Definition
The concept that datalink weather information displayed in the cockpit is not real-time, and each weather product carries a time stamp indicating when it was generated, along with an expiration period after which it should no longer be used for operational decisions. Pilots must check the age of each product and recognize that what is shown on the display may be several minutes older than the actual current weather.
Plain English
The weather you see on your cockpit display is not happening right now. It was created a few minutes ago, and after a certain amount of time it becomes too old to trust. You have to check when it was made and stop using it once it gets too old.
Context Anchor
Seen on electronic flight display or multi-function display weather pages, often next to products such as radar images, METARs, TAFs, and other received weather information.
Why Pilots Care
Relying on expired weather data can result in incorrect routing or altitude choices that place the aircraft in unexpected hazardous conditions.
Analogy
It is like checking the date on a map or the time on a traffic report. The information may have been accurate when it was made, but it can become unsafe to rely on if too much time has passed.
Grounding Statement
Cockpit datalink weather is a recent snapshot, not a live view, and every snapshot has a shelf life.
Intuition Check
Do not assume that weather shown on the display is live. Check the product age and expiration to know whether it is still current enough to use.
Example Sentence 1
Before deviating around the line of storms, the pilot checked the weather products age and expiration on the MFD and saw the radar image was already 12 minutes old.
Example Sentence 2
When the status indicator showed one product nearing expiration, the pilot requested an update through the datalink system.