“Weather” or not you are aware, big changes on aviation weather forecasting may occur impacting not only the Air Route Traffic Control Centers) ARTCCs and Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities) TRACONs, but could have a significant impact on the way air traffic is handled in the near future, and for the “next generations” to follow.

Following the tragic crash of Southern Airways flight 242 on April 4, 1977, the NTSB recommended the FAA develop rules and procedures for the timely dissemination by air traffic controllers of all available severe weather information to inbound and outbound flight crews in the terminal area. The final outcome was creating a Center Weather Service Unit (CWSU) at each of the 21 ARTCCs.

Follow up:

On July 16, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science & Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight convened to discuss the matter of providing weather services to the FAA, and more importantly, the FAAs consideration of consolidating the current 21 CWSUs down to two (2) national centers. Invited to provide testimony, were Mr David Powner, Director, IT Management Issues, Government Accountability Office (GAO); Dr. John L. (Jack) Hayes, Asst Administrator for National Weather Service (NWS)/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and Mr Richard Day, Senior VP for Operations, Air Traffic Organization (ATO)/Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
As stated in the briefing notes following the July 16, 2009 meeting, the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight “met to examine the FAA’s efforts to reorganize the aviation weather services provided by the National Weather Service (NWS)”. The briefing went on to say “the FAA has been pushing the NWS to reorganize its aviation weather services by consolidating from the twenty-one CWSUs, down to one national center”. In all fairness, although the FAA initially preferred “the single weather center solution”, it later recognized the need for backup, resulting in asking the NWS to refine their proposal.

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