(Click here for larger image of WingX Browser trend chart)Pilots can choose one or more states to download, and "within seconds," they have instant access to all METARs and TAFs, as well as winds and temperatures aloft for the selected states, according to Hilton. In addition, WingX Browser graphically displays trend information.
METAR is an internationally recognized encoded format for reporting, recording, and transmitting weather observations, according to the National Weather Service. The image at right shows a METAR as displayed by the WingX Browser. TAF stands for Terminal Area Forecast and is a similarly encoded format.
The company points out that obtaining weather information on a desktop computer before leaving the house is a good first step in pre-flight planning, but that weather information is often obsolete by the time the pilot arrives at the airport. WingX Browser keeps the pilot updated with the latest reports.
"Weather has the highest lethality index of all accident causes in the latest AOPA Air Safety Foundation Nall Report," according to Dr. Hilton Goldstein, the company CEO. "Enabling pilots to obtain accurate real-time and meaningful weather information is a large step forward in lowering weather-related and fuel-exhaustion accident rates."
WingX Browser for Windows Mobile Pocket PCs is available now for free download on the company's
website.
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