aviation decision support
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Aviation Decision Support. InFlight and Ground Icing: what do I need to know? Marcia Politovich , NCAR Flight Planning: Where is it? Along my planned route of flight? What altitude? Do I need to de-ice prior to takeoff? Is there freezing precipitation at my destination? When is it? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Aviation Decision SupportInFlight and Ground Icing: what do I need to know?
Marcia Politovich, NCAR
• Flight Planning: – Where is it?
• Along my planned route of flight?• What altitude? • Do I need to de-ice prior to takeoff?• Is there freezing precipitation at my destination?
– When is it? • How long will the inflight or ground icing condition continue?• Should I delay my flight until the weather improves?
– How bad will it be?• What’s the forecast severity?• How does that affect my airplane?
• During Flight:– Have conditions changed? – Do I need to request change of flight route, altitude? – Do I need to divert to an alternate airport?
How Do We Find This Info?
What are we looking for?• Clouds or precipitation• -40C<T<0C• Supercooled liquid
water• Narrower T range• Glaciation • LWC• Drop size
Information sources• Satellite – horizontal extent of
clouds, cloud top temperature, what type of cloud
• PIREPs – where icing is and is not
• METARs – precipitation type and amount, cloud cover, ceiling height, cloud layers
• Radar – extent of precipitation• Soundings – temperature and
moisture profiles at a point• Models – full temperature field,
humidity, condensate
less
more
Products That Can HelpInFlight icing:
– AIRMETs and SIGMETS• National Weather Service forecasts of expected moderate or greater icing over large areas
for 6-h periods– SIGMETS
• National Weather Service forecasts of severe icing – short term, small area, usually triggered by a pilot reporting severe icing conditions
– CIP and FIP• Automated diagnoses and forecasts of icing including probability, expected severity, and
potential for large-drop icing• Hourly out to 12 h, with 20-km/1000-ft resolution
– TAFs • Show forecast conditions at airports
– Various vendor products• These supplement the products above with different displays and content, and can be free
to the public or available via a subscription service
Your Web Resources• NCAR Research Application Lab, Aviation Applications Program• http://www.ral.ucar.edu/aap/
• Aviation Digital Data System – ADDSYour one-stop-shopping place for AIRMETS, SIGMETS, surface
conditions, TAFS, and automated CIP/FIP guidance over the CONUS
– Operational: http://www.aviationweather.adds.gov/adds/– Experimental: http://weather.aero/
• Aviation Weather Center: http://www.aviationweather.gov/• Additional products generated by NWS
• Alaska Aviation Weather Unit: http://aawu.arh.noaa.gov/• Provides AIRMETS and SIGMETS for Alaska