METAR Flight Briefing Trainer

Bentonville West Wolverines UAS Program

Your training progress — saved in this browser.

—
Best practice score
0 attempts
—
Best checkride score
0 attempts
0
Zulu streak record
0
Cloud clearance streak
—
0
Go / No-Go scenarios
—
0
What Changed pairs
—
0
Rationales written
—
1
Days practiced
Part 107 Weather Prep

Decode the Sky

Before every drone flight, the FAA requires you to know exactly what the sky is doing. A METAR is the pilot's shorthand for current weather — learn to read it, and you'll read the sky like a professional remote pilot.

What is a METAR? METAR stands for Aviation Routine Weather Report (the FAA term; internationally, Meteorological Aerodrome Report) — a routine surface weather observation issued about once an hour at airports around the world. It packs wind, visibility, clouds, temperature, and pressure into one dense, coded line of text.

Why does a drone pilot care? Under 14 CFR § 107.49, the Remote Pilot in Command must assess local weather conditions before every flight and may not operate unless conditions allow safe flight. Under 14 CFR § 107.51, minimum flight visibility is 3 statute miles and you must stay 500 ft below and 2,000 ft horizontally from any cloud. A METAR is the fastest standardized way to see what the atmosphere is doing before you drive out to the field.

One thing to get straight now. A METAR is evidence, not the legal standard. § 107.51 is written around flight visibility as observed from the location of your control station — not the prevailing visibility a sensor recorded at an airport several miles away. Cloud heights in a METAR are AGL at the reporting field, and the ground under your feet may sit at a different elevation. Read the METAR, then confirm it with your own eyes. The regulation asks what you can see.

Example METAR — from the FAA's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25B):

01

Primary Reporting Station: KXNA

Northwest Arkansas National Airport (KXNA) · approximately 7 miles south of campus
Field elevation: approximately 1,288 ft MSL · campus elevation is approximately 1,380 ft MSL (approximate — not a surveyed figure)
Primary aviation-weather reference — not a measurement at the school

Current observation from KXNA. KVBT (Bentonville Municipal) is geographically closer, but KXNA is kept as this page's primary instructional station because it provides the principal ASOS observation and the associated TAF used throughout the tutorial. Either way this is an airport observation, not a measurement at your operating site. Make the call for a flight in the next hour, then check yourself.

Loading current conditions…

Whose ground is "ground"? Every cloud height in this report is AGL above the airport. The campus sits at a somewhat different elevation, so a layer reported at 800 ft over KXNA is not necessarily 800 ft over your launch point. One more reason a METAR is evidence rather than a measurement of your site.
Make this a habit. Open this page before class, read the METAR, and commit to a call. Even on clear days this builds the pattern of reading the sky systematically. The first time bad weather matters, you will already know what to look for.
02

Anatomy of a METAR

Every METAR follows the same field order. Click any piece of the code below — or tab to it and press Enter — to see what it means. Colors and underline styles stay consistent everywhere in this tutorial, and every METAR on this page is clickable, not just this one.

👆 Click any colored segment above

Each field will explain itself here — what it says, and why a drone pilot should care.

Quick check

A METAR reports BKN035 and SCT008. If both layers are over your operating area, which one sets your under-cloud altitude limit?

03

Put It in Order

A METAR always follows the same field sequence. Drag (or click) the pieces into the correct order. Getting this into muscle memory means you will notice instantly when something is missing.

Arrange these fields

Click a chip to move it to the answer row. Click it again to send it back.

Available pieces:

Your answer (left → right):

04

Zulu Time

Every timestamp in aviation is UTC, spoken as "Zulu." Nobody converts it for you, and the exam will not either. Two minutes a day here is worth more than re-reading the rule.

Right now

Zulu
--:--Z
Bentonville
--:--
Arkansas is UTC−5 or UTC−6 depending on the season. Central Daylight Time runs UTC−5 from mid-March to early November; Central Standard Time is UTC−6 the rest of the year. Getting the season wrong is the single most common way to blow this conversion.

Convert it

Answer in 24-hour time, four digits.

Loading…

Streak: 0  ·  Best: 0

Why observations land at :53. Scan a few METARs and you will notice most timestamps fall between :53 and :56. Routine observations are taken near the end of the hour so they can be transmitted and available as the hour turns. A report stamped 241853Z describes the sky at 18:53 Zulu, not 19:00 — always ask yourself how old the observation you are reading actually is.

Quick check

A METAR is stamped 081453Z. It is currently 0920 local time in Arkansas during Central Standard Time (UTC−6). How old is this observation?

05

Cloud Clearance Drill

The single most-missed piece of Part 107 weather arithmetic. The rule is not about the ceiling — it is about any cloud. Two minutes a day here, the same way you drill Zulu time, and the calculation stops being something you work out and starts being something you know.

The two clearances

§ 107.51(d) sets both cloud clearances; § 107.51(b) sets the altitude cap. All three apply at once.

  • Below any cloud500 ft
  • Horizontally from any cloud2,000 ft
  • Maximum altitude, § 107.51(b)400 ft AGL
lowest cloud of any coverage − 500 ft
then take the lower of that and 400 ft
Three traps. A FEW or SCT layer is not a ceiling, but it still counts — the rule says cloud, not ceiling. Dropping lower does nothing about the 2,000 ft horizontal requirement, which is a separate obligation you satisfy by moving sideways. And the § 107.51(b) structure exception lets you exceed 400 ft near a structure, but it never lets you into a cloud — the 500 ft still applies.

Work it out

Answer in feet. Assume the reported layers are over your operating area and you are away from any structure.

Loading…

Streak: 0  ·  Best: 0

Quick check

You are flying at 250 ft AGL. A scattered layer sits at 900 ft, and the nearest edge of it is 1,400 ft away horizontally. Are you compliant with § 107.51(d)?

06

Guided Walkthrough Examples

Five METARs, and the help drops away as you go. The first is fully worked. By the last one you get the raw code, no color, and no narration — which is what a real preflight looks like.

07

What Changed?

Two reports from the same station, one or two hours apart. Spot what changed, read the trend, and decide whether your go/no-go call should change. This is the skill that separates decoding from briefing.

Pair 1 of 6
08

Decoder / Builder / Live Lookup

Three modes, one parser. Decode any METAR, build your own from scratch, or try to pull a live observation.

This decoder handles the US METAR format. Some international-only fields (CAVOK, MPS winds) are not supported.

Challenge 1 of 5

Loading…

    Not yet

    Set the fields below and watch the coded report assemble itself. Anything physically impossible gets flagged.

    180°

    Your constructed METAR:

    Today's METAR is at the top of the page — scroll up to see the current observation from KXNA. Use this tab to look up any other station.

    METARs are updated approximately every hour. The data you see here is the most recent observation for that station.

    09

    METAR vs. TAF — Reading the Forecast

    A METAR tells you what the sky is doing; a TAF tells you what it will do. A sound preflight combines current observations with forecasts. § 107.49 requires the remote PIC to assess local weather conditions; METARs and TAFs are important tools for doing so. Here is the same field, same morning — observation alongside the forecast.

    METAR (what it is — 1453Z)

    TAF excerpt (what it will be)

    TAF KXNA 141130Z 1412/1512
    18008KT P6SM SKC
    FM141800 21015G25KT 3SM TSRA BKN020CB
    FM150000 27008KT P6SM SCT040
    The METAR right now looks perfect — 10 SM, light wind, clear skies. But the TAF says thunderstorms with gusts to 25 kt and 3 SM visibility are forecast from 1800Z (about 3 hours from now). If your flight runs 45 minutes, a 1500Z launch finishes before the change. A 1700Z launch does not. The METAR cannot tell you this — only the TAF can.

    Quick check

    You are planning a 30-minute flight at 1730Z. The current METAR is fine. The TAF shows FM141800 21015G25KT 3SM TSRA BKN020CB. What do you do?

    TAF anatomy in 30 seconds. A TAF covers roughly a 5-statute-mile radius around the field for 24–30 hours. It uses the same wind, visibility, weather, and sky codes as a METAR. FM (from) marks an abrupt change; BECMG (becoming) marks a gradual shift; TEMPO marks a temporary fluctuation. Reading a TAF is just reading several METARs stacked end-to-end with time boundaries.
    10

    Part 107 Go / No-Go Trainer

    Read each METAR and commit to a call before you look. Each scenario carries a real-world mission — the kind of pressure that actually causes bad decisions in the field — plus the aircraft profile and classroom SOP you are flying under. Six steps: do the reported numbers meet the Part 107 minimums, would you fly the mission, how sure are you, which condition is doing the limiting, what controls the decision, and what is the best response.

    Three different questions. An airport observation can meet the reported numerical minimums and still be an operational NO-GO. It can also meet those minimums and still not be legal at your site, because § 107.51 is written around the flight visibility you observe and the clouds above your operating area. Step 1 screens the reported numbers. Step 2 asks whether the mission should fly. Neither one is a substitute for looking at the sky where you are standing.
    Reported minimums
    0 / 0
    Operational call
    0 / 0
    Limiting factor
    0 / 0
    Decision driver
    0 / 0
    Best response
    0 / 0
    Confident & wrong
    0
    11

    Exam Mode

    Ten questions, no color coding and no hints. Several of them are built fresh from a randomly generated report every time you run it, so the exam cannot be memorized — the only way through is to read the METAR. At the end you get a breakdown by field, so you can see whether it is ceilings, visibility, or time conversion that keeps catching you.

    You will see raw METARs with the colors switched off. Answer honestly and do not scroll up — a wrong answer here is worth more than a right one you looked up.

    Choose a mode:

    Practice shows feedback after each question. Checkride withholds feedback until all 10 are answered — like the real test. Run it again in a few days: the generated questions will be different ones, and spacing the practice out is what makes it stick.

    12

    Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

    Print this page (Ctrl/Cmd+P) and only this section comes out — color coding intact — as a study card for your kneeboard.

    METAR Field Order

    METAR/SPECIReport type
    KGGGStation ID
    161753ZDate/time (Zulu)
    AUTOAuto/corrected
    14021G26KTWind dir/speed/gust
    3/4SMVisibility
    +TSRA BRWeather phenomena
    BKN008 OVC012CBSky condition
    18/17Temp / dew point °C
    A2970Altimeter inHg
    RMK AO2 PRESFRRemarks

    Common Weather Codes

    Sky Coverage

    NSCNo Significant Cloud — clear below 5,000 ft AGL, no CB/TCU (international; US uses SKC/CLR)
    VVnnnVertical Visibility — sky obscured, e.g. VV003 = vertical vis 300 ft AGL (indefinite ceiling)
    CBCumulonimbus — appended to a layer, e.g. BKN040CB
    TCUTowering Cumulus — appended to a layer, e.g. SCT025TCU

    A ceiling is the lowest BKN or OVC layer. But cloud clearance applies to the lowest layer of any coverage.

    Wind Codes

    00000KTCalm — no measurable wind
    VRB03KTVariable direction — wind <6 kt, direction shifts constantly
    21015G25KTGust — sustained 15 kt gusting to 25 kt from 210°
    18010KT 150V210Variable range — wind from 180° but varying between 150° and 210°

    METAR wind is from true north. Tower/ATIS gives magnetic. Wind of 360° means from the north; 000° appears only in calm (00000KT).

    Visibility Codes

    P6SMGreater than 6 statute miles (P = plus)
    M1/4SMLess than ¼ statute mile (M = minus)
    1 1/2SMOne and a half statute miles (space separates whole and fraction)
    R28L/2600FTRVR — Runway Visual Range on runway 28 Left: 2,600 ft

    Report Modifiers

    AUTOFully automated observation — no human observer on duty
    CORCorrected report — replaces the previous observation for this hour
    AO1Automated station without a precipitation discriminator (can't distinguish rain from snow)
    AO2Automated station with a precipitation discriminator (most ASOS sites)

    Common Remark Codes

    SLPnnnSea-level pressure in millibars (e.g. SLP132 = 1013.2 mb)
    PK WND dddff/hhmmPeak wind — direction and speed / time observed
    WSHFT hhmmWind shift — time the wind shifted significantly
    $Station needs maintenance — data may be degraded
    TSNOThunderstorm info not available (sensor missing)
    PWINOPresent weather identifier not operating
    PNOPrecipitation amount not available
    FZRANOFreezing rain info not available
    RVRNORunway Visual Range not available

    METAR vs. TAF

    METARWhat the weather is. An observation, taken at one field, usually hourly.
    SPECIAn unscheduled observation, issued when conditions change significantly between hours.
    TAFWhat the weather will be. A forecast for a 5-statute-mile radius around the field, issued four times a day.
    FMddhhmmFrom — conditions change abruptly at the given time.
    BECMG hh/hhBecoming — gradual change expected during the period.
    TEMPO hh/hhTemporary — conditions fluctuate briefly during the period.
    NOSIGNo significant change expected in the next 2 hours.

    § 107.49 requires the remote PIC to assess local weather conditions; METARs and TAFs are important tools for doing so. A METAR alone will not tell you the front arrives in forty minutes.

    Density Altitude

    Hot, humid, high, or low-pressure air is thin air. Thin air means less lift per propeller revolution, so your aircraft works harder for the same hover.

    High temperature↑ density altitude
    High humidity (small temp/dew spread)↑ density altitude
    Low altimeter setting↑ density altitude
    High field elevation↑ density altitude

    What it costs you: shorter flight time, slower climb, reduced hover authority, less margin in an emergency. A METAR that clears every reported minimum on a 38 °C August afternoon still means a noticeably weaker aircraft.

    Three Different Questions

    1. Reported minimumsDo the numbers in this airport observation meet § 107.51? MET or NOT MET.
    2. Site verificationFlight visibility you observe, where the clouds actually are, 2,000 ft horizontal clearance, whether the layer is over your area, terrain, observation age, changes since.
    3. Operational callGiven the aircraft, the SOP and the hazards: GO, GO with restrictions, or NO-GO.

    Reported minimums MET is not site legality. An operational NO-GO is not necessarily illegal. Answer all three, in order.

    Classroom Operating Limits

    Traps to Watch For

    SM, not NMVisibility is statute miles.
    AGL, not MSLCloud heights are above the ground at that field.
    True, not magneticMETAR wind is true north. Tower and ATIS give magnetic.
    SCT still countsCloud clearance is not just about the ceiling.
    AUTO is not "unreliable"It means no human observer, not bad data.
    Small spread = fog riskTemp and dew point within ~3 °C.
    That airport is not your fieldConditions and ground elevation both differ.
    Wind is not a Part 107 numberNo maximum wind speed in the rule. Limits come from the aircraft and local policy.
    Thunderstorms are a hazardNot an enumerated numerical prohibition — but § 107.49 and § 107.19 still apply.

    Part 107 Weather Minimums

    • Minimum flight visibility3 statute miles
    • Vertical clearance from any cloud500 ft below
    • Horizontal clearance from any cloud2,000 ft
    • Maximum altitude (AGL)400 feet (exception: above 400 ft if within 400 ft of a structure, per § 107.51(b))
    • Max groundspeed87 knots
    • All METAR times are inUTC / Zulu

    Flight visibility is judged from your control station, and the 500/2,000 ft clearance applies to every cloud — FEW and SCT layers count, not just the ceiling.