[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 7 (Monday, January 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1775-1776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-491]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


User Input to the Aviation Weather Technology Transfer (AWTT) 
Board

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FAA will hold an informal public meeting to seek aviation 
weather user input. Details: January 21, 2004; Air Line Pilots 
Association, 535 Herndon Parkway, Herndon, Virginia

[[Page 1776]]

22170; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Conference Room XX. The objective of this 
meeting is to provide an opportunity for interested aviation weather 
users to provide input on FAA's plans for implementing new weather 
products.

DATES: The meeting will be held at the Air Line Pilots Association 
(ALPA), 535 Herndon Parkway, Herndon, Virginia 22170. Times: 9 a.m. to 
5 p.m. on January 21, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debi Bacon, Aerospace Weather Policy 
Division, ARS-100, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence 
Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone number (202) 385-7705; Fax; 
(202) 385-7701; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

History

    In 1999, the FAA established an Aviation Weather Technology 
Transfer (AWTT) Board to manage the orderly transfer of weather 
capabilities and products from research and development (R&D) into 
operations. The Director of the Aerospace Weather Policy and Standards 
Staff, ARS-20, chairs the AWTT Board. The board is composed of 
stakeholders in Air Traffic Services, ATS; Regulation and 
Certification, AVR; and Research and Acquisitions, ARA in the Federal 
Aviation Administration and the Office of Climate, Water and Weather 
Services, OS and the Office of Science and Technology, OST in the 
National Weather Service.
    The AWTT Board meets semi-annually or as needed, to determine the 
readiness of weather R&D products for experimental use, full 
operational use for meteorologists or full operational use for end 
users. The board's determination is based upon criteria in the 
following areas: user's needs; benefits; costs; risks; technical 
readiness; operational readiness and budget requirements.
    FAA has the sole responsibility and authority to make decisions 
intended to provide a safe, secure, and efficient U.S. national 
airspace system. However, it behooves FAA to not make decisions in a 
vacuum. Rather, FAA is seeking inputs from the user community before 
decisions are finalized. The purpose of this meeting is to obtain 
industry feedback.
    Industry users will be invited to participate in quarterly, one-day 
meetings to provide input for development of concepts of use (ConUse) 
for individual aviation weather products near specific AWTT board 
decision points. The decision points are for transition from the test 
stage (D2) to the experimental stage (D3) and/or from the experimental 
stage (D3) to the operational stage (D4). Industry meetings will 
precede the two AWTT board meetings approximately one month prior to 
each board meeting and in each of the other two quarters of the year. 
These industry review sessions will be announced in the Federal 
Register and open to all interested parties.
    This meeting is the industry session intended to provide input for 
a roadmap for aviation weather. It is also intended to receive feedback 
on weather R&D products that will be presented for consideration at the 
May and November 2004 AWTT Board meetings. The products to be 
considered include the Current Icing Potential (CIP) Severity product 
for D3; the National Convective Weather Forecast (NCWF) 2 hour product 
(D3); the Forecast Icing Potential (FIP)--Alaska product (D3); the FIP 
supercooled Large Droplets (SLD) product (D4); the FIP Severity product 
(D3); the Graphical Turbulence Guidance (GTG) Flight Level 100-200 (D3) 
and the Oceanic Cloud Top Height product (CTOP) (D3).

Meeting Procedures

    (a) The meeting will be informal in nature and will be conducted by 
representatives of the FAA Headquarters.
    (b) The meeting will be open to all persons on a space-available 
basis. Every effort was made to provide a meeting site with sufficient 
seating capacity for the expected participation. There will be neither 
admission fee nor other charge to attend and participate. Attendees 
must present themselves to the security guard at the Air Line Pilots 
Association (ALPA), 525 Herndon Parkway, Herndon, VA, obtain a visitor 
pass and adhere to security instructions for ALPA.
    (c) FAA personnel present will conduct an overview briefing on the 
user input process to the AWTT and changes made to the process. Any 
person will be allowed to ask questions during the presentation and FAA 
personnel will clarify any part of the process that is not clear.
    (d) FAA aviation weather research program personnel will conduct an 
overview briefing on the short- and mid-term outlook for scientific 
research for aviation weather products. Any person will be allowed to 
ask questions during the presentation and FAA personnel will clarify 
any part of the process that is not clear.
    (e) FAA personnel will lead a session intended to refine an 
aviation weather roadmap, and a second session intended to refine 
ConUses for specific weather products due for AWTT board decisions 
during 2004. Any person present may give feedback on the aviation 
weather roadmap or the specific products due for board decisions. 
Feedback on the proposed products will be captured through discussion 
between FAA personnel and any persons attending the meeting.
    (f) FAA will not take any action items from this meeting nor make 
any commitments to accept specific user suggestions. The meeting will 
not be formally recorded. However, informal tape recordings may be made 
of the presentations to ensure that each respondent's comments are 
noted accurately.
    (g) An official verbatim transcript or minutes of the informal 
meeting will not be made. However, a list of the attendees and a digest 
of discussions during the meeting will be produced. Any person 
attending may receive a copy of the written information upon request to 
the information contact, above.
    (h) Every reasonable effort will be made to hear each person's 
feedback consistent with a reasonable closing time for the meeting. 
Written feedback may also be submitted to FAA personnel for up to seven 
(7) days after the close of the meeting.

Agenda

    (a) Opening Remarks and Discussion of Meeting Procedures
    (b) Review of AWTT user input process, proposed changes, calendar 
of events
    (c) Research Update
    (d) Roadmap Work Session
    (e) ConUse Work Session
    (f) Closing Comments
* * * * *

    Issued in Washington, DC on January 7, 2004.
Richard J. Heuwinkel,
Acting Staff Director, Office of Aerospace Weather Policy and 
Standards.
[FR Doc. 04-491 Filed 1-09-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M