FAA May Discontinue Some Wx Broadcasts

Since the early 1980s, the FAA has provided for pilots the Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service (HIWAS), a continuous broadcast of weather advisories over a limited nationwide network of VORs, but this week the FAA said it wants to eliminate the service, which is less needed now. Pilots are asked to file comments on the proposal by August 22.

Since the early 1980s, the FAA has provided for pilots the Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service (HIWAS), a continuous broadcast of weather advisories over a limited nationwide network of VORs, but this week the FAA said it wants to eliminate the service, which is less needed now. "Currently, multiple sources are available that provide access to weather and aeronautical information to pilots in the cockpit, often presented in a graphical format, making it easier to visualize what is going on along the route of flight," the FAA said in a notice posted in Monday's Federal Register. "Demand for inflight services has diminished."

In the early 1980s, more than 3,000 specialists worked in more than 300 facilities, the FAA said; now there are just three hub facilities. This year, radio contacts are down to less than 900 per day, from an average of 10,000 radio contacts per day. "Pilots no longer need to contact a Flight Service specialist to adhere to 14 CFR 91.103and maintain awareness of hazardous weather advisories along their route of flight," the FAA said. Pilots are asked to file comments on the proposal by August 22.