The FAA’s Alaska Weather Camera Program is now fully deployed, the FAA said recently, with 221 cameras at remote sites to help pilots determine when and where it’s safe to fly. The system improves safety and efficiency by providing pilots with near-real-time, visual weather information, says the FAA. The system includes an interactive online map that makes it easy to access images and other weather data.”The completion of this program marks another milestone in our continuing commitment to aviation safety in Alaska,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “These cameras are critical in making sure that people in Alaska can get to their destination as safely as possible.” The online images are updated every 10 minutes.
The cameras are positioned to view sky conditions around airports and air routes as well as extreme mountain passes, such as the Anaktuvuk Pass on Alaska’s northern slope. More than three-quarters of Alaskan communities have no access to highways or roads and depend on aviation for access to food, mail, jobs, schools, medical services and travel. For these communities, small aircraft are essential to everyday life. The program also helps save fuel by eliminating situations where pilots take off only to find they have to return due to bad weather. The FAA said it completed the project ahead of schedule and on budget.
