ADS-B Prediction

[Jaybird180]

http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/flashMap/index.cfm

In my desire for in-flight weather, I found the FAA ADS-B deployment site through another thread about an iPad based ADS-B product http://www.skyradar.net/.

What I need to find now, is an overlay or something that can tell me where I would likely have good ADS-B coverage or reception on my route of flight.

 

[Jim Logajan]

You're VFR, so um....................use your eyeballs?

Notoriously unreliable devices. Narrow field of view requires considerable scanning to compensate, but the scanning stepper motors tire out quickly. They also often lose focus. Objects on intercept will appear stationary to these devices, but have no means to detect the changing distance; only clue to closing is change in subtended arc of closing object.

And these devices are already task overloaded at critical moments where traffic is highest.

All that said, the risk of mid-air collisions is very low. If given only a choice between looking for traffic before downwind-to-base or base-to-final turns and looking at your airspeed indicator, accident statistics support the conclusion that you'd be better served checking your airspeed.

 

[Jim Logajan]

For traffic avoidance sure, but if you can't see a thunderhead building while VFR you either 1) aren't VFR, or 2) shouldn't be flying because you are waaaaaaay worse than 20/40 as required by the Class III medical. He was asking about the weather, not the traffic portion of it, and that's what I was addressing.

OK. There was a mix of TCAS and WX references; guess I picked up on the wrong aspect.

Agreed that for VFR your eyes are just fine for weather avoidance for most conditions.