A METAR is a routine aviation weather observation: a snapshot of conditions at a specific station, usually updated hourly. For drone pilots, it is one of the fastest ways to ground-truth wind, visibility, and ceiling before you fly — and on the Part 107 exam, METAR literacy shows up on almost every form of the UAG test. You are not decoding for airline dispatch; you are answering one question: "Does this observation support a safe flight under my rules and risk tolerance?"
Where to get METARs
The authoritative free source many pilots use is aviationweather.gov — it serves raw and translated METAR text for airports and stations worldwide. For operations, pair METARs with TAFs, NOTAMs, and your local site survey when you are close to obstacles or complex terrain. On the exam, you will see raw METAR strings — so learn the raw format, not only the pretty translation.
Decode this METAR field by field
KVNY 051553Z 22009KT 10SM FEW045 27/M06 A2992
- KVNY — Station identifier (Van Nuys, California).
- 051553Z — Date and time in UTC: the 5th day of the month at 15:53 Zulu.
- 22009KT — Wind from 220° at 9 knots. For sUAS, wind drives controllability and battery drain — gusts would appear if reported.
- 10SM — Visibility 10 statute miles. Strong visibility supports VLOS confidence and hazard spotting; low visibility is a go/no-go signal for many operations.
- FEW045 — Few clouds at 4,500 feet (AGL in this segment). Sky coverage matters for ceiling and obstruction clearance; "few" means limited coverage.
- 27/M06 — Temperature 27°C, dew point minus 6°C. The spread between temperature and dew point tells you about moisture — a tight spread often means fog risk when conditions change.
- A2992 — Altimeter setting 29.92 inches of mercury. You use this for altimeter interpretation in manned context; for drones, you still need to know how pressure altitude and density altitude concepts interact with performance.
What this means for drone pilots
Wind — Can your aircraft hold position in gusts? Is your battery reserve realistic? Visibility — Can you maintain visual line of sight and see conflicting traffic or obstacles? Clouds and ceiling — Do you have clearance from cloud layers under Part 107 rules for your operation? These are not academic — they are the same questions you should ask on site before takeoff.
The four flight categories (VFR / MVFR / IFR / LIFR)
Pilots use these categories to summarize ceiling and visibility at a glance. Common thresholds used in training (rounded for the exam): LIFR — ceiling below 500 feet and/or visibility below 1 mile; IFR — ceiling 500 to below 1,000 feet and/or visibility 1 to below 3 miles; MVFR — ceiling 1,000 to 3,000 feet and/or visibility 3 to 5 miles; VFR — ceiling above 3,000 feet and visibility greater than 5 miles. Your course may use slightly different phrasing — match what your ACS prep material uses.
Dew point spread and fog
When temperature and dew point are close, the air is nearly saturated — add cooling or a little more moisture and you can see fog or low stratus. In our example the spread is large (27°C vs −6°C), which is not a fog-prone fingerprint by itself. Learn to glance at the pair the same way you glance at wind — it is a high-value habit for early-morning ops.
Exam tips
METAR decoding appears on nearly every UAG exam in some form. Know the order of elements, the difference between statute miles and nautical miles in METAR visibility, and how to read wind groups. If you can decode cold without guessing, you will bank time for harder airspace items later in the test.
VLOSready Pro includes a METAR decoder with plain-English breakdown — use it on real flights and to study for the exam.
METARs are not poetry — they are a structured code. Once you learn the pattern, reading one takes seconds, and you will use that skill on every professional flight day after you pass.