Patent ID: 7129857

Claim:
A method for presenting weather data and related data for use in aviation, the method comprising: providing presently measured or estimated values for each of a selected subset of a set of selected situation parameters, where the situation parameter set comprises trip length, present phase of trip, trip departure time, distance from present location to a selected aircraft destination, visibility, ceiling or cloud cover, longitudinal wind speed, cross wind speed, wind gust speed, temperature, dew point and density altitude; providing a reference database containing a collection of N reference situations, numbered n=1 . . . , N (N≧2), with each reference situation being characterized by an ordered set of parameter value ranges, one range for each of the selected subset of parameters; wherein at least one of the reference situations comprises a selected set of conditions consisting of: (1) trip phase being one of {pre-departure, takeoff, ascent and cruise}, AND at least one of: (2A) v w (present;dest)−v w (forecast;dest)≧Δv w (thr), where Δv w (thr) is a selected positive value; AND (2B) at least one of the following inequalities is satisfied: {{ΔT(dew;dest)≦ΔT(dew;thr)} OR {VIS(dest)≦VIS(dest;thr)} OR {Ce(dest)≦Ce(dest;thr)} OR {v w (long;dest)≧v w (long;thr)} OR {v w (cr;dest)≧v w (cr;thr)}}, where ΔT(dew;thr), VIS(dest;thr), Ce(dest;thr, v w (long;thr) and v w (cr;thr) are selected threshold values; AND (2C) at least one of the following inequalities is satisfied: {{VIS(dest)≦VIS(dest;thr)} OR {Ce(dest)≦Ce(dest;thr)} OR {v w (long;dest)≧v w (long;thr)} OR {v w (cr;dest)≧v w (cr;thr)}}, where VIS(dest;thr), Ce(dest;thr), v w (long;thr) and v w (cr;thr) are selected threshold values; and when the measured or estimated value of each situation parameter in the selected subset lies within the corresponding value range for the parameter, displaying a selected subset of weather data, in at least one of visually perceptible format and audibly perceptible format, where the subset of weather data is drawn from a set of weather data that comprises a measured value or estimated value of at least one of aircraft present altitude, static air pressure at aircraft present altitude, longitudinal wind speed, crosswind speed, wind gust speed, wind variability, wind vector direction, temperature, dew point, temperature-dewpoint spread, density altitude, sky condition for at least one altitude range, ground visibility at a selected aircraft destination, ground precipitation at the selected destination, visibility obscurations along aircraft flight route, ceiling, distance from the selected destination, fuel required to reach the selected destination, recommended runway for the selected destination, and time of most recent measurement upon which the subset of weather data is based.