peek 20 #1 March 16, 2006 I threw together this script to display the winds aloft forecast data from the NWS data service. The idea is to display the wind direction at the various altitudes graphically so one can get a feel for how the wind changes direction with altiude. (Perhaps helpful to your students in getting that item on their A license Proficiency card signed off, you know, the one where they plan with a pilot the exit and opening points, etc.) One of the main goals was to optimize the generated page to a size that can be printed in black and white on one sheet, so it can be hung up at the DZ. http://www.pcprg.com/cgi-bin/windsaloft.cgi This will probably be a permanent URL for it, with links to it from the main page to be determined later. Enjoy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #2 March 16, 2006 Cool. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MooU 0 #3 March 16, 2006 Veeerrrrrryyyyyy Helpful - Thanks Also, nice to know how freaking cold it is at altitude. Helps to narrow the decision between which pair of gloves to wear - cold weather gloves, colder weather gloves, coldest weather pair of gloves or OMG-my-lungs-are-frozen pair of gloves. TPM #59 POPS #9849 PMS #477 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #4 March 16, 2006 Just ignore the temperature readings. That -20 C. stuff is enough to make you stay on the ground all winter. We have that info now on a map overlay at work, shows the little wind arrows, speeds and temps, gives a good visual on exactly what the wind is doing at all altitudes, and it's very accurate. Cool stuff. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites napaguy99 0 #5 March 16, 2006 NOAA already does this for you. "Let the misinterpretation and attacks begin." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tombuch 0 #6 March 16, 2006 That is so simple and so cool! The contrast in direction and speed between altitudes and stations is super easy to read! If you tweek it at all, I'd love to see the option of a third station. Thanks! .Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites peek 20 #7 March 16, 2006 QuoteNOAA already does this for you. Well of course it does, but I don't want to try to explain that to a skydiving student. A CFI to a flying student maybe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites peek 20 #8 March 16, 2006 QuoteThat is so simple and so cool! The contrast in direction and speed between altitudes and stations is super easy to read! If you tweek it at all, I'd love to see the option of a third station. Adding the second one was my big tweek since the original, but of course I have considered it. My major goal is having it print on one sheet of paper, and allowing 3 makes it wide. Maybe I'll add some options to not show temperature or something. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites pilotdave 0 #9 March 16, 2006 I love the idea of designing it to be printed and posted at the DZ. I'd lose the fine print and post the valid times in larger numbers at the top (in local time). Then set it up in a way that a DZ can bookmark their winds aloft forecast so they can quickly print it each morning. I'd make knots/mph and degrees F/C an option as well... saved in the URL for example so they come up the same each time the bookmark to the forecast is loaded. (ie make it read the variables off the URL like http://www.pcprg.com/cgi-bin/windsaloft.cgi?station=BDL&ws=knots&temp=f&time=EST) Great idea! Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites peek 20 #10 March 16, 2006 QuoteI love the idea of designing it to be printed and posted at the DZ. I'd lose the fine print and post the valid times in larger numbers at the top (in local time). Then set it up in a way that a DZ can bookmark their winds aloft forecast so they can quickly print it each morning. I'd make knots/mph and degrees F/C an option as well... saved in the URL for example so they come up the same each time the bookmark to the forecast is loaded. (ie make it read the variables off the URL like http://www.pcprg.com/cgi-bin/windsaloft.cgi?station=BDL&ws=knots&temp=f&time=EST) The small print is one of the things that insures it fits on 1 piece of paper, but if I allow a DZ time zone option I can save some space not printing them all. Keep checking back, I'll be updating this until I get busy with other things. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BigSky 2 #11 March 16, 2006 That is very cool. It is now in my favorites, thanks!“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, th Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites pilotdave 0 #12 March 16, 2006 Well, you can shorten it up by not having both units for temp and wind speed, and you can probably get rid of the really high altitudes too. I don't think there's much need to know the winds at 30K very often. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites peek 20 #13 March 16, 2006 QuoteWell, you can shorten it up by not having both units for temp and wind speed, and you can probably get rid of the really high altitudes too. I don't think there's much need to know the winds at 30K very often. Dave The seond of two temps is kind like "free space" because the graphic image takes up that much vertical space anyway. Check out the "high level" option I added. Thnaks for the input. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites peek 20 #14 March 16, 2006 QuoteIf you tweek it at all, I'd love to see the option of a third station. OK, there you go...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tombuch 0 #15 March 16, 2006 Amazing improvements! Thanks!Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites peek 20 #16 March 17, 2006 QuoteI threw together this script to display the winds aloft forecast data from the NWS data service. http://www.pcprg.com/cgi-bin/windsaloft.cgi This will probably be a permanent URL for it, with links to it from the main page to be determined later. Enjoy. BUMP for updates. You can now selected your options and bookmark it to get the same output later. And there is now a page on the PCPRG web site called Weather, which has weather data, links, and this script. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. 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napaguy99 0 #5 March 16, 2006 NOAA already does this for you. "Let the misinterpretation and attacks begin." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tombuch 0 #6 March 16, 2006 That is so simple and so cool! The contrast in direction and speed between altitudes and stations is super easy to read! If you tweek it at all, I'd love to see the option of a third station. Thanks! .Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 20 #7 March 16, 2006 QuoteNOAA already does this for you. Well of course it does, but I don't want to try to explain that to a skydiving student. A CFI to a flying student maybe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 20 #8 March 16, 2006 QuoteThat is so simple and so cool! The contrast in direction and speed between altitudes and stations is super easy to read! If you tweek it at all, I'd love to see the option of a third station. Adding the second one was my big tweek since the original, but of course I have considered it. My major goal is having it print on one sheet of paper, and allowing 3 makes it wide. Maybe I'll add some options to not show temperature or something. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #9 March 16, 2006 I love the idea of designing it to be printed and posted at the DZ. I'd lose the fine print and post the valid times in larger numbers at the top (in local time). Then set it up in a way that a DZ can bookmark their winds aloft forecast so they can quickly print it each morning. I'd make knots/mph and degrees F/C an option as well... saved in the URL for example so they come up the same each time the bookmark to the forecast is loaded. (ie make it read the variables off the URL like http://www.pcprg.com/cgi-bin/windsaloft.cgi?station=BDL&ws=knots&temp=f&time=EST) Great idea! Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 20 #10 March 16, 2006 QuoteI love the idea of designing it to be printed and posted at the DZ. I'd lose the fine print and post the valid times in larger numbers at the top (in local time). Then set it up in a way that a DZ can bookmark their winds aloft forecast so they can quickly print it each morning. I'd make knots/mph and degrees F/C an option as well... saved in the URL for example so they come up the same each time the bookmark to the forecast is loaded. (ie make it read the variables off the URL like http://www.pcprg.com/cgi-bin/windsaloft.cgi?station=BDL&ws=knots&temp=f&time=EST) The small print is one of the things that insures it fits on 1 piece of paper, but if I allow a DZ time zone option I can save some space not printing them all. Keep checking back, I'll be updating this until I get busy with other things. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigSky 2 #11 March 16, 2006 That is very cool. It is now in my favorites, thanks!“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, th Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #12 March 16, 2006 Well, you can shorten it up by not having both units for temp and wind speed, and you can probably get rid of the really high altitudes too. I don't think there's much need to know the winds at 30K very often. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 20 #13 March 16, 2006 QuoteWell, you can shorten it up by not having both units for temp and wind speed, and you can probably get rid of the really high altitudes too. I don't think there's much need to know the winds at 30K very often. Dave The seond of two temps is kind like "free space" because the graphic image takes up that much vertical space anyway. Check out the "high level" option I added. Thnaks for the input. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 20 #14 March 16, 2006 QuoteIf you tweek it at all, I'd love to see the option of a third station. OK, there you go...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tombuch 0 #15 March 16, 2006 Amazing improvements! Thanks!Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 20 #16 March 17, 2006 QuoteI threw together this script to display the winds aloft forecast data from the NWS data service. http://www.pcprg.com/cgi-bin/windsaloft.cgi This will probably be a permanent URL for it, with links to it from the main page to be determined later. Enjoy. BUMP for updates. You can now selected your options and bookmark it to get the same output later. And there is now a page on the PCPRG web site called Weather, which has weather data, links, and this script. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
