Flight planning: Westfield-Barnes Regional BAF / KBAF
What a pilot looks at before a flight from or to Westfield-Barnes Regional in Westfield/Springfield, Massachusetts, in plain English: right now marginal VFR: flyable but watch the ceiling and visibility, Wind from the north (360°) at 9 knots. The warnings, reports and winds below come from the government's aviation weather service and the restrictions from the FAA, refreshed every few minutes. For planning, not a briefing: the legal preflight briefing comes from Flight Service (1-800-WX-BRIEF) or the FAA's own tools.
Warnings in force SIGMETs and AIRMETs whose area covers this field
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist).
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 10,000 ft.
A SIGMET warns of weather hazardous to all aircraft (thunderstorms, severe turbulence or icing, volcanic ash); an AIRMET of weather that matters to small aircraft and to flying without instruments (moderate turbulence or icing, low cloud, strong surface wind, mountains hidden in cloud). An area is counted when it covers this field's position.
Pilot reports within 100 nautical miles, last three hours, nearest first
- UAL330 at 35,000 ft, 64 nm northeast, 12:30 am EDT (04:30 UTC): moderate turbulence, wind 235° at 92 knots.
as filed, and in English
ARP UAL330 4257N 07145W 0430 F350 235/092KT TB MOD TURB CONT MOD CHOP IC
- Report
- a routine report filed through ARP
- CRJ7 descending, 73 nm northeast, 12:09 am EDT (04:09 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on.
as filed, and in English
MHT UA /OV RWY 6/TM 0409/FLDURD/TP CRJ7/SK 006
- Report
- a routine report filed through MHT
- Where
- runway 6
- Time
- 04:09 UTC
- Height
- during the descent
- Aircraft
- CRJ7
- Sky
- at 600 ft
- CRJ9 descending, 73 nm northeast, 11:16 pm EDT (03:16 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on.
as filed, and in English
MHT UA /OV RWY 6/TM 0316/FLDURD/TP CRJ9/SK 004
- Report
- a routine report filed through MHT
- Where
- runway 6
- Time
- 03:16 UTC
- Height
- during the descent
- Aircraft
- CRJ9
- Sky
- at 400 ft
- B738 at 300 ft, 77 nm east, 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): a broken layer above 500 ft, remarks: during the descent runway 4R bos.
as filed, and in English
BOS UA /OV KBOS/TM 0300/FL003/TP B738/SK BKN005/RM DURD RY 4R BOS
- Report
- a routine report filed through BOS
- Where
- over KBOS
- Time
- 03:00 UTC
- Height
- at 300 ft
- Aircraft
- B738
- Sky
- a broken layer from 500 ft
- Remarks
- during the descent runway 4R bos
- GA6C descending, 78 nm southwest, 12:32 am EDT (04:32 UTC): overcast above 1,000 ft, remarks: bases OVC010.
as filed, and in English
SWF UA /OV SWF 270005/TM 0432/FLDURD/TP GA6C/SK OVC010/RM BASES OVC010
- Report
- a routine report filed through SWF
- Where
- 5 nm west (270°) of SWF
- Time
- 04:32 UTC
- Height
- during the descent
- Aircraft
- GA6C
- Sky
- overcast from 1,000 ft
- Remarks
- bases OVC010
What pilots in the air told air traffic control or Flight Service: turbulence, icing, cloud tops and bases, temperature, wind, and whatever they remarked on (wind shear on final, a smooth ride). An urgent report is one of severe turbulence or icing, wind shear, or similar. Open "as filed, and in English" for the coded report and its translation line by line.
Winds and temperatures aloft forecast point BDL, 13 nm south of the field · for use 02:00–09:00 UTC
| Height | Wind from | Speed | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 ft | 120° (southeast) | 24 knots | |
| 6,000 ft | 290° (west) | 23 knots | 12 °C |
| 9,000 ft | 280° (west) | 21 knots | 8 °C |
| 12,000 ft | 250° (west) | 36 knots | 3 °C |
| 18,000 ft | 250° (west) | 41 knots | -11 °C |
| 24,000 ft | 230° (southwest) | 48 knots | -21 °C |
| 30,000 ft | 230° (southwest) | 78 knots | -32 °C |
| 34,000 ft | 230° (southwest) | 96 knots | -41 °C |
| 39,000 ft | 230° (southwest) | 86 knots | -52 °C |
Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 UTC; temperatures above 24,000 ft are below zero. Heights are above sea level; the lowest rows are left out where the ground is already that high.
Temporary flight restrictions within 50 nautical miles, from the FAA's list
No temporary flight restriction within 50 nautical miles right now.
Each restriction opens the FAA's own page with the exact area, heights and times. Ordinary notices to air missions (a closed runway, lights out, a crane) are not shown here: the FAA's notice search is not open to sites like this one at this time, and the application for the FAA's data feed is in hand.
Radar and forecast charts government pictures, the latest each time the page loads
The radar pictures come from the National Weather Service (the nearest radar, then the region); the surface analysis and the 12- and 24-hour forecast charts from the Weather Prediction Center. They are public-domain government images shown as they are published.
Sources: the Aviation Weather Center's data service (SIGMETs, AIRMETs, graphical AIRMETs, pilot reports, winds and temperatures aloft), the National Weather Service radar, the Weather Prediction Center's charts, and the FAA's temporary flight restriction list and shapes. Fetched when the page is viewed and kept a few minutes. Back to Westfield-Barnes Regional, where the current observation and the forecast for the field are.