW QNE is used 18 and above for the Flight levels. You set 29.92 hg or 1013 mb and essentially fly pressure altitude.

Some countries use QFE altimeters where you set an altimeter so that it reads zero altitude when you are on the runway. Real confusing sometimes. The transition altitude to flight levels also varies greatly. I've seen them down to FL 65 (6500) and below in some places.

Hope this helps

Maddog
 
smigaldi said:
QNH has been around for decades and is used just about everywhere but the US. Q codes have been around for a very long time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_code

QSL?
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I'm not gonna send ya a card to verify! :)

Thanks for the replies!

I had never really paid attention to Dobbins much before. Normally, I'd pull RYY, next door to Dobbins. I guess I'll start seeing it from now on since it's at the top of my query URL; actually right behind PDK.

Yep, WSB hires us to fly a 172R from I-20 between Douglasville to Covington and as far north as Cartersville, Cumming and Buford then out past Lawrenceville. Turner field is his southern border for downtown although the surface for ATL is a bit further south. Constant altitude is 2,900 so that keeps him 600 under the lowest floor north of I-20. I-20 east skirts the edge of two smaller sections with floors of 2,100 and 2,500. There's no GPS in the plane so ya gotta be on your toes with the location. My other comfort is the highest HDTV antenna is 2,049 feet. Those suckers still look huge from even 3,500.

A traffic reporter from WSB sits in the back with a radio stack from the station. The pay isn't great but it will be a fun experience and a nice way to add 5-6 hours a day to the log for more than just instructing. It will be a dang bit nicer looking down on those people than being stuck on the roads with them like I used to. :yes:
 
Military terminal forecasts have included predicted altimeter settings since at least 1973, and perhaps longer.
 
KennyFlys said:
Yep, WSB hires us to fly a 172R from I-20 between Douglasville to Covington and as far north as Cartersville, Cumming and Buford then out past Lawrenceville. Turner field is his southern border for downtown although the surface for ATL is a bit further south. My other comfort is the highest HDTV antenna is 2,049 feet. Those suckers still look huge from even 3,500.
It will be a dang bit nicer looking down on those people than being stuck on the roads with them like I used to. :yes:
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That's a pretty big area...I never noticed the 172 doing traffic watch - the only plane i saw regularly was that J3 tugging the Wild Bills banner down I-85...watch out for that one! might be harder to spot than those monster towers around there.

Yep, i'd have given anything to look down on that traffic instead of sitting in it as much as I did!

Have fun with it, and let me know if you enjoy it....and then if you still enjoy it 6 months from now!!!!
 
121Dispatch said:
That's a pretty big area...I never noticed the 172 doing traffic watch - the only plane i saw regularly was that J3 tugging the Wild Bills banner down I-85...watch out for that one! might be harder to spot than those monster towers around there.

Yep, i'd have given anything to look down on that traffic instead of sitting in it as much as I did!

Have fun with it, and let me know if you enjoy it....and then if you still enjoy it 6 months from now!!!!
Click to expand...
I had always heard them mention the "Skycopter Lounge" with Captain Herb, or Herb Emery. But, they've also mentioned the "WSB Skyplane" nearly everyday. I would never have thought they were flying fixed wing.
 
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