By ANN Columnist Scott C. Dennstaedt

The Aviation Weather Center (AWC) went operational this week with the release of their experimental Forecast Icing Potential (FIP) web-based graphical product. Many pilots already use the Current Icing Potential (CIP) that can be found within the other Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS) suite of graphical products.

Don't get too excited. At this point in time, FIP is not quite ready for prime time; according to the AWC disclaimer, FIP is "authorized for operational use by meteorologists and dispatchers." Therefore, pilots should not use this product as primary guidance for icing forecasts.

CIP attempts to provide the likelihood of encountering icing based on data such as model output, pilot reports, satellite, radar and surface observations. FIP, on the other hand, provides up to a 12-hour forecast and uses the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model output to determine the potential or likelihood of encountering icing within a 3-D grid volume. Currently, FIP does not provide any information on icing type or icing intensity.

The FAA and AWC are working together to move away from the traditional text-based weather products and towards a more graphical approach to presenting adverse weather. The digital approach will also pave the way for products to make into the cockpit where it really counts.

[E-I-C Note: Scott is the weather expert that does those amazing Weather Seminars all over the USA... Check his programs out at http://chesavtraining.com. We HIGHLY recommend him.]

FMI: http://aviationweather.gov/exp/fip/