Weather & Climate

Alaska: Aviation Weather

Case Study » Alaska: Aviation Weather

Project Summary

Application Description:
Monitoring Alaskan Mountain Passes

Location:
Alaska, USA

Products Used:
CC640

Contributors:
R.J. Vassar

Contracting Agencies:
FAA, Lockheed-Martin I&T

Measured Parameters:
Digital photographs, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, air temperature, barometric pressure, dew point (calculated)

Controlled Equipment:
Iridium satellite modem

To reduce the incidence of airplane accidents in Alaska, the FAA is installing weather cameras in mountain passes throughout the state. The cameras provide near real-time images of meteorological conditions critical to the flight planning of VFR pilots. By reviewing images from the weather cameras located in mountain passes, pilots can make decisions whether or not to attempt VFR flight before taking off, decreasing the risk of a flight in poor weather.

Typically, two to four cameras are installed per location. Images are captured every ten minutes and made available on the FAA web site. The web pages includes a "clear day" image to contrast to the "real time" image to help in decision making, as well as sectional maps and a topographic map.