How to use a route planner
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Windy has a route planner with many functions. The route planner provides information for cars, boats, and airplanes as well. You can plan your trip to be as long as you want.
How to start route planner
If you are a pilot and plan the flight just put two airport ICAO codes to search bar, for example "LKPR KLAX".
Otherwise just right-click on the map, where your trip should start, and create your route, clicking on "Distance & planning" link.
Route planner will pop up from bottom of the screen:
In the left corner of the Elevation menu you can see units, which tells you how long the road is. By clicking on units, you can choose which units you need.
Below the units are Total ascent, Total descent, Max elevation, minimal elevation and on the bottom is Route detail, which shows you geographic coordinates and also allows you to download a scheduled trip in GPX and KML format or share your route.
- Total ascent = provides a total of all increases to elevation
- Total descent = is the sum of all height differences of those parts of the track descending.
- Maximal elevation = provides the highest elevation achieved
- Minimal elevation = provides the minimal elevation achieved
Car, hiking
- Temperature = How many degrees it will be during the trip
- Rain, Snow (mm) = How many mm of rain/snow there will be during the trip
- Wind (kt) = Force of constant wind
- Wind gusts = A gust, or wind gust, is a brief increase in the speed of the wind, usually less than 20 seconds.
- Wind direction = is reported by the direction from which it originates. For example, a northerly wind blows from north to south. In general, wind directions are measured in units from 0° to 360°, but can alternatively be expressed for -180° to 180°.)
- Winds are named for the direction from which they come, followed by the suffix -erly. For example, winds from the north are called “northerly winds” (north + -erly).
Airgram
Source by @Gkikas-LGPZ
- Symbols illustrate wind speed and direction
- Windy symbols at lower levels (e.g. at 1000 hPa) are shown relatively smaller than the same symbols at higher levels
- Lines labelled means pressure in hPa (hectoPascal)
The “standard” pressure on the surface (sea level) is 1013 hPa. As we go up, the pressure falls, so at 850 hPa we are at an elevation of 1500m (5.000 ft) at 500 hPa, 18.000 ft etc
The winds aloft are amsl. Actually are the winds on standard isobaric surfaces. For example the wind at 5000ft is actually the wind on a “surface” of the atmosphere where the pressure is 850 hPa.
Over mountains those “isobaric surfaces” may intersect* (cut) the orography (land surface). Thus, if you point on Everest and choose wind at different altitudes you'll find out that wind “stays the same” at all levels from Om (msl) up to 8.000m.
- Also here, all wind symbols show the same wind speed (25 kts)
Source by @Gkikas-LGPZ
VFR
Visual flight rules are a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. The weather must be better than basic VFR weather minima, i.e. in visual meteorological conditions (VMC). The pilot must be able to operate the aircraft with visual reference to the ground, and by visually avoiding obstructions and other aircraft
- Rain, Snow (mm) = How much mm of rain/snow there will be during the trip
- Convective r. = thunderstorms during the trip
- Clouds, rain (mm) = How many mm of clouds/rain there will be during the trip
- Weather warnings
- Cloud tops (m) = At what maximum height clouds are
- Cloud base (m) = At what minimum height clouds are
- Surface visibility (km) = Surface visibility during the trip
- Dew point spread (°C) = Dew point spread during the trip
IFR
Instrument flight rules (IRS) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules.
When operation of an aircraft under VFR is not safe, because the visual cues outside the aircraft are obscured by weather, instrument flight rules must be used instead.
ATC monitors IFR flights on radar, or through aircraft position reports in areas where radar coverage is not available
- ISA difference = International Standard Atmosphere, is a model for the standardization of aircraft instruments
- Weather warnings
- Cloud tops = At what maximum height clouds are
BOAT
- Temperature = How many degrees it will be during the trip
- Rain, Snow (mm) = How many mm of rain/snow there will be during the trip
- Wind (kt) = Force of constant wind
- Wind gusts = A gust, or wind gust, is a brief increase in the speed of the wind, usually less than 20 seconds.
- Wind direction = is reported by the direction from which it originates. For example, a northerly wind blows from north to south. In general, wind directions are measured in units from 0° to 360°, but can alternatively be expressed for -180° to 180°.)
- Waves = How big the waves will be and their direction
Direction of the wind
How to choose your direction on the map
- Our automatic settings is LEFT TO RIGHT, but you can choose between 3 options
- On these pictures you can see 3 maps with the same road but with a different direction of wind
NORTH UP = absolute direction of wind, direction of movement has no influence (ie. if the arrow or sign imply the direction to the top - the wind is blowing from the south, to the left - it’s blowing from the east etc...)
BOTTOM TO TOP = If the trip has a direction set to Bottom to top, then the wind direction will be shown as motion of your vehicle (car, plane, boat) moving on vertical axis oriented from Bottom to top and transferred by the angle of the vehicle on vertical axis.
LEFT TO RIGHT = If the trip has a direction set to Left to right, then the direction of the wind will be shown as motion of your vehicle (car, plane, boat) moving on horizontal axis oriented from left to right and transferred by the angle of the vehicle on horizontal axis.
Hope it helps!
Barbora -
Thanks for the support from your side !
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Does route planning with elevation such as ifr vfr etc. mode only work with ios app. I do not find route planning details in android.
Thanks for any answer.
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Hi,
is it possible to enter speed and the startpoint of the voyage. Otherwise it is not very helpful.
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I am trying to use it for a boat going from St Vincent island to the Azores. Almost 3000 NM. I am not understanding the segments of distance. How long is each one? How fast is the boat going? I am assuming the weather is being updated for the distance traveled.
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@Tedscharf same question as Ted. What is assumed boat speed and can it be altered?
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@Tedscharf @paul-4m @Fairplay-31
Hi, there is no speed parameter.
That means you see weather conditions for each part of the route 100km, 200km... etc for now. You can also move the timer above and get an idea about conditions later that day or in upcoming days. -
@Korina But the position indication dot along the route moves with the time, what is the assumed speed? If you cannot know the speed the position indication is meaningless and the planning is not planning, just general forecasting without knowing where you will be. At least there is a nice line to look at.
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@cap10david
Hi, yes, it does move, however it only shows you weather situation at the very moment for the area between 0km - 50km - 100km - 150km etc. It generally gives you the idea what the weather will be like. Anyway, we plan to add the speed parameter.
Korina
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Still trying to get a feel for this for flights. Guess I just need to play with it more.
Two basic question.
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While the VFR planner shows all sorts of good information, the IFR planner is very bare. I wonder what went into the decision that IFR pilots don't care about cloud bases and surface visibility.
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I'm trying to reconcile METAR/TAF discrepancies with the planner. Fore example, the TAF at Florence, SC (KFLO) at 3 pm today is winds 240 at 10-17 knots, 3,500 overcast with visibility >6 statute miles and light rain showers. If I am reading the Windy chart correctly, while the winds are consistent, I'm seeing a cloud base substantially lower at 1800-2000' and visibility only 1.7 statute miles
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@midlifeflyer
The planner shows data as they come directly from the models.
TAF is written down by a meteorologist.
Meteorologists can add value to the model data.
A human forecaster has knowledge of the local topography, as well as historical knowledge
of how the land affects the wind, the visibility, cloud bases etc in an area,
and can therefore predict the weather with accuracy.
For flight decisions, is better to rely on TAFs. -
@Gkikas-LGPZ said in How to use a route planner:
@midlifeflyer
The planner shows data as they come directly from the models.
TAF is written down by a meteorologist.
Meteorologists can add value to the model data.
A human forecaster has knowledge of the local topography, as well as historical knowledge
of how the land affects the wind, the visibility, cloud bases etc in an area,
and can therefore predict the weather with accuracy.
For flight decisions, is better to rely on TAFs.Thank you. Depending on the model, I can see similar differences between MOS and TAF forecasts. Switching models in Windy, I can also see differences.
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As a pilot I'd like to be able to input speed on route. With that I'd like to see the weather as it will be when I get to that location. For instance if I start at 1 PM on a 3 hour flight I'd like to see the weather at my destination at 4 PM, not 1 PM. And likewise all along the route.
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That is an interesting question. I don't know how to do that lol.
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@CraigM-0 @mmmmmichael Hello, the speed factor cannot be added into the Route planner yet, but we consider it. Nevertheless, you can still move the timer above the route details bar and see what the weather will be like when you arrive.
Korina
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Hi. You can do that with my plugin. windy.com/plugins -> select flightplanner
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@Korina That would be super helpful. Hope you can do it!
Thanks!
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@mmmmmichael Yes, as I can see, plugin from @rittels enables that. Great work!
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@rittels I've been playing with it. Pretty cool.
Thanks!
