[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 211 (Wednesday, November 2, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 66305-66306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21792]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71


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

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

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The FAA will hold an informal public meeting to seek aviation 
weather user input on convective weather products. Details: November 
10, 2005; Orlando Orange County Convention Center, 9800 International 
Drive, Room N210A, Orlando, Florida 32819, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The 
objective of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for interested 
Government and commercial sector representatives who use Government-
provided aviation weather information in operational decision-making to 
provide input on FAA's plans for implementing new convective weather 
products.

DATES: The meeting will be held at the Orlando Orange County Convention 
Center, 9800 International Drive, Room N210A, Orlando, Florida 32819; 
Times: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on November 10, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debi Bacon, Air Traffic 
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 National Airspace (NAS) Weather Office, 
Operations Planning, Air Traffic Organization chairs the AWTT Board. 
The board is composed of stakeholders in the Air Traffic and Aviation 
Safety organizations in the Federal Aviation Administration and the 
Office of Climate, Water and Weather Services, the Office of Science 
and Technology, and the National Center for Environmental Predictions 
(NCEP) 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 or full 
operational use for meteorologists or for end users. The board makes 
the determination based on technical and operational readiness, cost 
and benefits, user needs and budget considerations.
    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.
    Industry users are invited to participate in one-day meetings about 
three times per year to give specific feedback to the Government. 
Meetings will be focused on a specific domain (e.g. terminal, enroute) 
or specific weather phenomena (e.g. turbulence, convection). Meetings 
will include a time for users to provide input on specific weather 
products and aviation weather road maps and to surface issues or 
concerns with those products. The industry review sessions will be 
announced in the Federal Register and open to all interested parties.
    This meeting is the industry session focused on convective weather 
products, roadmaps and research activities.

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. This meeting 
is being held in conjunction with the NBAA Convention 2005. There is a 
charge to attend the NBAA convention; however, any person

[[Page 66306]]

desiring to attend this informal meeting will be admitted by NBAA 
convention officials to this meeting only, at no charge.
    (c) FAA personnel will conduct overview briefings on aviation 
weather products, aviation weather roadmaps and the status of on-going 
research. Research leads from the convective weather product 
development team will conduct an overview briefing on the status of 
research efforts in the convective weather domain. Questions may be 
asked during the presentation and FAA personnel will clarify any part 
of the process that is not clear.
    (d) FAA personnel will lead a session intended to elicit user views 
on the convective weather products and any issues surrounding those 
products. Any person present may offer comment or feedback in the 
session. Comments and feedback will be captured through discussion 
between FAA personnel and those persons attending the meeting.
    (e) FAA will not take any action items from this meeting nor make 
any commitments to accept specific user suggestions. An official 
verbatim transcript of the meeting will not be made. However, a list of 
the attendees and a digest of discussions during the meeting will be 
produced and posted on a Web site. Instructions to access the Web site 
will be provided to all persons attending the meeting and provided to 
any who desire it.
    (f) Every reasonable effort will be made to hear each person's 
feedback consistent with a reasonable closing time for the meeting. 
Written feedback is also solicited and may be submitted to FAA 
personnel for the period November 11-December 10, 2005.

Agenda

    (a) Opening Remarks.
    (b) Review of AWTT weather products, roadmaps and research efforts.
    (c) Convective Weather Products and Issues Session.
    (d) Closing Comments.
* * * * *

    Issued in Washington, DC, on October 27, 2005.
Richard J. Heuwinkel,
Manager, Aviation Weather Policy and Standards.
[FR Doc. 05-21792 Filed 11-1-05: 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M