Good evening to all of you who, like me, have been bitten by the aviation and/or weather bugs!
I've been doing this stuff (aviation + weather) for more than 50 years, a long, long time. Amazingly, it continues to charge my battery and help scratch the itches from those buggies. I hope the same is true for you, too.
Within the aviation weather ecosystem, the biannual FPAW meetings are key energizers and itch relievers for me. This has become especially true since 2017, when I started to get very deeply involved in planning and executing these types of meetings, first as part of the AMS Aviation, Range and Aerospace Meteorology (ARAM) committee and then FPAW. Eight years later, it's no different - we're now less than five weeks from the Fall 2026 FPAW Meeting, and I've got this feeling of excitement inside me that continues to grow. I can't wait to see the meeting unfold, hear what the excellent presenters and panelists have to say, and meet and greet as many in person attendees as possible!
The benefits of FPAW meeting attendance are clearly there for all participants, regardless of whether they do so remotely or in person. But there is no doubt in my mind that in person participants get a little extra something out of the meeting, whether it's a new or renewed friendship, or an opportunity to dive further into an aviation weather topic with experts while on break or at dinner afterward. And then there's the meeting-specific FPAW activities, some purely social, some very technical, which just can't be duplicated for remote participants. For the upcoming meeting, that activity is a tour of the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center, led by long time aviation weather expert and current FPAW member Mark Huberdeau immediately after the conclusion of the meeting on Thursday, October 29th.
So, for those of you still on the fence about registering, do it now. And if you have the option of attending some or all of the meeting in person, and especially the final day, I encourage you to make every effort to do so. You will benefit by being there in person, and so will we. And you'll get max relief from the itches of those dastardly aviation and weather bugs!
Matt Fronzak
FPAW Co-Chair