The ATIS is a recorded weather and airfield message, repeated all day and updated when conditions change. It turns a coded weather report into clear spoken English that any pilot can follow.
It always follows the same order. Learn the order and every ATIS becomes easy to follow:
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Part
Example
1
Airport, information letter, time
Lakeside information Delta, time zero eight five zero
2
Runway in use
Runway in use two seven
3
Wind
Two five zero degrees, one eight knots, gusting two eight
4
Visibility and weather
Four thousand metres in light rain
5
Cloud
Broken at one thousand five hundred feet
6
Temperature, dew point, QNH
Niner, seven, one zero zero four
7
Warnings
Wind shear reported on final
8
Instruction to the pilot
Advise on initial contact you have information Delta
The letter (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta…) changes every time the message changes. If a pilot says “information Charlie” and the current one is Delta, the controller knows the pilot has old weather.
Go to Read It to practise on a full message.
Read it
Read the message once, slowly. Then answer. You may look back at the message.
LAKESIDE INFORMATION DELTA. TIME ZERO EIGHT FIVE ZERO.
RUNWAY IN USE TWO SEVEN.
SURFACE WIND TWO FIVE ZERO DEGREES, ONE EIGHT KNOTS, GUSTING TWO EIGHT KNOTS.
VISIBILITY FOUR THOUSAND METRES IN LIGHT RAIN.
CLOUD BROKEN AT ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED FEET.
TEMPERATURE NINER, DEW POINT SEVEN.
QNH ONE ZERO ZERO FOUR.
WIND SHEAR REPORTED ON FINAL, RUNWAY TWO SEVEN.
ADVISE ON INITIAL CONTACT YOU HAVE INFORMATION DELTA.
Which runway are aircraft using?
What does “gusting two eight knots” tell a pilot?
A pilot asks: “What is the cloud base?” What is the answer?
What must a pilot do on first contact with the tower?
At 0920 the wind changes to 300 degrees. What happens to the ATIS?
Which line is a warning rather than a measurement?
From the code to the voice
You already read METARs. On the radio, nobody says the code — they say it in full, with numbers one digit at a time. This is the step from reading a report to speaking it.
Wind two five zero degrees, one eight knots, gusting two eight knots
4000
Visibility four thousand metres
-RA
Light rain
BKN015
Cloud broken, one thousand five hundred feet
09/07
Temperature niner, dew point seven
Q1004
QNH one zero zero four
Say the digits one by one (except round thousands and hundreds): 250 = two five zero; 1004 = one zero zero four. Special sounds: 3 = tree, 5 = fife, 9 = niner. Always give the unit: degrees, knots, metres, feet.
Which version is correct?
Wind 18010KT. Choose the correct spoken form.
Q1013. Choose the correct spoken form.
BKN008 means:
Now you say it
Read this METAR aloud as a controller would hear it: LKSD 101120Z 31012KT 8000 SCT025 BKN040 14/10 Q1019
01:30
Wind three one zero degrees, one two knots. Visibility eight thousand metres. Cloud scattered at two thousand five hundred feet, broken at four thousand feet. Temperature one four, dew point one zero. QNH one zero one niner.
Pilots ask, you answer
Pilots and controllers ask short questions and want short answers. Give the fact first, with its unit, then stop. If you do not know, say so clearly — never guess about weather.
A controller asks: “What is the current visibility?” (Report: 1,500 metres in fog.) Best answer?
A pilot asks for the wind but your sensor is being checked. Best answer?
The wind just changed from 250 to 310 degrees. What do you tell the controller?
You did not hear the pilot’s question. What is the correct phrase?
Your turn
A controller calls: “Weather, tower. Give me the current weather.” Report: wind 200° 8 kt, visibility 10 km or more, few clouds at 3,000 ft, temperature 18, dew point 11, QNH 1021. Say it all.
01:00
Tower, weather. Wind two zero zero degrees, eight knots. Visibility ten kilometres or more. Cloud few at three thousand feet. Temperature one eight, dew point one one. QNH one zero two one.
Now the weather has a problem: a thunderstorm is three miles west of the airport and moving east. Warn the controller. What do you say, in order: what, where, what next?
01:00
Tower, weather. Thunderstorm three miles west of the airport, moving east. Expect it over the field in about ten minutes. Wind may gust and visibility will reduce in heavy rain. I will update you.
The full job: write it, then say it
First, read the ATIS for Lakeside again. Then close it and answer from memory — the way you will need to on a real frequency.
LAKESIDE INFORMATION DELTA. TIME ZERO EIGHT FIVE ZERO.
RUNWAY IN USE TWO SEVEN.
SURFACE WIND TWO FIVE ZERO DEGREES, ONE EIGHT KNOTS, GUSTING TWO EIGHT KNOTS.
VISIBILITY FOUR THOUSAND METRES IN LIGHT RAIN.
CLOUD BROKEN AT ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED FEET.
TEMPERATURE NINER, DEW POINT SEVEN.
QNH ONE ZERO ZERO FOUR.
WIND SHEAR REPORTED ON FINAL, RUNWAY TWO SEVEN.
ADVISE ON INITIAL CONTACT YOU HAVE INFORMATION DELTA.
Round 1 — memory check (90 seconds)
Look at the message for 20 seconds, then tell a pilot who has just called in the five things they most need: runway, wind, visibility, cloud, and the warning.
01:30
Runway in use two seven. Wind two five zero degrees, one eight knots, gusting two eight. Visibility four thousand metres in light rain. Cloud broken at one thousand five hundred feet. Wind shear is reported on final for runway two seven.
Round 2 — write the next ATIS
At 0920 the weather changes: wind 280° 22 kt gusting 35 kt, visibility 2,000 m in moderate rain, broken cloud at 800 ft, temperature 8, dew point 8, QNH 1001. The wind shear warning is cancelled. Write the whole new message on paper, starting with the correct information letter, then read it aloud in 60 seconds.
01:00
Lakeside information Echo. Time zero niner two zero. Runway in use two seven. Surface wind two eight zero degrees, two two knots, gusting three fife knots. Visibility two thousand metres in moderate rain. Cloud broken at eight hundred feet. Temperature eight, dew point eight. QNH one zero zero one. Advise on initial contact you have information Echo.
Check yourself
I can now: read an ATIS and pick out what matters; turn a METAR into spoken English; answer a pilot’s weather question in one clear sentence; and warn a controller about a hazard in order — what, where, what next.