Procedures governing flight weather briefings and preparing DD Form 175-1 and U.S. Navy Flight Forecast Folders are outlined in NAVMETOCCOMINST 3140.14. Both the AG2 TRAMAN, volume 2, and NAVMETOCCOMINST 3140.14 list procedures and formats for the preparation and dissemination of flight weather packets.

VERIFICATION OF AIRMETS AND SIGMETS

The Airman's Information Manual, Official Guide to Basic Flight Information, and ATC Procedures briefly discuss in-flight weather advisories disseminated by the National Weather Service (NWS) as well as foreign nations.

Commands throughout the claimancy having aircraft on station prepare and update TAFs. Information on the TAF code is presented in the AG2 TRAMAN, volume 2. NAVMETOCCOMINST 3143.1 promulgates instructions for using the code. As discussed earlier in this chapter, Aerographers should be familiar with the format and encoding of OPARS, HWDs, AIRMETs/SIGMETs, and TAFs. But these products serve little value unless there is a procedure in place to verify them for accuracy. By verifying these products we take into consideration lessons learned when preparing them in the future. The last area discussed in this chapter covers sources of climatic information.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Recognize available sources of climatic information for the planning of exercises.

In preparing for operations or exercises, the officer-in-tactical command (OTC) and commanding officers must be briefed regarding the climatic conditions expected to occur during the operation or exercise. Climatology is normally used for long range planning only and should not be used when reliable, real-time data becomes available. However, in certain situations, it maybe the only forecast data available. For more information on this subject refer to NAVMETOCCOMINST 3140.1.

Climatology generally refers to summarizations and/or studies of historical data. Climatology data can be presented in a variety of forms (tabular, graphical, narrative, or analytical charts). When summaries and studies are used for planning, it should be kept in mind that statistical averaging causes smoothing of the observed data. Additionally, the mean or average of a given parameter may be a value that is seldom actually observed.

Units should review their climatology publications on a routine basis to ensure they have the necessary publications for their area of responsibility (AOR) plus any other areas as may be required during contingency operations.

Reference material, which may be used in the preparation of forecasters handbooks and independent studies in the fields of oceanography and meteorology, is available through the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL Monterey).

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