AWH 3-5

Chapter 3, Overview of Aviation Weather Information 3-5 Additionally, for flights within Alaska, individual FSS telephone numbers are listed in the FAA Chart Supplement for Alaska, Section 4, Associated Data. FSS specialists are qualified and certified as Pilot Weather Briefers by the FAA. They are not authorized to make original forecasts but are certified to translate and interpret available weather information directly into terms describing the weather conditions that can be expected at the departure, along the route of flight, and at the destination. The FSS’ purpose is to serve the aviation community. Pilots can ask questions and discuss factors they do not fully understand. The briefing is considered complete when the pilot has a clear picture of what weather to expect. 3.3.2.2 Airport Weather The latest weather reports from airport automated observing systems (e.g., AWOS and ASOS) may be accessed from the phone. Phone numbers can be found in FAA Chart Supplements. 3.3.3 Self-Briefing Preflight decision making using online weather information continues to offer more options for the pilot. The advent of interactive online aviation weather has allowed pilots to assemble aviation weather information into a better decision-making process. Pilots may receive a regulatory compliant briefing through online weather resources. Pilots that prefer to contact an FSS are encouraged to use the online weather resources prior to calling. Some online weather sources do not provide Flight Information Services (FIS), such as NOTAMs and temporary flight restrictions (TFR). However, this information may also be found online through other websites. Another example is the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit (AAWU) briefing tool for pilots in Alaska. This can be found at https://www.weather.gov/aawu. 3.3.3.1 Flight Service 1800wxbrief.com The FAA contract provider for flight services provides a website (https://www.1800wxbrief.com) that allows pilots to review weather information, receive online preflight briefings, file flight plans, and receive automatic notifications and alerts. The website also offers an interactive map to allow pilots to view a variety of weather products and access to a variety of aeronautical information that can be tailored to their planned flight route. See Chapter 28, Aviation Weather Tools, for additional information. 3.3.3.2 Aviation Weather Cameras The FAA’s Aviation Weather Cameras website provides access to current weather camera images from the FAA’s Aviation Weather Camera Network. On the website, pilots may compare the images to clear day views or play back a loop of past images to establish weather trends. Weather camera images are a supplementary product and may only be used to improve situational awareness. The website also delivers a variety of safety of flight information including adverse conditions (e.g., AIRMETs and SIGMETs), current conditions (e.g., Aviation Routine Weather Reports (METAR), radar, satellite imagery, and weather trends), TAFs, PIREPs, and other aeronautical information (e.g., remote communications outlets (RCO), TFRs, and charts). The FAA’s Aviation Weather Cameras website can be found in Appendix G. The website uses a set of progressive web application standards that enables an application-level experience on certain mobile devices. See Section 24.9 for additional information.