NBAA launched a weather subcommittee, which will focus on improvements in aviation weather information and flight safety, yesterday at the Friends & Partners of Aviation Weather forum in Washington, D.C. Among those on hand for the launch were FAA NextGen assistant administrator Ed Bolton, National Weather Service aviation branch manager Cyndie Abelman, FAA Air Traffic Organization senior meteorologist Kevin Johnston, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen and NBAA weather subcommittee chairman Dr. Bruce Carmichael.

“NBAA is pleased to launch this new weather subcommittee of NBAA’s long-standing Access Committee,” said Bolen. “NBAA wants to fully support the general aviation weather initiatives managed by the FAA and other government agencies, and to explore ways to improve current and predictive weather information.”

Bolen said that a goal for the new subcommittee is to provide a mechanism for everyone in the aviation weather user community to discuss and find consensus with the FAA and National Weather Service on identifying and meeting the most critical weather information needs of general aviation operators.

Carmichael, who also serves as the director of the aviation applications program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said issues that the subcommittee will be working on include how dispatchers, schedulers and crews work with probabilistic forecasts; general aviation weather safety; flight-deck weather integration; how accurate and/or timely forecasts benefit business aviation; and adverse winds.