News

Good evening, fellow FPAW-ers.

I continue to be more and more stoked by the agenda for the upcoming Spring 2026 FPAW Meeting, the people who have committed to participate, and the number of registrants.

Regarding the first item, I've updated the Draft Agenda on the meeting website with the latest participant information. Let me cut right to the chase and say that if you've been wanting to rub elbows with luminaries in the field of aviation weather, this is your opportunity, provided that you attend in person! We've got some true giants that are planning to be in the room with us in Stillwater, OK on the campus of Oklahoma State University.

And speaking of in the room, we already have 103 registrants, of whom nearly 40% are planning to be there in the flesh. While unlikely, it's possible that we could get close to a SRO situation, especially if our efforts to link up with the FAA's WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program come to fruition in the next four weeks.

So, what are you waiting for? Go to the meeting website and register! Did I mention that it's always FREE to attend an FPAW meeting, either in person or virtually?

Matt Fronzak
FPAW Co-Chair

P.S. If you are planning to attend in person, check out the meeting hotel link. The SpringHill Suites by Marriott – Stillwater is offering a rate whose bottom line is less than the Federal per diem!

Good afternoon, all.

I've been managing the FPAW hybrid meeting registration process hands-on for almost five years, and would assert without proof that I've gained a "feel" for how the numbers evolve over time, e.g., the changes that happen when certain organizations remind their folks about the meeting, or when successful social media posts are made, or as we draw closer to the actual meeting date. With that as context, I must say that I'm particularly excited to report that we have 81 registrants on the books right now (less than two weeks after the registration form went live), of whom 32 say they'll attend in person. Not only is the total number quite good for six weeks out, but the in-person percentage (>33%) is also very encouraging, even with quite a few in-person presenters, panelists and students who have yet to register.

Speaking of that, if you are, or intend to be, an in-person participant, and you will be needing hotel accommodations, we are happy to announce that the SpringHill Suites by Marriott - Stillwater is the official hotel for this meeting. They are offering a tax exempt rate for a king room that is slightly less than the Federal per diem of $110 room + $17.95 taxes/night. If you wish to join me there (I just booked), call the hotel directly at 405-564-7173, identify yourself as an FPAW Meeting participant, and use group code FPAA for a king room at $119/night tax exempt or, if needed, group code FPAB for a room with two queen beds at $129/night tax exempt. But hurry - the block of rooms being held for us will be released to the general public in ten days, on March 21, 2026!

Finally, Nathan and I recently met with a member of the FAAST (FAA Safety Team) who is deeply involved in the WINGS pilot proficiency program (thank you to FPAW Steering Committee member Gordy Rother for arranging the connection). One of the ways the WINGS program attempts to increase pilot proficiency is through ground-based education. Pilots who successfully participate in WINGS-approved training may receive WINGS Credits. These credits can be used to offset some of their required annual, expensive in situ training and checks. The WINGS program has lots and lots of course offerings; some are free, while others are not. To my eye, most are focused on pilotage, the aviation system and processes, and maintenance. Not surprisingly, only a small percentage appear primarily oriented around aviation weather (a major exception being the courses put on by the FAA, including FPAW SC member Ian Johnson, at the annual Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, FL), which helps explain the enthusiastic response we received during our initial discussions with the FAAST representative.

We are scheduled to meet with one more key WINGS point of contact in less than two weeks. If that meeting goes well, we anticipate that FPAW will be added to the list of approved course providers on the WINGS page shortly thereafter, possibly in time for the inclusion of the Spring Meeting sessions. Stay tuned to this most exciting of topics!

Matt Fronzak
FPAW Co-Chair

Hello, aviation weather aficionados!

I find that "telling on myself" is a very effective way to keep my ego in check. That may be why I do it all the time. On the other hand, it may just be that the way I operate provides lots of opportunities to mess up. Who knows?

Regardless (and in keeping with my Catholic upbringing), I must confess that I absolutely dropped the ball on getting the Organization page on our website updated after our new FPAW Co-Chair was selected and SEVEN (FPAW record!) open slots on the FPAW Steering Committee (SC) were filled last fall. A very polite reminder earlier this week motivated me to get to work, and I'm happy to share that the organizational information on the FPAW website is now up to date.

I want to sincerely apologize for the long delay to my new partner in crime, FPAW Co-Chair Nathan Polderman, returning FPAW SC member Elizabeth Wilson, and new FPAW SC members Christian Amaral, Gus de Azevedo, David Dillahunt, Scott Landolt, Gordy Rother and Beth Welliver.

Finally, let me offer that, after six months of observing and working with each, the FPAW community could not be any luckier to be supported by each and every one.

Matt Fronzak
FPAW Co-Chair

Good evening, all.

Spring 2026 FPAW Meeting Registration

We've been VERY pleased with the number of registrations we've had for the Spring 2026 FPAW Meeting. In four full days (only two of which were business days), we've already had 47 registrations, including an early student participant from OU. We may end up with impressively large attendance numbers when all is said and done.

For those of you who have yet to register, you will notice a couple of changes in the registration form.

• A successful registration produces a confirmation message and an email, both of which now contain links to meeting placeholders for your calendars (.ics files). Unlike our first attempt, it appears that as of today these links work correctly (at least on Matt's computer). Early registrants who were unable to get the placeholder links to work properly can reach out to Matt at mfronzak@mitre.org and he will send you the meeting placeholder .ics files.
• U.S. citizens do not have to make any entries in the Country of Citizenship box. For non-U.S. citizens, please overwrite "United States" in that box with the first several letters of your country's name. The system will produce a drop-down box from which you should be able to select your country.

We will have some updated meeting logistics information available on the web site very soon. In addition, we hope that ongoing discussions will lead to the identification of an official Spring 2026 FPAW Meeting hotel at Federal per diem rates. Stay tuned for both.

Contact Form

It would appear there is a glitch with the contact form on the FPAW web site (https://fpaw.aero/contact) used to send messages to FPAW leadership. Until the problem is identified and resolved, feel free to reach out directly to Matt at mfronzak@mitre.org with your questions or comments.

Matt Fronzak and Nathan Polderman
FPAW Co-Chairs

Good evening, folks.

Registration is open for the Spring 2026 FPAW Meeting at the meeting webpage here. Have we ever mentioned that registration is free?

You can use the Click for Registration button near the top of the page to bypass the agenda and go straight to the registration form, or scroll through the agenda (which we would suggest you do if you haven't done so previously) until you reach the registration form directly beneath it.

There is a new question in the registration form concerning sharing your email with other FPAW meeting registrants who are willing to share the same information, probably via an emailed spreadsheet after the conclusion of the meeting.

Finally, we had a great meeting today with a key member of the FAA Safety Team (FAAST). We are fairly confident that FPAW will be able to offer Wings Credits to FPAW meeting participants sometime in the not-too-distant future (and maybe, if everything goes well, in time for the Spring meeting)! We're really excited about this opportunity to potentially expand our GA participant numbers.

Matt Fronzak and Nathan Polderman
FPAW Co-Chairs