New Stations Installed In Effort to Inform Pilots, Enhance Safety for VFR Fleet

True to its word, the FAA has begun expanding its services throughout the Alaskan region in an effort to further enhance weather reporting.  

The installation of 8 new AWOS stations will provide continuous, real-time, and accurate weather observations with minimal manpower in the often sparsely populated state. The new sites are expected to be operational by October of this year. Outgoing administrator Steve Dickson said the new gear is his way of following through on commitments made to enhance the safety of flight within the state following a year-long study of Alaskan aviation. As it happens, one of the simplest ways of aiding pilots was the addition of improved weather services in the area, something that local pilots have continually said is particularly lacking. The dearth of accurate weather observation has been an issue for Alaska, especially since it boasts the greatest reliance on general aviation for regular commerce and supply for its many outlying villages.

Even worse, a large proportion of light aircraft in Alaska - often the only kind of aircraft capable of operating in the harsh conditions to service villages - lack any provision for IFR flight or icing conditions. Operators in the area are under significant cost constraints for mere survival, rendering plush new installations of avionics a rarity on flight lines across the state.

Even commercial Part 135 operators are not free from the issue, as one told investigators: “Our company has 14 planes that are IFR only and 7 that are not yet IFR. To date, we have spent $2.5 million to upgrade our fleet for WAAS approaches,” a sentiment that is reportedly common. The safety report noted that "this statement is significant and emblematic of many carriers", driving home the point - if a commercial operator can only say half of its fleet is instrument ready, are smaller operators better off?. The move to add new AWOS capability allows for, at the very least, more informed pre-flight capability and hazard avoidance, the most affordable, wide-ranging method to prevent a tragedy in the air before it starts. 

New stations will include Akiachak, Coldfoot, Crooked Creek, Kotlik, Nulato, Perryville, Tok Junction and Tununak, Alaska. The plethora of consistent information will also allow for instrument approaches into local airports, for those so equipped and capable. The change is only the start, however, as recommendations from the safety report are implemented over time. 

FMI: www.faa.gov