Sun, Mar 27, 2011
Latest Cam Is In Talkeenta Providing Critical Real-Time Weather
Info
In an ongoing effort to improve aviation safety in Alaska, the
FAA has turned on its 150th weather camera in Talkeetna, a historic
village whose airport is the hub for mountain climbing and
sightseeing flights to Mt. McKinley. Aviation cameras are
positioned to view sky conditions around airports, air routes and
mountain passes. They provide pilots with critical weather
information to help them decide whether it's safe to fly.
"Real-time pictures of current weather conditions from weather
cameras are helping pilots in Alaska make better choices every day
about when and where it's safe to fly," said U.S. Transportation
Secretary Ray LaHood. "We want to make sure people in Alaska can
travel to work, school and the doctor as safely as possible."
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. The FAA plans to
install weather cameras at an additional 24 sites in Alaska this
year and to have 221 camera sites in place by the end of 2014.
"Rapidly changing weather across Alaska's rugged terrain can
make aviation challenging," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.
"Weather cameras act as eyes in the skies for pilots and have
become a critical part of aviation in Alaska."
In addition to helping prevent weather-related accidents, the
camera program can help aircraft operators save fuel by eliminating
situations where pilots take off only to find they have to return
due to bad weather.
FAA Weather Cam Talkeetna
The FAA started the Alaskan Aviation Camera Program in 1999
after determining that pilots operating under Visual Flight Rules
would benefit from actual views of current weather conditions.
Camera images are updated every 10 minutes and are disseminated to
the public through the FAA's aviation camera website.
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