FAA Part 107107 License
Weather · METAR / TAF decoder

Decode weather like a check pilot

Eight real reports walked token by token with a spoken Part 107 go/no-go. Weather is the number-two failure category on the exam — this is the fastest way to train the mental read-aloud pattern the test rewards.

Practice weather questions

  1. #1

    Standard METAR with Variable Winds

    Decode KOKC METAR with gusty variable winds and clear ceiling for a Part 107 go decision.

    Standard METAR with Variable Winds
    Backup voice · your device
    What to remember
    • Few and scattered layers never constitute a ceiling
    • Variable wind group appears when direction varies 60 degrees or more
    • Gusts must stay inside your aircraft operating limits
    • Zulu time uses the Z suffix and matches UTC
    • Section 107.51 requires 3 statute miles visibility and 500 feet below clouds
    14 CFR 107.51AIM 7-1-14
  2. #2

    METAR with Mist and Fog: No-Go

    Decode a low-visibility METAR with BR and FG that fails the Part 107 three-mile rule.

    METAR with Mist and Fog: No-Go
    Backup voice · your device
    What to remember
    • FG means fog, BR means mist
    • Temperature equal to dewpoint signals saturation and fog risk
    • Visibility below three statute miles is an automatic no-go
    • Runway visual range applies to manned operations, not Part 107 minimums
    • Calm winds are coded as 00000KT
    14 CFR 107.51AIM 7-1-14
  3. #3

    METAR with Vertical Visibility Indefinite Ceiling

    Decode a VV002 METAR where the sky is obscured and no cloud layer can be measured.

    METAR with Vertical Visibility Indefinite Ceiling
    Backup voice · your device
    What to remember
    • VV followed by three digits is an indefinite ceiling in hundreds of feet
    • Minus is light, plus is heavy, no sign is moderate intensity
    • BR is mist with visibility five-eighths of a mile or greater
    • Obscuration counts as a ceiling for weather minimum decisions
    • A single failed criterion is enough to no-go
    14 CFR 107.51AIM 7-1-14
  4. #4

    SPECI Report Triggered by Rapid Change

    Decode a SPECI issued when conditions worsen suddenly and evaluate the Part 107 impact.

    SPECI Report Triggered by Rapid Change
    Backup voice · your device
    What to remember
    • SPECI is issued when weather crosses reporting thresholds between hourly METARs
    • CB in a cloud group means cumulonimbus, a thunderstorm cloud
    • Broken and overcast layers both constitute ceilings
    • Plus prefix on a weather code means heavy intensity
    • Thunderstorms rule out Part 107 operations even if visibility scraped by
    14 CFR 107.51AIM 7-1-14
  5. #5

    TAF with TEMPO Condition Change

    Decode a TAF including a TEMPO group forecasting brief worsening within the period.

    TAF with TEMPO Condition Change
    Backup voice · your device
    What to remember
    • TAF valid period uses day-hour slash day-hour format
    • P6SM means visibility greater than six statute miles
    • TEMPO groups last less than one hour per occurrence
    • Plan operations outside forecast TEMPO windows containing thunderstorms
    • Base TAF conditions apply outside of change groups
    14 CFR 107.51AIM 7-1-14
  6. #6

    TAF with BECMG Becoming Forecast

    Decode a TAF using BECMG to signal a gradual, lasting shift in conditions for planning.

    TAF with BECMG Becoming Forecast
    Backup voice · your device
    What to remember
    • BECMG means conditions transition gradually and then persist
    • BECMG windows are typically two hours long
    • Ceilings well above four hundred feet do not affect Part 107 clearance
    • Use TAF change groups to time your launch window
    • Aircraft wind and gust limits are separate from Part 107 minimums
    14 CFR 107.51AIM 7-1-14
  7. #7

    METAR with Wind Shear

    Decode a METAR with WS group reporting low-level wind shear near the surface.

    METAR with Wind Shear
    Backup voice · your device
    What to remember
    • WS group reports low-level wind shear below two thousand feet above ground level
    • Altitude in the WS group is in hundreds of feet
    • Compare shear wind to surface wind to gauge severity
    • Section 107.51 minimums may pass while operational safety fails
    • Gusts and shear together degrade small unmanned aircraft controllability
    14 CFR 107.51AIM 7-1-14
  8. #8

    METAR with Distant Thunderstorm VCTS

    Decode a METAR with VCTS and apply the Part 107 rule for thunderstorm proximity.

    METAR with Distant Thunderstorm VCTS
    Backup voice · your device
    What to remember
    • VC prefix means in the vicinity, five to ten statute miles from the station
    • CB in a cloud group means cumulonimbus, a thunderstorm cloud
    • FAA guidance recommends staying twenty statute miles from thunderstorms
    • Section 107.51 minimums can be met while thunderstorm proximity still says no-go
    • Gust fronts and downbursts extend well outside the visible storm cell
    14 CFR 107.51AIM 7-1-14AC 107-2