News

2024-04-23

Good evening all.

One week from now, over after-dinner drinks, we'll be discussing what we heard during the first day of the Spring 2024 FPAW Meeting, which will take place in the Wings 1 Conference Room, Wings Building, on the campus of Southwest Airlines in Dallas, TX, from April 30-May 2, 2024. We'll also be looking forward to the stimulating aviation weather conversations that will be occurring the next two days.

In order to participate in those discussions, as either an In-Person or Remote participant, you've gotta' register on the Spring 2024 FPAW Meeting page here. I know you know, but I never tire of reminding you that registration for the meeting is FREE!

And, if you're wondering about the agenda and who will be speaking, that same page has links to the updated full detailed meeting agenda, along with some important logistical information for In-Person attendees concerning how to get onto the Southwest campus.

Finally, and is the case with all good things, there is a registration deadline, and it's less than 48 hours from now, at 5:00 PM EDT on Thursday, 4-25-24. So, do not dally or tarry - get registered ASAP!

We hope to see you in Dallas in person or, if unable, virtually.

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs

2024-04-21

Good Sunday evening to you all. Matthias and I hope this message finds you all well.

We are 9 short days from the Spring 2024 FPAW Meeting, which will take place at the headquarters of Southwest Airlines in Dallas, TX from April 30 through May 2, 2024. We will have a detailed agenda posted on the FPAW web site in the next 24-48 hours, in place of the high-level one currently posted. An FPAW email blast like this will be used to let you know when it's there. Even before then, though...

1. You will absolutely want to carve out time to attend the three main sessions, which will explore gaps in aviation weather information and education from the perspectives of both legacy and vertical flight-UAS/AAM operators. Significant portions of first two of those sessions will be dedicated to hearing about aviation weather information and education issues from the folks on the pointy end of the aviation sword, including the pilots, dispatchers, air traffic controllers and UAS operators. It is our hope that, after synthesizing and synchronizing takes place in the third session, we'll have one or more strong positions for FPAW to develop and support.

2. The shorter sessions will also definitely be worth attending. A review of the activities of the FAA's Weather Community of Interest, to include the recent development of a Strategic Planning Team, will be delivered on the first day. A fascinating briefing on, and conversation about, NOAA's current NEXRAD replacement plans will be given on Day 2. The final short session will be an update on recent advancements in Space Weather, a topic that should interest us all given our ever-increasing reliance on advanced automation that uses potentially vulnerable portions of the RF spectrum.

3. With all that said...you have to register for the meeting in order to participate, as either an In-person or Remote attendee. And registration will officially close this coming Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 5:00 PM EDT. Once that takes place, logistical and remote connectivity information will be sent to all registrants.

Bottom line: register for the meeting here, and then get ready for FPAW's next outstanding aviation weather conversation!

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs

2024-03-27

Good evening, fellow aviation weather enthusiasts. Yesterday was precisely five short weeks from the start of the Spring 2024 FPAW Meeting. If you've not been paying attention (WHAAAT?), it will take place at the HQ of Southwest Airlines in Dallas, TX from TUE-THU, April 30-May2, 2024. Both in-person and virtual attendance will be supported. Did I mention that, as always, it's FREE?

But, you need to register here. And you need to do so pretty soon.

Why, you ask? Well, for starters our room will hold 100 comfortably, and we want to be comfortable.

Next, the FPAW Dinner will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, where we'll watch the World Series Champion Texas Rangers take on DC's hometown team, the Washington Nationals. Can you smell those hot dogs and that stale beer? Mmmm. But, in order to join us there, you'll need to contact Bryan Beck by April 1, 2024 (that's 4+ days away!) as per the instructions on the bottom of the registration page and send him a few bucks to reserve a seat.

Finally, and certainly of utmost importance, there's the agenda. Over the first two days, Don Eick/NTSB, Nathan Polderman/United Airlines, Rex Alexander/Vertical Flight Society and Bryan Beck/Turbulent Aerospace will be leading discussions among Legacy and Vertical Flight/Low Altitude Operators as they advise us, based on their experiences, on Aviation Weather Information and Education Gaps. On day three, Joel Siegel/FAA will help us synthesize and synchronize what we heard the first two days. We'll also be hearing from the FAA Weather Community of Interest (Randy Bass, Alfred Moosakhanian) and the NWS Radar Next Program (Jessica Schultz, Frank Gallagher). Steve Darr's FPAW Slaw will feature KD Lena from Northwest Research Associates, who will bring us up to speed on the latest Space Weather impacts.

So, what are you waiting for? Get off your carcass, get signed up, and join us for the Spring 2024 FPAW Meeting!

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs

 

2024-02-27

Happy normal penultimate day of February, except for this year and every four years thereafter.

In conjunction with the imminent arrival of Spring, and all the associated pollen and thunderstorms, we're excited to let you know that the Spring 2024 FPAW Meeting dates, location information, high level agenda and registration form are all now available on the FPAW web site here. If that link doesn't work for any reason, input https://fpaw.aero/events/2024/fpaw-2024-spring-meeting in your browser.

Over the last couple of FPAW meetings, we've introduced several new in-meeting (e.g., breakout sessions at AWC in the Spring 2023 FPAW Meeting, FIT class participation at the Fall 2023 FPAW Meeting) and post-meeting (e.g., FPAW dinner) FPAW activities. The Spring 2024 FPAW Meeting will be no exception. We hope you'll be able to join us at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX on WED, 5-1-24, for ballpark hotdogs and beer in plastic cups as we watch the 2023 World Series Champion Texas Rangers clash with the (hometown team for many of you) Washington Nationals. It should be a blast!

So, head over to the FPAW web site here, register for the Spring 2024 FPAW Meeting, and follow the instructions on the very bottom of the page to get signed up for our ballpark outing.

We hope to see you in Dallas in two months!!

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs 

2024-02-15

Good day all.

It's taken a month of Sundays (actually, three), but we've finished our Fall 2023 FPAW Meeting Summary and loaded it and all the presentations we have on the FPAW web site here. Take a peek at that page when you get a chance.

In the next few days, we'll also have updated information about the Spring 2024 FPAW Meeting on the web site. In the meantime, check out the teasers we've listed here.

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs 

2024-01-24

Good day, aviation weather users.

The FAA Aviation Weather Division (AWD) is leading an effort to assess convective weather products. A key part of that assessment will leverage user feedback. AWD intends to use that feedback as part of an effort to reduce conflicting convective weather information and exploit higher resolution convective weather information.

To gather user feedback, a Convective Weather Product Use survey has been created. The FAA Aviation Weather Demonstration and Evaluation (AWDE) Services team has been tasked to analyze the surveys and report it out as group data. No personal identifying information will be collected or reported. To ensure your anonymity, please do not supply any identifying information such as name or email address.

Specific objectives for this survey are to:

  1. Identify convective weather products used by the aviation weather community.
  2. Determine overall usability of the convective weather products.
  3. Determine overall preference of the convective weather products.
  4. Identify optimal convective weather products to support decision-making.
  5. Identify weather products that do not support the decision-making processes.

The link to the survey is here: Weather Information Modernization and Transition (WIMAT) Convective Weather Survey (surveymonkey.com)

The survey is open until February 16, 2024. 

All FPAW members who use convective weather products (and we think that probably means all of you) are urged to provide input on their convective weather product use experiences via this survey.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs 

 

2024-01-03

Good evening, all.

Matthias and I hope you all had the most wonderful holidays ever, and were able to spend lots of quality time with your family and friends, near and far.

On Monday, December 19, 2023, you all received an FPAW email message requesting comments on a proposed FPAW ADS-B Wx White Paper. The deadline for those comments is this coming Friday, January 5, 2024 at 1700E, less than 48 hours from now.

As of this writing, we have received nine (9) responses via the web-based FPAW ADS-B Wx White Paper Comments form, and two (2) comments via the contact@fpaw.aero email address. While this is a non-zero number of responses (GOOD!), it represents less than 3% of the number of targeted email FPAW addressees (NOT SO GOOD!).

I hope that you will find the time in the next 48 hours to read over the very short white paper and weigh in on it if you haven't done so already, using either of the methods described above, both of which are hyperlinked. It is our hope and intention to discuss the white paper, and your comments, at the next meeting of the FPAW Steering Committee (SC), which will take place on Monday, January 8, 2024.

All the best,

Matt Fronzak and Matthias Steiner
FPAW Co-Chairs