FAQ for CellCast
No. The balloon weather information is not the legally required briefing. Use this as a supplement. Easy to use with no waiting on hold. Important data critical to flight safety, such as NOTAMs and Pilot Reports, is not included. Please call 1-800-WX-BRIEF for an official FAA briefing. This government number is only for pilots. Pressing the 0 (zero) key will automatically call Flight Service from most CellCast pages. Think of it like calling the operator.
I am not a meteorologist, only a balloon pilot with an interest in good weather information. This is intended to be a useful weather resource, but there are no guarantees. Much of the weather data is drawn from government computers, and is therefor subject to any flaws in the source. As the NWS states: "Timely delivery of data and products from this server through the Internet is not guaranteed." Additionally there may be errors in the translation algorithm or server operation.
The source material for current conditions, forecast conditions, and winds aloft is the National Weather Service's METAR, TAF, and FB products, respectively. This NWS material incorporated is not subject to copyright protection. The translation and arrangement is copyright by Rick Jones. All rights reserved. Additionally some weather graphics are from Intellicast.
All winds reported here are relative to True north. The sources are METARs, TAFs, and FB reports all of which are based on True north. Magnetic declination is very large in some areas, plan acccordingly.
Try the How to Use Cellcast instructions. It's almost a mini manual.
They've got Caller ID and remember you from last time. ;-)
Sometimes the ones with female voices date the ones with male voices.
If you encounter bugs in this website, please write me with the details so I can work on it.
© 2012 by Rick Jones.