July 7, 2017 // CFS Panel Recap: Weather: Complete the Picture, Part 2

What: Weather: Complete the Picture Panel

When: Tuesday, March 21

Moderators:

Steve Hansen, Chairman, National Safety Committee, NATCA

Ed Donaldson, Director of Safety, ATO

Panelists:

Matt Tucker, Weather Rep, NATCA

John Kosak, Weather Project Manager, NBAA

Nick Daniels, Fort Worth Center FacRep, NATCA

Adam Rhodes, Houston TRACON Vice President, NATCA

Rip Torn, Air Traffic Services Group Chair, ALPA

Mike Briskey, Voluntary Aviation Safety Information Programs Lead, SWAPA
 
This is part 2/2 of a series covering Weather: Complete the Picture. Read part 1 here.

NATCA National Safety Committee Chair Steve Hansen and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Director of Safety Ed Donaldson moderated a panel on weather for controllers and pilots at Communicating For Safety (CFS). Through this forum, Hansen and the panelists hoped to increase awareness of weather myths and debunk the common misconception that controllers or pilots see better weather on radar or the flight deck than controllers in the tower do. Watch the panel here.

NATCA and the FAA are committed to addressing weather issues within the National Airspace System. Weather remains one of the most important safety issues discussed in facilities and amongst aviation safety professionals.

Simply put: Weather awareness saves lives. A pilot’s equipment alone cannot see the full weather picture. It takes controllers and pilots working together to have full situational awareness. Together, the FAA and NATCA are addressing safety myths, encouraging controllers to issue weather early and often, solicit PIREPs (pilot reports), and save lives on a daily basis.

The FAA and NATCA launched a new collaborative program at Communicating For Safety 2016, called “Take a Stand for Safety,” to address key safety topics.