Friends/Partners Aviation Wx - Segment #2 - Progress In Weather Observations User Needs & Issues

1. Friends/Partners Aviation Wx - Segment #2 - Progress InWeather ObservationsUser Needs & Issues Date: 13 Oct 2004 Las Vegas, NV Tom Fahey, Industry Lead

2. Disp. & Met. Informal Committee • Top Three User Needs for 2005 • Wx info for ATM Decision Support Systems • Priority #1: Terminal Area to Increase Airport Capacity • Priority #2: En Route Environ to Increase Airspace Capacity • Reduce Operational Limitations due to Wx Obs & Fcsts • Priority #1: FAR 121.621 Eliminate 6 hr limit-IFR No Alternate • Priority #2: FAR 121.655 Reword to Require Sfc not Tower Vis be controlling for VFR & IFR takeoffs & landings & instrument approach procedures when vis is less than 4 miles (Tall Tower) • Automated Wx Reporting Capability from Aircraft • Priority #1: Airlines Reimbursed 100% of communication costs • Priority #2: Carriers, FAA & NWS Finalize MDCRS Mgmnt Team 10 Airline Participants; AAL, Alaska, ATA Airlines, COA, DAL, FedEx, NWA, SWA, UAL & UPS

3. Wx info for ATM D S S • Past Yr: FAA & NWS Effort to Redefine CWSU Role • Has potential benefits • Most Users are not Clear on Details & Potential Impact • Future: Increased Coordination btwn FAA & NWS • Can CWSU Customers be included in reorg • Relocation of the TMU’s? • Expand CWSU’s role to support Severe Wx Needs of Towers? • Other Examples of requested attention • An Organizational Structure to Foster FAA & NWS Coord. • Clarification of Routine Wx Observations Roles & Responsibilities • Observations of Convective Hazards • Volcanic Ash Observations • Manual PIREPs and Manual/Auto Turbc Measurements • Winter Weather Observations

4. Increased Coordination Btwn FAA & NWS • Positive: Current ex’s of Hi Level of Interaction • Btwn NWS FO or CWSU & FAA Tower or ARTCC • Safety Analysis Team Aug-Sep04 • Interviewed 7 FAA & 2 NWS Facilities • Org Structure: Relationships varied greatly • Simmering distrust bwtn FAA & NWS facilities. • Lack of contact between local NWS Fcst Ofc & Tower facility. • Efforts by local NWS to reach out to FAA tower w/ no reciprocation • Good reciprocal comms & coord. btwn the 2 goverm’t facilities • Wx Obs Responsibility:Confusion about FAA & NWS roles

5. Routine Wx Obs ConfusionOct 2004 Example • 10-12 Oct GRB ASOS OTS • GRB NWS in past could augment ASOS • Fall 2003 GRB NWS augmenting discontinued. • All augmentation capability transferred to FAA Tower • 11Oct Tower couldn’t be contacted &/or lost ph line • NWA Ops Specs require latest weather obs to launch • NWA was preparing to cancel flight into GRB • NWA Met staff got creative • DTW-GRB Flt w/ 124 pass. Operated but 1 hr late.

6. Obs of Convective Hazards • For Operators & Pilots • Progress by FAA in runway specific windshear alerts • 120+ airports with capability (LLWAS-RS, NE++ & WSP) • Improvemen Psbl: only 43 of 120 are distributed to users • Industry & FAA shud focus on getting more alerts accessible by operators & pilots • Psbl concept; Web Based, similar to RVR web site • For ATM & ATC • Recommendation of CDM WAWG • Echo Tops on TSD: Replace Text w/ a Graphical Display • For NWS • Appears to be a Concept in Planning stages • Provide access to TDWR at Forecast Offices & NCEP Facilities

7. Volcanic Ash Observations • Past Year Positive Efforts • Conf in DCA in Jun04 • Recent focus on Mt St. Helens • Public media had Mt St. Helens eruption info realtime • Room For Improvement • Still limited tools for observing for aviation purposes • Distribution via aviation communication methods limited

8. Manual PIREPs & Manual/Auto Turbc Measurements • Manual PIREPS / Turbc • Some Progress in airline use of Dispatcher Input • Auto Turbc Measurements • TAMDAR showing progress • From User perspective appears to be confusion re NCAR’s EDR vs. NASA RMSG method

9. Winter Weather Observations • Past Year: Letter sent Feb04 to NWS & FAA • Augmentation by Contract Wx Observers Missing • Freezing Precipitation (type and intensity) • Water Equivalence of Frozen Precip • Snowfall Measurements (snow on ground & hvy accumulations) • RVR longline (included on METARs) • Long term Automated solutions Requested for • Freezing Precip. (type, intensity & accumulation for all storms) • Water Equivalence of Frozen Precip • Tower Visibility

10. Winter Weather Observations • Current Status & Next 12 months • Long term Automated solutions • NWS progress on All Weather ASOS precip Equip • No money budgeted for FAA owned ASOS • Augmentation by Contract Wx Obs’s Missing • NWS & FAA made progress on Manual Frozen Precip. Measures • Request another reminder be sent to all augmenters • Freezing Precipitation (type and intensity) • Water Equivalence of Frozen Precip • Snowfall Measurements (snow on ground & hvy accumulations)

11. Reduce Operational Limitations due to Wx Obs & Fcsts • Change FARs (121.621 & 121.655) • No need to always load alt fuel for Int’l Flt of > 6hrs • Add to list if Exemptions Not rcvd for • FAR 121.619 (1-2-3 rule) domestic ops, alt fuel • FAR 121.625? (10% Int’l reserve fuel) • Tall Tower Issue

12. Wx Data Access via Internet • ATA Met. Committee Position re QICP (Developed 02Apr03 at Spring Meeting) • NWS Announced “No Plans to Become QICP” (ATA Met Com 11 April 2003 Response to NWS) “All Aviation Weather Products to be: -Accessible to the users via the public internet in a manner approved by FAA or -Via an alternative communications method.” “The airlines are very interested in the results of NWS's further research with the FAA to determine the specific level of effort necessary by the NWS to comply to QICP status. ATA Met Com hopes that this research determines that the NWS can be a QICP soon. ATA Met Com very much looks forward to learning the results of your study and are holding off any further comments until that work is complete.”

13. MDCRS • What is MDCRS? • Meteorological Data Collecting & Reporting System • Automated Wx Info from AA, DL, FDX, NW, UAL & UPS a/c given to NWS. • Originated in late 1980’s in effort to improve flight plan wind fcsts • What is the MDCRS Management Team • Effort by NWS, FAA & Participating Airlines To Improve the System Vision An affordable automated collection & dissemination system of a/c provided meteorological obs to support the nations complete atm. sensing strategy & meet the needs of the aviation industry. Goals • •Cost Share •Variables •Optimize • •Standardize •Available •Usable

14. Progress in Wx Observations • Issue2004 Grading • -Radar ObservationsNew Proposed Initiatives • Wind Shear Alerts New Proposed Initiative • -PIREPS (manual & auto) • +Industry, NWS & FAA Regressed (MDCRS Mgmnt Team) • +NASA Progress (TAMDARs) • Sfc Wx Obs • +NWS & FAA No Progress(Vis Stds/ Obs respon ) • +NWS Signif Progress (winter variables) • +FAA Slight Progress (winter variables) • Volcanic Ash Slight Progress • Turbc Measures NASA Slight Progress (TAMDARs+ RMSG vs EDR-) • Turbc Measures FAA & NWS No Progress • QICP NWS No Progress • QICP FAA Progress (some POI’s OK’d internet • FAA & NWS Coord. Slight Progress