How to Read a METAR Report for Flight Simulator Pilots

METAR is the standard hourly (or special) weather observation format used at airports worldwide. NG ROUTE fetches live METAR data for your departure and arrival airports and translates it into runway suggestions, wind components, and flight category. Learning to read the raw string makes you faster in any simulator.

Basic structure

A typical METAR looks like this:

EGLL 241020Z 24015G25KT 9999 FEW030 BKN045 12/08 Q1018 NOSIG

Breaking it down:

• EGLL — station (Heathrow)
• 241020Z — day 24, 10:20 UTC
• 24015G25KT — wind from 240° at 15 kt, gusts 25
• 9999 — visibility 10 km or more
• FEW030 BKN045 — few clouds at 3,000 ft, broken at 4,500 ft
• 12/08 — temperature 12 °C, dew point 8 °C
• Q1018 — QNH 1018 hPa
• NOSIG — no significant change expected soon

Wind and runway choice

Runways are numbered by magnetic heading divided by ten. Runway 27 points roughly 270°. You want the headwind component on landing, not a tailwind.

NG ROUTE calculates headwind and crosswind for each runway in the database and highlights a sensible choice. In the sim, crosswinds above your personal limit are a good reason to practice elsewhere even if the METAR is technically above minima.

Visibility and flight category

NG ROUTE assigns a category for quick briefing:

• VFR — good visibility and high ceiling
• MVFR — marginal VFR
• IFR — instrument conditions likely
• LIFR — low IFR, very limited ceiling/visibility

These labels help you decide whether an ILS practice approach is realistic or whether you should expect a visual pattern.

Cloud layers and approach minima

Cloud heights in METAR are given in hundreds of feet above aerodrome level. BKN045 means broken clouds at 4,500 feet AAL. If the ceiling is below your approach minima, you need an alternate airport — NG ROUTE fuel planning already assumes diversion reserves for training realism.

QNH versus standard pressure

Q1018 is the altimeter setting for height above sea level near the airport. Set this on approach in MSFS and X-Plane when below the transition altitude.

Aerofly FS does not use live METAR injection the same way. For Aerofly, many pilots keep 1013 hPa (29.92 inHg) per the NG ROUTE guide because the atmosphere model stays standard.

SPECI and aged reports

If weather changes sharply between hourly reports, airports issue a SPECI special observation. Always glance at the observation time in the string. A METAR older than an hour may not match what live weather in the sim shows if the sim interpolates forecast data.

Putting it together in session

1. Generate your route in NG ROUTE.
2. Note departure and arrival METAR blocks.
3. Set sim weather to live/real-world if available.
4. Brief the suggested runway and crosswind.
5. Set destination QNH before starting descent.

That five-step loop mirrors what real dispatchers expect airline crews to verify — except you are doing it for fun and skill building.