Plain English Meaning

A wireless data connection that sends weather information and other messages straight to the cockpit display, so the pilot can see it without talking on the radio.

Full Definition

A digital communication system that transmits information between aircraft and ground stations, or between aircraft, using radio or satellite signals. In the context of weather, datalink delivers near real-time products such as radar imagery, METARs, TAFs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, and winds aloft directly to the cockpit.

Context Anchor

Seen in upper-air weather , especially when a weather carries instruments upward and sends the readings to a ground .