Master weather hazards, forecasts

In my experience, coming from the northern border between Canada and the United States, talking about the weather isn't just small talk—it's a survival skill. We bond over it. We plan our lives around it.

Even now, as a student pilot based at "sunny" Santa Monica Municipal Airport, I've learned that aviation weather goes far beyond listening to the automatic terminal information service (ATIS) and looking at the sky. ATIS tells you what's happening right now. But safe flying depends on understanding what's coming next—and what's happening along your entire route. People move to California expecting endless blue skies, but aviation teaches you quickly: Weather always has the final say. One moment it's visual flight rules (VFR), and the next, a marine layer rolls in, forcing you into instrument flight rules (IFR) before you know it.

That's why the Weather Hazards and Forecasts Course—available free online for AOPA members—is a must-have for pilots at every stage. Whether you're a student or seasoned pilot, flying VFR or IFR, this course teaches you how to think beyond the meteorological aerodrome report—connecting real-world flying decisions to the forecasting tools that keep you ahead of the airplane.

What stands out most in this eight-part course is how clearly it breaks down the tools that change how we fly. The first video walks through graphical forecasts for aviation (GFA) on the Aviation Weather Center website. Ceiling, visibility, winds, icing, turbulence—each layer is broken down.

Sections on weather radar and radar reflectivity give us a 3D view for better situational awareness and clarify base reflectivity versus composite, helping to identify areas where the weather is almost IFR. While precipitation isn't always problematic, the course also walks through scenarios such as thunderstorm avoidance, convective significant meteorological information, and classic rules of thumb for decision making.

If you are a ForeFlight user, you'll appreciate the weather imagery section, which compares forecast layers with pilot reports, airmen's meteorological information (AIRMET), and surface observations—revealing features you may not have known were in the application. Another great tool is the ability to toggle between U.S. and global weather.

Moving through turbulence and icing forecasts and touching on IFR, the course also explains how datalink weather is delivered through ADS-B and SiriusXM Aviation—and why it's become indispensable when layered directly onto your panel-mounted avionics or tablet, giving you a clear, accurate picture.

The most important takeaway of this course is that these tools are aids. You are still the pilot in command. Trust your training and your judgment. Know and respect your personal minimums.

Weather has humbled me again and again. This free course is practical and structured so you can complete it in an hour—yet walk away with insights that will serve you throughout your life as a pilot. Best of all, it also comes with a free downloadable PDF of the FAA Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28). You can access the course online.