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Non-controlled operations

Weather and forecasting

Flight planning

Controlled aerodromes and operations

Crash comic – Desert storm

Have you ever struggled with decision making when your flight hasn’t gone to plan?

In our latest Crash comic, a storm, low fuel, and a flooded airstrip led to an unexpected landing. Find out how the pilot handled it and what they learnt.

Crash comic - Desert Storm

Videos

NEW content status Visual meteorological conditions

Explaining the rules – VMC criteria for helicopters

Refresh your understanding of VMC criteria for helicopters with our animated explainer, based on the VFRG.

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NEW content status A group of aviation experts sitting around a table

AvSafety investigation – Deteriorating weather

Join a panel of experts as they analyse a VFR into IMC incident that was the subject of an ATSB report.

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Weather forecasts

Explaining the rules – Weather forecasts

Watch an animated explanation of the rules for flying when you can’t get a weather forecast before take-off, based on the VFRG.

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NEW content status A man in a high-visibility vest looking up at a plane

AvSafety webinars – Weather and forecasting

Visit our YouTube channel to watch recordings of webinars on weather for pilots, summer flying, wet season tips, and more.

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NEW content status VFR alternates

Explaining the rules – VFR alternates

Watch our animated explainer on VFR alternates, detailing when to nominate a destination alternate, based on the VFRG.

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178 seconds to live

178 seconds to live - updated

We’ve updated one of our most popular videos – but it’s not for the faint hearted. Experience VFR into IMC from the cockpit.

Video Fixed-wing
Crash comic - A hazy memory

Crash comic - Hazy memory

Watch an animated comic of one pilot’s encounter with smoke from a bushfire - as all those stories about disorientation and survival time come…

Video Fixed-wing Rotary
A view of an airstrip over the edge of an airplane's wing, surrounded by green bushland and with the ocean in the distance behind it

Wet season tips

Get top tips on flying in the wet season for VFR pilots. Know what to do if the weather deteriorates.

Video Fixed-wing Rotary
Visual meterological conditions

Explaining the rules – VMC criteria

Refresh your knowledge of VMC criteria by watching our new animated explainer video.

Video Fixed-wing
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Audio

NEW content status A beach with an image of frost overlaying the sky

Tropical chill

Carburettor icing conditions don’t always align with cold weather on the ground, as one pilot learnt in this close call.

Audio Fixed-wing
NEW content status A blurry plane landing with a reflection on the water underneath it

Bogged down in assumptions

Complacency, assumptions, and waterlogged soil on an uncertified airstrip have one pilot wondering, ‘Am I about to run out of runway?’

Audio Fixed-wing
A dark, wispy cloud hangs in the sky

Clouded thinking

'…cloud was fast approaching. 'What are you doing?' I asked. He replied, 'I don’t know.' Two low hour pilots drift into danger.

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Small plane flying with a lightning strike in the background

They say it never strikes twice

A newly minted instructor is jolted out of his complacency by an unexpected thunderstorm in this close call podcast.

Audio Fixed-wing
An airplane flying through a foggy blue background, with snowflake images around it

The ice bucket challenge

One pilot’s tale of surviving a severe icing incident gives him a newfound appreciation for the power of nature and new respect for the weather.

Audio Fixed-wing
The sky darkened by heavy clouds

What did I think I was doing?

A pilot boldly sets off in marginal weather because it appears to be improving. Now he’s the first to admit he shouldn’t have been out there

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A female pilot setting the radio of a small airplane

AvSafety Podcast – Weather in a changing environment

How do pilots get on top of interpreting weather forecasts and what do you do when the weather turns?

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Events and resources

NEW content status Helicopter pilot quiz

Test your knowledge

How well do you know your VMC criteria? When might you encounter radiation fog? Challenge yourself with our quiz!

Quiz Helicopter
NEW content status A woman wearing a high visibility vest looks out across an airport with an aeroplane parked behind her

Bureau of Meteorology Knowledge Centre

Understanding the weather forecast is key to safe flying. Learn more about GAFs, TAFs, wind and temperature charts, and more.

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NEW content status Dark grey clouds covering the sky

Caught in the clouds

Learn how thorough flight planning can help pilots avoid the trap of VFR into IMC.

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NEW content status An aviation safety advisor presenting an AvSafety Seminar

AvSafety seminars

Join our Aviation Safety Advisors for an in-person pilot seminar near you. Refresh your knowledge, ask questions, and stay up to date.

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NEW content status Fluffy white clouds reaching out to the horizon

Weather wisdom: unravelling probability

Understanding PROB on weather forecasts has significant safety and regulatory implications for pilots.

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NEW content status The cover of the Visual Flight Rules Guide

Visual Flight Rules Guide

The VFRG explains visual flight rules in plain English and uses practical examples to help pilots prepare, plan, and fly safety.

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NEW content status A graphic of firefighting aircraft flying around a bushfire

Smoke is no joke

The atmospheric effects of bushfires are a distinct aviation hazard. Learn from pilots who have experienced smoke haze.

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International resources

NEW content status A graphic of aeroplane flying towards a runway to land, with a downburst between them

Wind shear: an invisible enemy to pilots?

Wind shear can be a serious threat to aviation safety. Learn about detection, avoidance, and recovery in this Airbus article.

Article Fixed-wing Rotary
NEW content status A helicopter flying through a cloudy sky

56 Seconds to Live

Experience VFR into IMC from the perspective of a helicopter pilot in this video produced by the US Helicopter Safety Team.

Video Rotary
NEW content status A graphic showing the area of wake turbulence behind one aeroplane hitting another aeroplane behind it

SKYclip: En-route Wake Turbulence

Wake turbulence is often recognised as an issue on initial climb and final approach, but pilots can also encounter it en-route.

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Accident case study: Hazardous Attitudes

Hazardous attitudes case study

In this video from the AOPA Air Safety Institute, we learn how hazardous attitudes can betray pilots.

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An aeroplane on the ground spinning up its propeller even though the sky is covered in clouds

VFR into IMC research lessons

VFR-IMC is consistently one of the top 10 causes of aviation accidents worldwide. New research throws fresh light on pilot decision-making.

Article Fixed-wing Rotary
A plane flying over mist-shrouded mountain peaks

Inexplicable

Weather was a major factor but why 2 experienced pilots died on the New Zealand appears to be a classic 'Swiss cheese model' tragedy.

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Resources from our store

Safety resources for purchase or free download.
NEW content status Cover of the Part 91 plain English guide

Part 91 Plain English Guide

Our plain English guide makes it easy to understand the new general operating and flight regulations for all pilots.

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NEW content status The cover of an AvSafety card about flying into bad weather

AvSafety card – Flying into bad weather

An educational card with information on identifying and avoiding the red flags of poor weather.

Store Fixed-wing Rotary
The title pages of many AvSafety cards

AvSafety cards

Enhance your knowledge of crucial safety topics with our popular A5 AvSafety cards – now available for free download.

Store Fixed-wing Rotary
Carburettor icing chart

Carburettor icing probability chart

Essential for every pilot’s flight bag. Keep track of your risk of carby icing using this probability and fact chart.

Store Fixed-wing
A graphic image of clouds full of gears, aeroplanes, and electronics

Human factors for pilots

A kit, including workbooks, case studies and videos, covering all aspects of human factors for pilots including situational awareness and decision…

Store Fixed-wing Rotary
A picture of a cloud beneath steadily-less-transparent strips of blue color

Weather booklet

This handy booklet combines aviation reference material from the Bureau of Meteorology in one place – GAF, TAF, METAR, SPECI, AIRMET and SIGMET.

Store Fixed-wing Rotary
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Online version available at: https://www.casa.gov.au//resources-and-education/pilot-safety-hub/weather-and-forecasting
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