EMS HELICOPTERS 1.The Majority of EMS Helicopter Accidents are Weather related resulting in CIFT. 2.Weather Reports (AREA and TERMINAL) 3.AWOS and ASOS Stations 1000’

AREA FORCAST The US Weather Service and many private organizations report and forecast the weather. It is important for pilots and air traffic management personnel to know that a weather report or a weather map is history and a weather forecast is a computer-generated best guess. They must use all available weather data from real time to forecasts before and during the flight to make decisions that maintain safety in the skies. There are many sources of weather data, all of which are covered briefly below. For convenience they are categorized into printed reports and forecasts, graphic weather analyses and briefings and advisories. Not all are used all the time, but each provides valuable information. For short, local flights, a pilot may only need to be informed of general weather conditions. For extended or cross-country flights, a pilot will need more detailed information covering a greater area and perhaps at various altitudes.

TERMINAL FORECAST Terminal Forecasts (FT) is one of the best sources for predicting what the weather at a particular airport (terminal) will be in the future. These forecast predictions cover an area within 5 nautical miles of the center of the runway field. FTs are usually issued 3 times a day and are valid for accuracy up to 24 hours. The first section of the FT covers the expected weather for the upcoming 18-hour period. This includes information about ceiling, visibility, vision obstructions, wind and expected weather changes at that facility.

ASOS PARAMETER PROCESSING RADIUS INTERVAL VALIDITY (MINUTES) (MILES) SKY CONDITIONS VISIBILITY PRECIPITATION FREEZING RAIN TEMP/DEW POINT 5 5 WIND PRESSURE 1 5

AWOS – (2,3) The Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) is a suite of sensors, which measure, collect and disseminate weather data to help meteorologists, pilots and flight dispatchers prepare and monitor weather forecasts, plan flight routes, and provide necessary information for correct takeoffs and landings. AWOSs provide a minute-to-minute update that is usually provided to pilots by a VHF radio on a frequency between 118 and 136 MHz. AWOSs are categorized as either Federal or NonFederal. Federal AWOSs were purchased and are currently maintained by the FAA. NonFederal AWOSs are purchased and maintained by state, local, and private organizations. The sensors measure weather parameters such as wind speed and direction, temperature and dew point, visibility, cloud heights and types, precipitation, and barometric pressure. The AWOS does not predict weather, but many send current information to weather offices where forecasts are produced using this information along with computer model outputs, satellite photos and radar images, to name a few. Every hour on the hour, the AWOS data is made available to off-site users by those AWOSs on Service A (long line telephone communication) or satellite uplink. The aviation community, which is one of the largest users of environmental data, is the major user of the AWOS information.

AWOS (1,2,3) Every hour on the hour, the AWOS data is made available to off- site users by those AWOSs on Service A (long line telephone communication) or satellite uplink. The aviation community, which is one of the largest users of environmental data, is the major user of the AWOS information. AWOS I: Wind Speed, Wind Gust, Wind Direction, Variable Wind Direction, Temperature, Dew Point, Altimeter Setting, Density Altitude AWOS II: Same as AWOS I + Visibility, and Variable Visibility AWOS III: Same as AWOS II + Sky Condition, Cloud Height and Type AWOS III-P: Same as AWOS III + Present Weather, Precipitation Identification AWOS III-T: Same as AWOS III + Thunderstorm and Lightning Detection AWOS III-P-T: Same as AWOS III + Present Weather and Lightning Detection

ASOS and AWOS Stations 1598 FED and NON-FED LISTED ALABAMA24 ALASKA90 ARKANSAS25 ARIZONA26 CALIFORNIA93 COLORADO28 CONN.10 DELAWARE03 FLORIDA55 GEORGIA42 HAWAII07 IOWA52 IDAHO16 ILLINOIS49 INDIANA20 KANSAS37 KENTUCKY32 LOUISIANA23 MASSACHUSETTS19 MARYLAND15 MAINE15 MICHIGAN52 MINNESOTA83 MISSISSIPPI22 MISSOURI22 NEBRASKA28 MONTANA20 NEVADA 14 NEW HAMPSHIRE10 NEW JERSEY13 NEW MEXICO21 NEW YORK40 NORTH CAROLINA52 NORTH DAKOTA10 OHIO44 OKLAHOMA40 OREGON28 PENNSYLVANIA44 RHODE ISLAND05 SOUTH CAROLINA52 SOUTH DAKOTA16 TENNESSEE47 TEXAS88 UTAH15 VERMONT06 VIRGINIA37 WASHINGTON31 WASHINGTON D.C.02 WEST VIRGINIA15 WYOMING20

22 STATIONS (17 Class A Service) City Site IDFreqTelephoneType BatesvillePMU AWOS III Bay St LouisHAS AWOS III ClarksdaleCKM AWOS III ClevelandRNV AWOS III ColumbusGTR AWOS III CorinthCRX AWOS III GreenvilleGLH ASOS GreenwoodGWO ASOS GrenadaGNF AWOS III GulfportGPTATIS ASOS HattiesburgHBG ASOS HattiesburgPIB AWOS III JacksonJANATIS ASOS JacksonHKS ASOS LaurelLUL AWOS III MacombMCB ASOS MeridianMEIATIS ASOS NatchezHEZ AWOS III Olive BranchOLV AWOS III OxfordUOX AWOS III PascagoulaPQL ASOS TupeloTUP ASOS

COMMENT 1 1.MORE WEATHER STATIONS 2.MORE WEATHER STATIONS 3.MORE WEATHER STATIONS

ENROUTE ALTITUDES AND ROUTES ROUTE WIDTHS (2NM) AWOS MAP AWOS ALTITUDE AWOS CEILING (AGL) PREPLANNED NEW ROUTE

RECOMMENDATIONS 1.ALL AWOS STATIONS BE PLACED ON CLASS “A” SERVICE (LAND LINE, SATELLITE, OR WEB. 2.AWOS ALTITUDE INFORMATION BE GIVEN WITH OTHER READ- OUTS. 3.PLACEMENT OF AWOS SYSTEMS 4.ABILITY TO USE OTHER WEATHER SOURCES AS ADVISIORY INFORMATION. 5.TRAINING PROGRAM FOR EMS PILOTS ON WHAT WEATHER INFORMATION AND SOURCES ARE AVAILIABLE. 6.STANDARIZED TRAINING PROGRAM FOR EXEMPTION (6175). 7.TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR POI’s ON EMS WEATHER, EXEMPTIONS, LOW LEVEL ROUTES, VFR AND IFR PROCEEDURES.