Lesson F3 1:19 25 of 26
Where to find the weather for an airport, from ATIS to AWOS and FAA weather cameras.
The video plays from YouTube. FAA San Francisco Sectional, effective 29 OCT 2026. Not for navigation.
Before you land, get the local weather. The airport data block tells you where to listen. Salinas has ATIS on 124.85. ATIS is a recorded broadcast of the weather, the runway in use and other remarks. Each new ATIS recording gets a code letter. Tell ATC that letter when you first call.
Where there is no full-time ATIS, the chart shows the ASOS or AWOS frequency instead. Watsonville has ASOS on 132.275. Marina has AWOS-3PT on 134.025. The AWOS type tells you what it reports. AWOS-3 includes clouds and ceiling. P adds precipitation type, and T adds thunderstorms and lightning.
Hollister has AWOS-3 on 120.425. Some stations are not at an airport. Near King City, this box shows an AWOS-AV on 120.8. It reports only the altimeter setting and visibility. This WX CAM symbol marks an FAA weather camera. You can see its pictures at weathercams.faa.gov.
The Chart Supplement lists this station's frequency, and a phone number for the same report.
Before you fly, check the current chart, the Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.
A discovery flight is actual flight training with a certified flight instructor at the Salinas Airport. Your hands on the controls, with the chart on your knee.
