I am not sure if iPhones are allowable inside the cockpit of an aeroplane. If so, this is one app that will come really handy to the pilots, as an independent source to verify the current weather conditions in the airports of their choice, across the world. AeroWeather is a simple iPhone app that tells the user about the current and precise weather conditions (METAR) as well as weather forecasts (TAF) in airports across the world. For travelers, the weather info delivered by AeroWeather helps them to schedule their itineraries accordingly, so that their trip won’t get affected or delayed by extreme weather conditions.
Features AeroWeather app
AeroWeather app offers a quick view of few select airports (favorites). To the favorite list, users can add more, by selecting the requisite ones from the inbuilt database. Users can either search using the airport name or airport ICAO code. Further, it is possible to find alternates around a given airport (useful to find ASOS/AWOS nearby), or users can make use of the GPS feature to auto-locate the airports nearer to their current location. I am not sure it will be one of iPhone best apps 2010 , but it is a very good iphone app.
Further, the AeroWeather app shows sunrise and sunset info, wind direction, visibility and cloud cover info, temperature, time zones, daylight saving adjustments, elevation, and even atmospheric humidity. The options interface lets users choose between flight rules (ICAO or NOAA), while the decoder screen displays the decoded METARs and TAFs (for easy comprehension of common man). The latest versions of the app also have this feature that adds runway reports as well to the METAR decoder.
Users could view all the above said details in either metric units or US units. Same is the case with time zones; it shows all times in GMT or in station’s local time.
On the downside, some of the information discussed above is displayed in smaller fonts, which makes it tough to read for older people, or those with poor eyesight.
Final thoughts on the AeroWeather iPhone App.
Overall, AeroWeather is a really useful app, especially for frequent travelers, as well as pilots, and even occasional tourists. The information it provides are mostly accurate, and given the quantum of info the app provides in one-go, you can’t ask for more. Save the few blemishes here and there, such as the font size, AeroWeather is right up there amongst the most useful apps you can blindly install in your iPhone. Verdict: thumps up!
