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Good day, fellow aviation weather wonks (and we both identify with that term, and use it lovingly).

The Fall 2024 FPAW Meeting clearly set a very high bar. In-person participants at the FAA WJHTC for Advanced Aerospace were able to experience (see, touch, hear) a full range of future weather and weather-related capabilities, and even some very cool aviation testing tools that illustrated one reason commercial aviation in the U.S. is as safe as it is. Even remote participants commented on what a good meeting they felt it was.

In keeping with the high bar theme, we're pleased to advise you that ALL FPAW presentations are now posted on the meeting website here, six days after the start of said meeting. Kudos to the presenters for getting them to us in such a timely fashion. While we can't necessarily promise that we'll be able to be meet or exceed this high bar every time, it will be our target going forward.

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs 

Good evening, all.

I'm back home in the A-T-L. Matthias is winging his way westward to DEN as I type. Hopefully you all got to where you wanted to go yesterday and/or today. And, equally hopefully, you've been thinking about the agenda topics, the presentations we heard, and the demonstrations we experienced over the last few days. It certainly was an exhilarating, invigorating three days of immersion in aviation weather.

I'm also pleased to report that ALL but two presentations are now up and available on the Fall 2024 FPAW web page, and that I'm confident the final two will be added in the coming days (not weeks or months as has been the case in the past - guilty as charged).

Lastly, let me invite you to create a placeholder in your calendars for the Spring 2025 FPAW Meeting, as shown below. If I knew how to do it as a link without inviting everyone on the FPAW mailing list, I'd do it, I promise.

Placeholder - Spring 2025 FPAW Meeting
When: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 to Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Location: Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL

All the best,

Matt Fronzak
FPAW Co-Chair

Hello, Willy Wonka fans.

What, you might be thinking, does Willy Wonka have to do with FPAW? Well, the tours of the WJHTC labs and demonstrations that took place in those spaces were, for the in-person FPAW participants today, like being kids in Wily Wonka's Chocolate Factory. What neat stuff they have at the WJHTC, and what neat (and important) stuff they're working on.

But wait, as Ron Popeil used to say, there's more!

Tomorrow morning, the pre-meeting tours will involve large objects pressing down very hard on pavement surfaces, and setting things on fire! What could be better?

After we get back in the Building 300 Auditorium, we'll be covering all things AI. The morning will be focused on how AI is being used to improve weather forecasts. After lunch, we'll learn about how AI is in the process of transforming ATM decision making in the face of weather impacts.

By the time the day ends, our heads will be over-full of new ideas and concepts, and we'll be trying to figure out how to turn back time, so that we can spend another couple of decades working in this most interesting of spaces.

See you tomorrow!

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs

P.S. We can't and won't promise that this will happen every time, but ALL the Day 1 presentations are already loaded on the FPAW web site. You're welcome.

Hello fellow aviation weather enthusiasts,

Day 1 of the Fall 2024 FPAW Meeting is in the books, and we must say that we could hardly have asked for a better outcome! Thank you to all the presenters/panelists that shared their excellent information with us today. You set the bar quite high for our Day 2 and 3 sessions. But, I think they will be up to the task.

Tomorrow's main session 3, "The Art of the Possible," promises more of the same excellence both before and after lunch. And, as our host, Starr McGettigan, mentioned today, you'll want to wear comfortable shoes for the morning portion, as we'll be "on the move" for much of the time, viewing several of the WJHTC team's efforts at mitigating the impact of suboptimal weather.

Speaking of tomorrow, here are two reminders for our in-person attendees:

1. Those that do not have Federal CAC or PIV cards will need to exit Amelia Earhart Blvd. at Gate 18, where they will be processed by FAA Security, park their cars, and ride the provided shuttle to Building 300. This is the process described in the Entry/Exit document in the Meeting Logistics section of the Fall 2024 FPAW Meeting website.

2. If you are signed up for and plan to go on the early, pre-meeting tours, you'll need to be in the Atrium of Building 300 (where we were today) by 8:20 AM at the latest. So, non-Feds should plan their arrival at Gate 18 accordingly.

And here's two reminders for our remote attendees:

1. The three, in-person Vision System demonstrations that will kick off Session 3a from 10:00 AM - 10:35 AM will also be available to remote participants via a Zoom link. That link, contained in the call-out box shown in the detailed agenda on the FPAW website, will also be displayed on the Teams meeting page at the same time.

2. From 10:35 AM - 11:30 AM, Session 3a meeting activities will only be available to in-person participants. Remote attendees should consider this a free, extended FPAW break.

See you tomorrow!

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs

Good early morning, all.

Yep, Matthias and I are hitting our respective jet (or Q) airways today, aimed at PHL, followed by our trips across NJ to ACY. We're looking forward to seeing you all at the Fall 2024 FPAW Meeting, either in person or remotely, starting wth a keynote address tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM sharp.

If, heaven forbid, you somehow neglected to register for the meeting, and you want to attend remotely, there is a solution. Email us at contact@fpaw.aero, or me at mfronzak@mitre.org, and let us know. Our response may be somewhat delayed, since we'll be on the move much of the day today, but we'll get you signed up and forward the meeting invitations to you as soon as we can.

Safe travels, all!

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs

219. That's right - we're up to 219 registrants for next week's Fall 2024 FPAW Meeting at the William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC) for Advanced Aerospace in Atlantic City, NJ. That is an astonishing number!!

Eighty-one of us are planning to be there in person. That, too, is getting near FPAW's pre-pandemic in-person numbers, when hybrid meetings were not a thing. I could not be happier.

Numbers like that mean that there are logistical challenges, especially given that we'll be in a VERY secure location. We've gathered and published all the logistics information we could think of on the Fall 2024 FPAW Meeting web page. So, if you have questions about driving to the WJHTC, about getting in and out of this secured facility, about lunch, about WiFi, about ducking out of the meeting to conduct business, about signing up ahead of time for the EXCELLENT pre-meeting tours being offered on WED and THU, head to the linked web pages and get informed.

I can't wait to see you all, some in the flesh, the rest virtually, next week.

Matt Fronzak
FPAW Co-Chair

Good evening, weather aviation folks. Online registration for the Fall 2024 FPAW Meeting has now closed. And, guess what?

We have 211 registrants.

As Dickie V. might say, "Are you kidding me? Are you serious?" Well, yes, I am.

Let me now pivot to a couple bits of information that will help you 81 In-Person participants get the very most out of next week's gathering:

1. WiFi will be available within the WJHTC, but it's not your typical Guest Network sign-up. See the Visitor Information document for details.

2. If you intend to eat lunch in the cafeteria and pay by credit card, you'll need to eat big, because the minimum credit card charge there is $10.00. My advice - if you're on a diet, bring cash.

3. Merch. Who doesn't like merch? Fortunately for us, there's a Merch Store at the WJHTC. Even more fortunately for us, one of our FPAW colleagues, Jill Miller, has arranged to make sure that the WJHTC Merch Store will be open during the lunch hour all three meeting days. And, as a bonus, Jill has volunteered to "grab the key" and provide access even outside those hours. So, bring a few extra $$ for FAA mugs and WJHTC shirts! See the Visitor Information document for additional details.

Matt Fronzak
FPAW Co-Chair

P.S. You forgot to register. All you want to do is attend remotely. Your friends are telling you that this is going to be a "Must Attend" FPAW Meeting. What can you do? Well, I'm here for you. Send me an email at mfronzak@mitre.org, and with my Administrator superpowers, I'll figure a way to get you registered.

Hello, fellow aviation weather enthusiasts.

Holy cow, as Harry Caray used to say. We're up to 182 participants in the Fall 2024 FPAW Meeting at the FAA WJHTC in Atlantic City. There will be 76+ of us there in person, and another 106+ online, before all is said and done. That is some SERIOUS participation.

We've made some minor updates and modifications to the meeting material available on the FPAW website, and will continue to do so through this weekend.

Here are a couple of reminders:

1. Registration closes TOMORROW, THU, 10-24-24, at 5:00 PM somewhere (sorry, I don't know the applicable timezone and I don't want to mess it up). Take 90 seconds and register TODAY! If, however, you find yourself wanting to get signed up for the meeting but the official registration form is no longer available, you can email ME (mfronzak@mitre.org) and I'll work magic in the background and get you on the list.
** If you are planning to attend in person, you really, really need to get registered before the TOMORROW deadline **

2. Sixty or so of the 76 in person attendees are not FAA WJHTC employees. Assuming that the FAA WJHTC employees have all seen this stuff before, this means that there are 60 potential candidates for the 30 available slots each day on the WED, 10-30-24 and THU, 10-31-24 pre-meeting morning tours. So, if you want to get your name on one or both of the tour lists, send ME an email (mfronzak@mitre.org) and I'll get you signed up even before you show up!

I hope to see you in the flesh in Atlantic City next week!

Matt Fronzak
FPAW Co-Chair