2019 03/13 - Jerry Hough, Air Traffic Control and weather

Our speaker for the evening was Gerald Hough. He has been a pilot since 1971, graduated from Michigan State University in 1980 and was an air traffic controller for the FAA from 1983-2014. He also performed air traffic control duties in Afghanistan from October 2014- April 2016. His most recent employment involves training radar approach control operators at a new facility in Kalamazoo.In the near future all radar approach control below 10,000 feet for the airports at Flint, Saginaw, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Lansing and Kalamazoo will be conducted at this new center in Kalamazoo.Pilots, air traffic control and radar operators need accurate weather information for safe aviation operations. METARS, or surface weather observations of current conditions, obviously play a very important role. Also, TAFS, or Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts, issued by the National Weather Service are very critical. These forecasts are routinely updated every six hours for expected weather conditions at major civil airfields. These forecasts cover a 24 to 30 hour period for an area within approximately five miles of an airport. In addition SIGMETS (significant meteorological events) are issued containing forecasts of turbulence, icing, thunderstorms and strong surface winds. These three products are essential for any flight planning.

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