FAA Could Close 20 Regional Facilities

The FAA is moving forward with a controversial proposal that would shutter 20 weather offices at regional air traffic control centers, and serve up weather information from two centrally located facilities in Maryland and Missouri. The move immediately drew fire from unions representing both Weather Service employees and air traffic controllers.

Patrick Forrey, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said "This is a foolish plan that puts cost savings ahead of safety. Quite frankly, we cannot believe such a reckless idea has gotten this far". Dan Sobien, president of the National Weather Service Employees Organization, added "Air traffic controllers will no longer have the immediate expertise of an on-site meteorologist to advise them where to route aircraft experiencing difficulty when weather conditions play a critical role in that decision".

According to a report in The Washington Post, a (that's one) "lead forecaster on duty" would be available at each facility, responsible for providing information to 10 regional air traffic control centers by phone or instant message. It was not clear how many other people would support each lead forecaster.

Paul Takemoto, a spokesman for the FAA, said the Administration has received the proposal, but has not reviewed it in depth.  He did say the current method of providing weather information was based on 30 year old technology, and needed to be updated. All of the affected centers currently have "up-to-the-minute weather from a variety of sources," he said. That includes Doppler and surveillance radars.

If the plan moves forward, the next step would be a 9 month evaluation period of the two-center system. NOAA says they would be located in Bethesda, Maryland and Kansas City, Missouri.

FMI: http://aviationweather.gov/