Production of the CONUS text FAs will cease October 10.

Mike Wise

Mike Wise

#NewSchool
About time.

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Important Change to CONUS Text Area Forecasts (FAs)
Notice Number: NOTC7226



What: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) have been working jointly to retire the six (6) CONUS text FAs, while also directing users to utilize finer resolution graphical and digital weather forecast products.

Why: The CONUS FAs (c. 1940) are a suite of products that cover very large geographical areas, have limited text size, cannot account for certain meteorological conditions and are updated only three times a day. Several NWS digital and graphical products are available today that provide the same weather forecast information found in the CONUS FA, but with much finer resolution in both space and time. These digital and graphical products provide users much improved weather forecast information.

When: A transition period of three (3) months begins July 10, where all the NWS products will be available. Production of the CONUS text FAs will cease October 10.

Where: Only the CONUS FAs are affected. Other (off-CONUS) FAs will continue to be produced, until further notice.

The Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) can be accessed at: https://www.aviationweather.gov/gfa

PowerPoint slides with additional information are available at: https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/libview_normal.aspx?id=132160
 
So how would you receive a standard briefing on the phone (it still happens!) if part of the briefing is a picture? Does the briefer have to click every time hack and every button and describe the image?
 
With today's smart phones a FA is kind of useless. A picture is worth a thousand words.

There is a ton of weather avail at aviation weather.gov, add in a phone call to flight service and you should be fine.
 
Baronman said:
With today's smart phones a FA is kind of useless. A picture is worth a thousand words.

There is a ton of weather avail at aviation weather.gov, add in a phone call to flight service and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

The issue with that philosophy is that it has to be distributed in a manner that is accessible to all. There are airmen out there without a smart phone or internet connection to view .gov anything.

Either a phone call to flight service or walk into a FSS station maybe some people's only option to obtain a briefing.




Sent from my Startac using Tapatalk.
 
While I think they aren't really useful anymore, I actually use them for 135 flights when a TAF is not available for the airport.

What would be an acceptable alternative for the FAA to determine Wx in the area?

I know of the millions of different "useful" charts for determing the Wx in the area - practically speaking, but....the FAA doesn't care about being practical.
 
IslandFlyer said:
While I think they aren't really useful anymore, I actually use them for 135 flights when a TAF is not available for the airport.

What would be an acceptable alternative for the FAA to determine Wx in the area?

I know of the millions of different "useful" charts for determing the Wx in the area - practically speaking, but....the FAA doesn't care about being practical.
Click to expand...


My understanding (now) is that the GFA map on aviationweather.gov will check that box.
 
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