PDC FlightOps
Weather Module
“ This document contains a brief introduction to the layout and
functionalities found in the PDC FlightOps Weather module.
The purpose is to enable the new user to work within the module, but
at the same time presupposes some knowledge of the official weather
forecasting codes used in TAF and Metars to get the full advantage.
The Weather module is in effect an add-on module to the PDC
FlightOps program, which is a traffic execution program also developed
by PDC. The integration of these two programs enhances the
awareness of weather alert related to the specific airlines destinations.
The weather data used in the module is collected from the NOAA
National Weather Service.
Interaction
The prerequisite for utilizing the weather module to its full extend,
is that the airline traffic schedule is loaded and controlled in PDC
FlightOps.
PDC FlightOps displays the daily schedule and constantly updates
it as the flights are executed. It is the primary information screen
for the Flight Dispatcher when monitoring the traffic.
Figure 1: PDC FlightOps
The PDC Weather modules interaction with PDC FlightOps
is based on the Flight Dispatchers need to stay ahead of the
challenges that could inflict upon the daily traffic, in this case -
the weather factor.
By using colorized icons directly on the PDC FlightOps screen,
the weather module enables the fight dispatcher to monitor the
traffic by keeping focus on a single screen. In case of a weather
issue on a destination, the Flight Dispatcher will be alerted by the
appearance of a cloud on those flightbars that are affecting by the
degraded weather conditions.
The cloud icon comes in two variants:
• A yellow cloud indicates that the weather at the destination
is marginal.
• A red cloud will indicate that the weather is below minima at
the destination.
To be able to see the weather alerts on the flightbars the individual
Figure 2 - Setting up the weather icons
user must enable those specific icons.
This is done in PDC FlightOps by selecting Settings/Display
Options in the gantt. Make sure that the dialog is on the Text and
Icons tab.
Interaction Screen Layout
Scroll down and locate the two weather icons. The related text The main screen layout of the PDC Weather module is divided
will read ‘Weather – Station Closed Icon’ and ‘Weather – into five sections.
Station Warning Icon’. Double-click on the text to enable the
icons. A tick should be shown to the left of the text to indicate that 1. Airport weather alert list
they have been turned on. Airports, where the weather is marginal or below minima.
2. Chosen airport and corresponding alternate list
Make sure that the Max No of Icons per FltBar is set to at least Airport chosen at the top will be show as the biggest air-
‘2’, to allow PDC FlightOps to put up to 2 icons on each concerned port symbol on the map.
flightbar. If more than two Icons are marked by the tick, is can be 3. Metar and TAF for the airport entered or marked in 2
advisable to increase the Max No of Icons per FltBar to a higher Current and forecasted weather for the airport marked in 1
number than ‘2’. Should a flightbar have 3 or more alerts to it, or 2.
only the 2 highest prioritized in this dialog will be shown on it. 4. Inflicted flights from the schedule
A list of those flights from your schedule today planned into
You can prioritize the enabled icons by marking the text related airports with weather issues.
to the icon, and then placing it in the desired order using the up/ 5. Geographical map
down arrows to the far right in the dialog. Visual overview of the airport locations.
When there is a need to investigate the weather conditions closer
at an airport cased on an alert, the access to the PDC Weather
module is found on the top of the PDC FlightOps screen.
To open the Weather module press the depicted icon below
marked with the red frame.
Figure 4 - The Weather module main screen
Figure 3 - Accessing the Weather module
The PDC Weather module can be closed at any point in time
using the windows ‘X’ in the top right corner of the dialog.
Zoom and Pan
The map is to give the user a physical overview of the individual
airports, as well as their location in relation to each other.
To enable the user to customize the view of the map the weather
module is capable of both panning and zooming from world view
to extreme close-ups.
This feature can be used for investigating the local airports as
well as the terrain and infrastructure of the nearby cities.
There are 3 ways of using the zoom functionality:
1. Utilize the blue build-in zoom scale on the left side of the
map.
2. Place the cursor on the desired zoom area and double click.
3. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Make sure that the
focus is on the weather module map and not on a separate
window.
To pan around the map use the 4 blue arrows in the left side of
the screen.
Or, alternately hold the left mouse button down while dragging
the map around.
Alert List Airports and Alternates
The purpose of the alert list is the give the dispatcher an overview
of the airports where the weather conditions may require a The airport section is the focal point where airports that have been
decision in relation to the scheduled traffic. chosen, are shown. The airports will typically be the ones that
have been alerted in PDC FlightOps that the Flight Dispatcher
Airports with no weather alerts will not be listed here. is investigating. These will always be airports with marginal
weather or worse since no alerts are given to destinations where
The weather alerts are based on a combination of a predifined the weather conditions are ok.
list of airports held up against the minima and capabilities of the
aircraft in the fleet and the landing facilities at each airport.
Figure 6 - Selected airport and the related weather information
In case there is a need to investigate an airport that has not been
alerted nor is included in the pre-defined list, choose in on the
Figure 5 - The Alert list dropdown list or enter the 3-letter IATA code manually.
When selecting an airport, the map will automatically locate and
Station uses colors to indicate the weather status of the airport display this airport. The actual and forecasted weather will be
shown as well.
Station closed weather-wise
The related alternates automatically adjust, and are shown below
Station with marginal weather the selected airport. They are listed in priority order. Consequently,
the first choice of alternate is placed on top, followed by the
Type lists the type of weather telex that has triggered the warning second choice, as so on.
SA Actual weather (Metar)
FC Short forecast The alternate list is pre-defined and individual for each airline.
FT Long forecast If you have double-clicked on an airport in Figure 1 (the Alert List)
it will be transferred to the airport section in this dialog and the
Code is the indication of weather phenomenon that has caused TAF/Metar and map will adjust accordingly.
the alert
C Ceiling
V Horizontal Visibility
VV Vertical Visibility
W Weather phenomenon
M Max Wind
X Max Crosswind (CW)
Tendency will indicate the trend in relation to the last weather
information received.
+ Increasing
= No change
- Decreasing
To see weather details and focus the map on one of the listed
airports, double-click on it.
Airports and Alternates
When the airport has been entered, it will be depicted on the map
as a large airport icon. The alternates will also be shown, but in
half size. The colors of the destination and alternates, once again,
indicate the WX conditions at stations, respectively. This will
also assist the Flight Dispatcher with a quick overview of their
locations in relation to each other.
The weather information is also available directly on the map, by
double-clicking on the airport (as shown in Figure 7).
Figure 7 - Checking the weather directly on the map
Inflicted Flights
Supporting the fact that the display in PDC FlightOps will be
the Flight Dispatchers primary source of information, the PDC
Weather module will use this as the initial to place to display the
weather alerts.
Figure 8 - Weather alerts in PDC FlightOps
Based upon a constant crosscheck between the latest TAF/Metar, For ease of use, the color-coding from the weather alerts in PDC
the approach facilities at the destination airport and the landing FlightOps is reused inside the actual PDC Weather module.
capabilities of the aircraft, the alerts will be shown on those flights
where the weather could be negative factor. The crosscheck will
be performed 6 hours ahead of the present time, although it is
customizable for each airline.
Note that NOTAMS which could affect the pre-programmed
airport landing facilities are not taken into consideration. The
responsibility of checking the valid NOTAMS and taking them into
consideration still lies with the Flight Dispatcher.
The alerts in PDC FlightOps are shown in the shape of small clouds
placed on the flightbars of the inflicted flights. The clouds will be
colored according to the seriousness of the alert. As described
earlier (on page 3) these are the a yellow cloud indicates marginal
weather conditions at the destination and the red cloud indicates Figure 9 - Planned flights with weather alerts in the PDC
that the destination is closed weather-wise. Weather module
Inside the PDC Weather module the list of the inflicted flights are Flight Flight number of the inflicted flight
shown in the top right corner of the main screen (ref. section 4 on Arrival Lists the planned arrival time (STA) in UTC of
Figure 4). See an example on the next page. These are the flights each inflicted flight, to the airport in question.
that were marked in PDC FlightOps with weather alerts.
Code Is the weather status of the station at the time
of the flights arrival.
A Alerted/marginal at planned time of arrival
C Closed at planned time of arrival
Icons Airport Equipment
Runways
No valid METAR/TAF received for destination
Define runways and setup availability
Alternates
Define alternate airports and assign priority
Equipment
Define approach types available.
See dialog via ‘Define Equipment’ selection.
No equipment defined for aircraft
No equipment defined for the airport
Aircraft Type Equipment
Associate each aircraft type with the official category (A, B, C or D).
• Category
• Max tailwind
• Crosswind limits in various BA intervals
Choosing the airport equipment.
Each line can then be edited and adjusted to reflect the desired
minima limits for each category of aircraft.
NOTAMS
The ability to process incoming NOTAMS. The user will be able
to review and subsequently Delete and insert New as required.
Updates of existing NOTAMs will be automatic with a notification
of the event to the user. Actions will be logged in the existing
Audit function.
Initial access designed in airport dialog.
Suggested future location for NOTAM access.
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