[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":409},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-an-atis":3,"learn-nav-\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-an-atis":377},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":306,"description":307,"draft":308,"extension":309,"faqs":310,"howTo":320,"keyTakeaways":330,"meta":331,"navigation":332,"path":333,"quiz":334,"seo":361,"series":362,"seriesOrder":359,"sources":363,"stem":374,"topic":375,"__hash__":376},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-an-atis.md","How to read an ATIS",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":294},"minimark",[9,21,27,32,48,51,55,64,104,118,122,125,131,134,139,142,146,154,169,173,176,195,202,206,209,224,231,234,245,249,287,291],[10,11,12,13,20],"p",{},"An ",[14,15,19],"a",{"href":16,"className":17},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-atis",[18],"glossary-link","ATIS"," is a continuously repeated recording that gives you the current weather and the operational state of an aerodrome in one broadcast, so you can copy it before you ever key the radio to ATC.",[22,23,24],"blockquote",{},[10,25,26],{},"This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.",[28,29,31],"h2",{"id":30},"what-the-atis-is-for","What the ATIS is for",[10,33,34,35,41,42,47],{},"ATIS stands for the Automatic Terminal Information Service. It is a continuous broadcast of recorded, non-control aeronautical information in busier terminal areas, and its purpose is to take the routine information off the controller's frequency so the controller can concentrate on separating traffic. The ",[14,36,40],{"href":37,"rel":38},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.faa.gov\u002Fair_traffic\u002Fpublications\u002Fatpubs\u002Faim_html\u002Fchap4_section_1.html",[39],"nofollow","FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, paragraph 4-1-13"," describes it as a service provided to improve controller effectiveness and to relieve frequency congestion. Internationally, the service sits within the air traffic services framework of ",[14,43,46],{"href":44,"rel":45},"https:\u002F\u002Fstore.icao.int\u002Fen\u002Fannex-11-air-traffic-services",[39],"ICAO Annex 11",".",[10,49,50],{},"A new ATIS is recorded whenever a new routine weather report comes in, and also whenever there is a significant change to any of the information, such as a change of runway. Each recording is tagged with a phonetic letter, cycling through Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and so on. When you make your first call, you tell the controller you have the current letter, for example \"with Information Golf\", which confirms you are working from the latest weather and runway information.",[28,52,54],{"id":53},"what-the-atis-contains","What the ATIS contains",[10,56,57,58,63],{},"This is the key difference from a ",[14,59,62],{"href":60,"className":61},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-metar",[18],"METAR",". A METAR is an observation and nothing more. An ATIS takes the same kind of weather data and adds the operational picture, so a typical broadcast carries, in order:",[65,66,67,71,74,77,80,83,86,89,98,101],"ul",{},[68,69,70],"li",{},"The aerodrome name and the phonetic information letter.",[68,72,73],{},"The time of the weather observation, in UTC.",[68,75,76],{},"The runway or runways in use, and the instrument approach in use.",[68,78,79],{},"The wind, in degrees magnetic on a spoken ATIS, with speed and gusts in knots.",[68,81,82],{},"The visibility, and runway visual range (RVR) when it is being reported.",[68,84,85],{},"The present weather and the cloud.",[68,87,88],{},"The temperature and dewpoint, in Celsius.",[68,90,91,92,97],{},"The pressure setting: ",[14,93,96],{"href":94,"className":95},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-qnh",[18],"QNH"," in hectopascals, or an altimeter setting in inches of mercury in the United States.",[68,99,100],{},"Remarks, which can include relevant NOTAMs, work in progress, taxiway closures, or bird activity.",[68,102,103],{},"A closing instruction to acknowledge the information letter on first contact.",[10,105,106,107,111,112,117],{},"The exact running order and the items carried follow the ",[14,108,110],{"href":37,"rel":109},[39],"FAA AIM"," in the United States and the local procedures published in the national ",[14,113,116],{"href":114,"rel":115},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.icao.int\u002Fairnavigation\u002Faeronautical-information-management",[39],"Aeronautical Information Publication"," elsewhere, but the shape is consistent.",[28,119,121],{"id":120},"a-worked-example","A worked example",[10,123,124],{},"Here is how a European ATIS reads, spelled out from the recording:",[10,126,127],{},[128,129,130],"code",{},"London Gatwick Information Golf. Time one one five zero. Runway in use two six left. Wind two four zero degrees, one two knots. Visibility one zero kilometres. Cloud broken two thousand five hundred feet. Temperature one one, dewpoint zero nine. QNH one zero zero four. On first contact, advise you have Information Golf.",[10,132,133],{},"And a United States ATIS, which uses statute miles and inches of mercury:",[10,135,136],{},[128,137,138],{},"Boston Logan Information Bravo. One five five one Zulu. Wind three one zero at one four. Visibility one zero. Ceiling two five thousand broken. Temperature one eight, dewpoint zero seven. Altimeter three zero zero five. ILS runway three three left approach in use. Departing runway two seven. Advise on initial contact you have Information Bravo.",[10,140,141],{},"Read either one and you already know which runway to expect, what approach is in use, what the wind and pressure are, and which information letter to quote. That is far more than a METAR gives you.",[28,143,145],{"id":144},"atis-d-atis-and-volmet","ATIS, D-ATIS, and VOLMET",[10,147,148,149,153],{},"Most large airports also publish the ATIS as digital text, known as ",[150,151,152],"strong",{},"D-ATIS"," (datalink ATIS), which you can request through a datalink system and read rather than copy by ear. The content is the same; only the delivery differs.",[10,155,156,157,160,161,164,165,168],{},"Do not confuse the ATIS with ",[150,158,159],{},"VOLMET",", which is a separate broadcast of routine weather (METARs, TAFs and SIGMETs) for a group of en-route and destination aerodromes, intended for use in the cruise rather than in the terminal area. And at some airports there are separate ",[150,162,163],{},"arrival"," and ",[150,166,167],{},"departure"," ATIS broadcasts, each on its own frequency, so make sure you copy the one that applies to your phase of flight.",[28,170,172],{"id":171},"how-the-atis-relates-to-the-metar","How the ATIS relates to the METAR",[10,174,175],{},"The weather on the ATIS is drawn from the same observing system that produces the METAR, so the figures should agree closely, but two differences matter.",[10,177,178,179,182,183,188,189,194],{},"First, ",[150,180,181],{},"the wind reference is different",". The wind written in a METAR is in degrees true. The wind spoken on the ATIS, like the wind the tower passes you and the runway designators themselves, is in degrees magnetic, because that is what you fly. The difference is the local magnetic variation, which can be several degrees. The ",[14,184,187],{"href":185,"rel":186},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.metoffice.gov.uk\u002Fservices\u002Ftransport\u002Faviation\u002Fregulated\u002Ftraining-resources-for-aviation\u002Fmetars-and-tafs",[39],"UK Met Office"," and the ",[14,190,193],{"href":191,"rel":192},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.faa.gov\u002Fair_traffic\u002Fpublications\u002Fatpubs\u002Faim_html\u002Fchap7_section_1.html",[39],"FAA AIM weather chapter"," both set out the underlying observation conventions.",[10,196,197,198,201],{},"Second, ",[150,199,200],{},"the ATIS is operational",". It tells you the runway and approach in use and carries remarks that no METAR would, which is exactly why you copy it before joining the frequency.",[28,203,205],{"id":204},"atis-and-automated-weather-at-quieter-fields","ATIS and automated weather at quieter fields",[10,207,208],{},"Not every airfield has an ATIS. The service is provided where traffic justifies it, so at smaller and non-towered fields the weather reaches you a different way, and the difference matters.",[10,210,211,212,188,215,218,219,223],{},"In the United States, two automated systems fill the gap: the ",[150,213,214],{},"Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS)",[150,216,217],{},"Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS)",". Both measure the weather continuously and broadcast it on a discrete frequency, and many can also be reached by telephone, as the ",[14,220,222],{"href":191,"rel":221},[39],"FAA Aeronautical Information Manual weather chapter"," describes. What they give you is the weather and only the weather: wind, visibility, cloud, temperature, dewpoint, and the altimeter setting. What they do not give you is the operational layer an ATIS carries. There is no runway in use, no approach in use, and no remarks line, because no controller is curating the broadcast.",[10,225,226,227,230],{},"That changes how you use it. At a field with an ATIS you are handed the runway and approach in use; at a field with only AWOS or ASOS you take the wind from the broadcast and ",[150,228,229],{},"choose your own runway"," from it, and you get your NOTAMs from your pre-flight briefing rather than from the air. Elsewhere in the world the same idea appears as automated METAR broadcasts, and, for the cruise, as the VOLMET broadcast of en-route weather.",[10,232,233],{},"A worked contrast makes the point. At a towered field you might copy: Information Delta, runway 27 in use, ILS approach, wind 250 at 12. You know the runway before you key the radio. At a nearby non-towered strip the AWOS gives only: wind 250 at 12, visibility 10, sky clear, temperature 14, dewpoint 6, altimeter 30.05. The wind is the same, but the runway choice is now yours, and you would join and announce your intentions on the common frequency, having already read the field's NOTAMs from your briefing. The broadcast told you the weather; everything operational was on you.",[10,235,236,237,240,241,244],{},"Two habits carry across both kinds of broadcast. The ",[150,238,239],{},"observation time"," still tells you how fresh the weather is, and on an ATIS the ",[150,242,243],{},"information letter"," advancing is your signal that something has changed since you last copied it. And whether the source is a controller or a machine, the wind you hear is referenced to magnetic north, while the written METAR for the same field is referenced to true north, so the two can differ by the local variation.",[28,246,248],{"id":247},"common-pitfalls","Common pitfalls",[65,250,251,257,263,269,275],{},[68,252,253,256],{},[150,254,255],{},"Not checking the letter."," If you copied Information Golf and ATC says the current letter is Hotel, something has changed. Re-copy before you act on old information.",[68,258,259,262],{},[150,260,261],{},"Reading the wind as true."," On a spoken ATIS the wind is magnetic. Only the written METAR is true.",[68,264,265,268],{},[150,266,267],{},"Time is UTC."," As with every weather product, the observation time is Zulu, not local.",[68,270,271,274],{},[150,272,273],{},"Copying the wrong broadcast."," Where arrival and departure ATIS are separate, use the one for your phase of flight.",[68,276,277,280,281,286],{},[150,278,279],{},"Treating remarks as optional."," The remarks line is where a closed taxiway or a ",[14,282,285],{"href":283,"className":284},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-notam",[18],"NOTAM"," you need is hiding.",[28,288,290],{"id":289},"in-pilot-efb","In Pilot EFB",[10,292,293],{},"Pilot EFB lays out a structured, ATIS-style summary alongside the decoded weather for an aerodrome, drawing the wind, visibility, cloud, temperature and pressure together with a suggested runway worked from the reported wind. Treat it as a study and planning aid built from the weather data, not as the broadcast itself: it does not receive or replace the live ATIS, so always copy the real ATIS or D-ATIS for the runway in use, the approach in use, and the remarks before you fly. A briefing you have already pulled stays readable with no signal, because your device holds what you have saved, while pulling a fresh observation needs a connection. Pilot EFB is offline-first and is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag.",{"title":295,"searchDepth":296,"depth":296,"links":297},"",2,[298,299,300,301,302,303,304,305],{"id":30,"depth":296,"text":31},{"id":53,"depth":296,"text":54},{"id":120,"depth":296,"text":121},{"id":144,"depth":296,"text":145},{"id":171,"depth":296,"text":172},{"id":204,"depth":296,"text":205},{"id":247,"depth":296,"text":248},{"id":289,"depth":296,"text":290},"2026-04-07","What the ATIS broadcast contains, how the information letter and runway-in-use work, how it differs from a METAR, and the EASA\u002FUK and FAA conventions that trip pilots up.",false,"md",[311,314,317],{"q":312,"a":313},"What is the difference between an ATIS and a METAR?","A METAR is purely an observation of the weather measured at an aerodrome. An ATIS bundles the current weather with operational information you cannot get from a METAR: the runway and approach in use, and remarks such as taxiway closures or bird activity. The ATIS is what you copy before talking to ATC; the METAR is the underlying weather record.",{"q":315,"a":316},"Why does the ATIS have a letter like Information Golf?","Each ATIS broadcast carries a phonetic letter, cycling A to Z, that identifies a specific issue. When you tell ATC you have Information Golf, the controller knows exactly which set of weather and runway information you are working from. A new letter means something changed, so check it against what you copied.",{"q":318,"a":319},"Is the ATIS wind the same as the METAR wind?","Not exactly. The wind spoken on the ATIS is referenced to magnetic north, like the runway and the wind the tower passes you, while the wind written in a METAR is referenced to true north. The two can differ by the local magnetic variation, so do not be surprised when they are a few degrees apart.",{"name":5,"steps":321},[322,323,324,325,326,327,328,329],"Identify the station and the information letter, for example Information Golf, and note that a new letter means the information has been updated.","Note the time of the weather observation, which is given in UTC (the Zulu time).","Read the runway in use and any instrument approach in use, which the METAR alone does not give you.","Copy the wind, given in degrees magnetic on a spoken ATIS, with speed and any gusts in knots.","Copy the visibility, any runway visual range, present weather, and cloud.","Copy the temperature and dewpoint in Celsius.","Set the pressure: QNH in hectopascals, or the altimeter setting in inches of mercury in the US form.","Read the remarks, which can include NOTAMs, taxiway closures, or bird activity, and read back the information letter on first contact with ATC.",null,{},true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-an-atis",[335,343,352],{"q":336,"options":337,"answer":296,"explanation":342},"What does an ATIS give you that a METAR does not?",[338,339,340,341],"The temperature and dewpoint in Celsius","The wind speed in knots","The runway and approach in use, plus operational remarks","The time of the weather observation in UTC","A METAR is an observation and nothing more, while an ATIS adds the operational picture: the runway and approach in use, and remarks such as taxiway closures or bird activity.",{"q":344,"options":345,"answer":350,"explanation":351},"How is the wind reported on a spoken ATIS referenced?",[346,347,348,349],"Degrees magnetic","Degrees true","Whichever the observer prefers","Degrees true plus the wind speed",0,"The wind spoken on the ATIS is referenced to degrees magnetic, like the runway designators and the wind the tower passes you, whereas the wind written in a METAR is in degrees true. The difference is the local magnetic variation.",{"q":353,"options":354,"answer":359,"explanation":360},"At a non-towered field served only by AWOS or ASOS, what is the pilot responsible for that an ATIS would otherwise provide?",[355,356,357,358],"Measuring the wind and visibility","Recording the observation time","Broadcasting the temperature and dewpoint","Choosing the runway and getting NOTAMs from a pre-flight briefing",3,"AWOS and ASOS give the weather and only the weather, with no runway in use, approach in use, or remarks, so you choose your own runway from the reported wind and get your NOTAMs from your pre-flight briefing.",{"title":5,"description":307},"decode-the-weather",[364,366,368,370,372],{"label":365,"url":44},"ICAO Annex 11: Air Traffic Services",{"label":367,"url":114},"ICAO: the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP)",{"label":369,"url":37},"FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, paragraph 4-1-13 (Automatic Terminal Information Service)",{"label":371,"url":191},"FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, Chapter 7 Section 1 (Meteorology)",{"label":373,"url":185},"UK Met Office: METARs and TAFs","learn\u002Fhow-to-read-an-atis","Weather","kD13SfIFRuEduS5cREAVmjLQ700Eb-7QPn8AzLvdwvk",{"related":378,"newer":395,"older":330,"series":402},[379,384,388],{"path":380,"title":381,"description":382,"date":383,"topic":375,"draft":308,"minutes":359,"series":330,"seriesOrder":330},"\u002Flearn\u002Freading-a-surface-analysis-chart","How to read a surface analysis chart","Decode a surface analysis chart: isobars and the pressure gradient, highs and lows, warm, cold and occluded fronts, and what the big picture tells you before you read the METAR.","2026-06-20",{"path":385,"title":386,"description":387,"date":383,"topic":375,"draft":308,"minutes":359,"series":330,"seriesOrder":330},"\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-international-standard-atmosphere","The International Standard Atmosphere (ISA)","What the ICAO International Standard Atmosphere is, its sea-level values and lapse rate, and how ISA deviation underpins altimetry, performance and density altitude.",{"path":389,"title":390,"description":391,"date":392,"topic":375,"draft":308,"minutes":393,"series":362,"seriesOrder":394},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-sigmet-and-airmet","How to read a SIGMET and an AIRMET","What SIGMETs and AIRMETs warn of, the phenomena codes, how long each stays valid, and a worked SIGMET decoded field by field, with the ICAO baseline and the US differences.","2026-06-18",5,4,{"path":396,"title":397,"description":398,"date":399,"topic":400,"draft":308,"minutes":401,"series":330,"seriesOrder":330},"\u002Flearn\u002Fdecoding-notam-q-codes","Decoding NOTAM Q-codes and abbreviations","A deeper guide to the NOTAM Q-line: the five-letter Q-code, the traffic, purpose and scope qualifiers, the height and coordinate fields, and the contractions NOTAMs are written in.","2026-04-10","Briefing",8,{"slug":362,"title":403,"part":359,"total":393,"prev":404,"next":388},"Decode the weather",{"path":405,"title":406,"description":407,"date":408,"topic":375,"draft":308,"minutes":394,"series":362,"seriesOrder":296},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-taf","How to read a TAF","Decode a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, including the FM, BECMG, TEMPO and PROB change groups, the validity period, and how a forecast differs from a METAR observation.","2026-06-16",1781989190880]