Hey,
When using windy or any other weather product I notice delays in Metar updates. Here in Lithuania metars are created at 20 and 50 min, however
sometimes it can take up to 10-15 min for it to appear online in windy etc
Are there some primary sources where those metars could be pulled faster? If its a public information are there some kind of public APIs available? Where all those websites are pulling Metars from?
par wrote:
Are there some primary sources where those metars could be pulled faster? If its a public information are there some kind of public APIs available? Where all those websites are pulling Metars from?
You could use AFTN to request those faster, if you have access. Another option use something like SkyDemon – usually minutes after the update.
There’s an app called Aero Weather, at least here in the US the METARs are more or less instantaneous. Same in ForeFlight.
I don’t know where the APIs are, but if it’s for an airport that you use often, a low delay option is a voice call to the ATIS. ATIS is updated more often than METAR. For example, for my frequently visited airports EPPO and LPFR it’s +48618967357 and +351289894198.
I’ve discovered that AFTN request to Brussels address (it is in the examples, specified by CAA/NATS) give an up to date info every time, had no stale responses…
arj1 wrote:
I’ve discovered that AFTN request to Brussels address (it is in the examples, specified by CAA/NATS) give an up to date info every time, had no stale responses…
Can you clarify how you do this? Do you mean sending a message with Afpex? What’s the message?
dublinpilot wrote:
Can you clarify how you do this? Do you mean sending a message with Afpex? What’s the message?
It was via EBBRYZYX: https://www.nats.aero/do-it-online/afpex-guide/meteorological-data/
Select the Free Text ATS Message option from the Message menu of AFPEx.
Enter EBBRYZYX into the first Addressees box.
Enter RQM (Request Met) into the message body followed by:
/SA to request a METAR
/FC to request a 9-hour TAF
/FT to request a 24- or 30-hour TAF
/WS to request all SIGMETs for the specified FIRs
This is followed immediately by the ICAO designators for the Aerodromes (or FIRs if requesting SIGMETs), separated by commas.
Type Ctrl-E to check the message format before clicking Send.
The requested data will be sent from the OPTMET database and appear as Pending Messages and in your AFPEx in folder.
For example: “RQM/SAEGLL,EGKK/FTEGLL,EGKK”
Problem is that almost nobody has AFPEX. Even most of UK PPLs – who got accounts assigned c. 2009 as per here – no longer use it.
There are AFTN gateways in the US, but none of them are free. The best known one is KBLIHAEX which is used by most flight plan filing services.
Thank you!
