Alexb2000
En-Route
When people think about or debate XM weather the topic is always around trusting the composite radar image or not, this thread is NOT about that.
I believe XM weather is an awesome tool that has done more to save me time, money, and upset passengers than almost anything else on my bird. One of my favorites is the winds aloft function. Using it to build a mental image of the winds along a 600 mile flight is great. Do I climb or stay low, when do I climb and to what altitude, what will the ride be like, etc.
So I'll kick it off with an example using the above XM winds.
I put 8 hours on the Hobbs today Dallas-Taos-Dallas. Going I was bucking some pretty strong headwinds. I step climbed my way out to NM timing the climbs according to when the winds were the most favorable. That meant I was able to save a fuel stop on a day when climbing to altitude x and flying would have guaranteed one.
Coming back we were getting hammered by turbulence at 11K. I was looking at the winds aloft and noticed a really strong steam of southbound wind blowing between the TX NM border and about Wichita Falls. As I entered that area it was still really rough. Then looking at the winds I realized I was in a boundary area for that wind stream. So I climbed to 13K to get into the middle of it, instant smooth air although the winds were really blowing at 75 Knots. I didn't care, it was almost neutral to my flight path and most important the strong winds flattened any turbulence. Result, nice ride home when almost everyone on frequency was bitching about light to mod.
So who else uses XM and how?
I believe XM weather is an awesome tool that has done more to save me time, money, and upset passengers than almost anything else on my bird. One of my favorites is the winds aloft function. Using it to build a mental image of the winds along a 600 mile flight is great. Do I climb or stay low, when do I climb and to what altitude, what will the ride be like, etc.
So I'll kick it off with an example using the above XM winds.
I put 8 hours on the Hobbs today Dallas-Taos-Dallas. Going I was bucking some pretty strong headwinds. I step climbed my way out to NM timing the climbs according to when the winds were the most favorable. That meant I was able to save a fuel stop on a day when climbing to altitude x and flying would have guaranteed one.
Coming back we were getting hammered by turbulence at 11K. I was looking at the winds aloft and noticed a really strong steam of southbound wind blowing between the TX NM border and about Wichita Falls. As I entered that area it was still really rough. Then looking at the winds I realized I was in a boundary area for that wind stream. So I climbed to 13K to get into the middle of it, instant smooth air although the winds were really blowing at 75 Knots. I didn't care, it was almost neutral to my flight path and most important the strong winds flattened any turbulence. Result, nice ride home when almost everyone on frequency was bitching about light to mod.
So who else uses XM and how?