ADDS METARs & TAFs tool on Apple Mac & iPad

Bill Watson

Bill Watson

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MauleDriver
Is it currently possible to run these Java applets on Apple products?

I've been searching and researching and though it seems that at times it has been possible to run this apps on Mac, currently I can't, and I don't see any references to how one can make it work.

I use an iPad with Foreflight in the cockpit, an iPhone for backup and I'm trying to use a MacBook Air for hotel room briefings... but I'm missing the METAR and TAF Java apps on all three platforms.
 
Java certainly works on MacBook . . . you simply need to activate it in the browser - all of the browser have been updated to turn it off for security patches that have been available for over a month [or more?].

the iOS does not support Java either - unless its jailbroken - in which case it is not supported anyway.
 
Bill, would AeroWeather provide the same solution?

AeroWeather Lite by Lakehorn AG
https://itun.es/us/_vUlr.i

For a quick look at local METARs and TAFs, it's my go to app of choice. I've stepped up to the paid for version and find it's worth the price.
 
comanchepilot said:
Java certainly works on MacBook . . . you simply need to activate it in the browser - all of the browser have been updated to turn it off for security patches that have been available for over a month [or more?].
Click to expand...
So is that a, "yes, the METAR and TAF tools will run on a properly setup MacBook Air?
 
Bill Watson said:
Is it currently possible to run these Java applets on Apple products?

I've been searching and researching and though it seems that at times it has been possible to run this apps on Mac, currently I can't, and I don't see any references to how one can make it work.

I use an iPad with Foreflight in the cockpit, an iPhone for backup and I'm trying to use a MacBook Air for hotel room briefings... but I'm missing the METAR and TAF Java apps on all three platforms.
Click to expand...
I should be specific here. The Java app I'm referring to is here:
http://www.aviationweather.gov/adds/metars/
then by selecting "Interactive Metar Java tool" (sorry I can't directly show the app).
I find this one of the best Metar and TAF tools because you don't have to enter any stations.

I've been running it for years on Windows but can't figure out to run it on an Apple platform. At this point, I don't think it does.
 
Works fine for me on my Air. OSX 10.7.5. Firefox 19 and Java 7 update 17.

The only thing I know I did was to download Java from Oracle and install it.
 
Yes it should work just fine on your MacBook Air. It works well on my MBP (not sure which version of Java I'm running).
 
For your iPad, definitely check out TakeoffAviationWeather.com which pulls data from there and displays it customized for you.
 
chartbundle said:
Works fine for me on my Air. OSX 10.7.5. Firefox 19 and Java 7 update 17.

The only thing I know I did was to download Java from Oracle and install it.
Click to expand...
Okay, thanks. I now have it working in a workable way using Safari (Safari!!).

Turns out I'm primarily a Chrome user but Chrome is a 32bit app on the Mac where Java needs to be a 64bit program if it is to run with all the things it needs to run with. I knew some time ago that I couldn't use it.

I tried on several occasions to run it with Safari but it kinda sorta didn't or did work sometimes. Well, it turns out that's about the best it will run with Safari. It kinda works but often fails but that's okay since it's the only Web site I'll be using Safari for.

I love Firefox but love Chrome even more. Since I'm kind of committed to Chrome, I'll continue to use it across my systems (Windows, MBA, iPad) and rely on Safari for ADDs Metars and Tafs.

Thanks all!
 
dell30rb said:
anything that does the java skew-t's? on ipad
Click to expand...

Check out the SkewTLogPro app. You can put in an airport ID, lat/long, "current location", and one or two other methods of entering a place in, and have it automatically download up to 6 hours in the past or 12/18 (I forget) hours in advance and then swipe between them.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Check out the SkewTLogPro app. You can put in an airport ID, lat/long, "current location", and one or two other methods of entering a place in, and have it automatically download up to 6 hours in the past or 12/18 (I forget) hours in advance and then swipe between them.
Click to expand...

that looks interesting... are you using it? liking it?
 
AggieMike88 said:
that looks interesting... are you using it? liking it?
Click to expand...

The one thing I didn't like at first that the java one has on the web site was the ability to hover over a spot and see temp, dewpoint, and altitude listed. But, this week I noticed the "Values" button in the app which lists all the values that go into the plot. Very nice. Plus, the little blue gradient at 0ºC and down makes the icing danger zone really obvious, which should help avoid errors reading it. It certainly makes it more clear to me.

It's not perfect - It'd be nice if they'd load the data for the current plot and show it right away rather than making you wait until all the data is loaded. I'd also love it if I could put in a departure, departure time, and destination and have it show me plots along the way. However, overall I've found it to be the easiest tool for Skew-T's because it's easier than filling out the form and I can switch times with a simple swipe.
 
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