User consultation workshop on Meteorological Service for Low-Level Flights and PT/LLF/2 meeting

Summary of Discussions

23 and 24 March 2010, Schönhagen Airport, Berlin, Germany 25 March 2010, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany

Greg Brock, Regional Officer (MET), ICAO EUR/NAT Office, Paris

Background

In response to EANPG Conclusion 50/37, ICAO organized a user consultation workshop on meteorological (MET) services for low-level flights (LLF). The workshop was designed to bring together the general aviation (GA) user community and the MET provider community within the EUR Region in order to determine how best MET services for low-level flights could be harmonized.

Demand for MET information relating to LLF has grown in recent years; however, such services have often developed independently from one State to the next. Since the provision of such services are typically in accordance with regional air navigation, and often determined by the State MET Authority in consultation with users, MET provision for LLF in Europe has become a mixture of ICAO standard and non-standard products and services.

Immediately following the two-day user consultation workshop, the project team for the regional harmonization of MET services for low-level flights (PT/LLF) convened a half-day review meeting to discuss the common themes to emerge from the workshop and determine future work activities ahead of METG/20.

User consultation workshop on MET service for low-level flights

The two-day user consultation workshop was attended by 45 participants, representing 20 States, 4 international organizations and 4 industry/user representative groups. The workshop was presided over for its duration by the ICAO Secretary, with assistance from the PT/LLF Rapporteur and Deutscher Wetterdienst (Germany). A full contact list is at Appendix A.

The workshop considered global and regional regulatory provisions concerning to MET for LLF, general aviation user needs and expectations, current MET service provision, and future trends in weather information exchange and visualisation.

Due to the variety of user groups that fall under the auspices of ‘general aviation’ – from balloonists and hang-gliders to fixed-wind light aircraft and business jets – the workshop identified that it would not be possible to find one MET product or solution to fit all. Each user group has unique operating capabilities and thus requirements, which had resulted in the proliferation of MET products and services in recent years.

The workshop was presented with a range of MET products and services that are available today serving the GA community – from basic text warnings and forecasts (such as AIRMET and GAMET), through more sophisticated and tailored graphical low-level forecasts (such as low-level SIGWX,

GAFORs, spot-wind charts, alpine forecasts, ballooning forecasts) to advanced interactive web-based applications. The workshop recognised that there was a need to consider the trend away from traditional MET ‘products’ towards MET ‘data’, where standardised and regulated data sets of MET information can be used to derive user orientated forecasts.

An increasing number of GA activities are taking place internationally, crossing borders from one State to the next. Being able to easily obtain up-to-date, relevant, accurate and consistent MET information for such activities had become an increasingly lengthy and challenging process for the users.

Notable findings and recommendations to emerge from the workshop included: Need for improved exchange and accessibility of LLF forecasts across the region, perhaps through improved utilisation of the public internet; Need to consider the future data centric environment (weather information exchange) that will allow users to generate products tailored to their [unique] operating thresholds/limits through application of MET ‘features’ rather than traditional ‘graphics’ or ‘text’; Need for increased forecast consistency and harmonized layout – both product-to-product and State-to-State; Need for improved basic skills in English language for MET personnel performing flight briefings, plus need for improved education amongst users to ensure correct interpretation of MET information; Recommendation for consistent application of above mean sea level (AMSL) up to a particular transition altitude, rather than above ground level (AGL) or flight levels (FL) within low-level area forecasts; Recommendation that low-level significant weather forecast charts (SWL) should cover a ‘period of validity’ rather than a ‘fixed time validity’; Potential application of qualifying terms relating to the cause and/or extent of mountain obscuration;

Noting that [ICAO] provisions concerning MET for low-level flights are typically subject to regional air navigation agreement, the EUR Air Navigation Plan will be the most suitable mechanism to progress such recommendations and harmonization activities. Any recommendations will be considered through METG in the first instance, with appropriate consultation with regional safety groups and others, as appropriate.

In addition to the above, there was a call for clarification on what threshold is used to determine whether the density of air traffic operating below FL100 warrants the issuance of AIRMET; and a recommendation that the provision of low-level forecasts should be separated from the provision of AIRMET, as currently prescribed in Annex 3. In view of the global nature of these points, coordination with ICAO Headquarters will be essential through the appropriate ICAO procedure.

PT/LLF/2 meeting

The second meeting of the METG project team for the regional harmonization of MET services for low-level flights (PT/LLF) considered the findings and recommendations to emerge from the user consultation workshop in order to determine a plan of action ahead of METG/20 in September 2010.

PT/LLF/2 was attended by seven participants representing six States (Austria, Finland, Germany, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia (Rapporteur)) and one international organization (ICAO). A further two participants from Romania attended the meeting as observers. The PT/LLF Rapporteur presided over the meeting for its duration, assisted by the ICAO Secretary.

Overall, the PT/LLF considered that the two-day workshop had been a successful first attempt at engaging the MET provider and GA user communities in matters relating the harmonization of MET products and services within Europe. Initial informal feedback from workshop participants had been positive.

The findings and recommendations to emerge from the workshop will be progressed by PT/LLF, in coordination with the ICAO Secretary, to determine how they can be integrated into regional [ICAO] provisions. Further workshop events of this nature may be necessary to address any specific issues that remain, or are likely to arise in future years.

The PT/LLF agreed that working papers should be prepared for METG/20 on matters related to (but not limited to) the following: 1) Progress report on PT/LLF activities since METG/19; 2) Proposals for amendment to the EUR ANP (Basic ANP and FASID) based on the findings and recommendations from the user consultation workshop; 3) Invitation to ICAO [at global level] to study whether the issuance of low-level forecasts should be separated from AIRMET within the provisions of Annex 3; and to seek clarification on the threshold used to determine whether the density of air traffic operating below FL100 warrants the issuance of AIRMET; and 4) Invitation to WMO to consider reviewing provisions of oral briefings within WMO No. 258, Supplement No.1, to include requirements for a certain level of skill in the English language for MET personnel performing briefings for international flights.

APPENDIX A

User consultation workshop on MET service for low-level flights

23 and 24 March 2010, Schönhagen Airport, Berlin, Germany

Contact List

AUSTRIA Andreas PFOSER + 43 51703 4010 Senior Expert MET Fax: + 43 51703 4006 Austro Control E-mail: Schnirckgasse 11 [email protected] A-1030 Vienna

AUSTRIA

CROATIA Igor KOS + 385 1 6259 293 Mesometeorology & Postprocessing Fax: + 385 1 6259 223 Specialist E-mail: [email protected] Aeronautical Meteorology Division Croatia Control Ltd

CROATIA

DENMARK Soren BRODERSEN + 45 391 57 295 Senior Meteorologist E-mail: [email protected] Danish Meteorological Institute / Aviation.

DENMARK

ESTONIA Tiina JOSEPSON + 372 610 3563 Fax: + 372 610 3501 Senior Inspector of Air Traffic Services and E-mail: [email protected] Aerodromes Department Estonian Civil Aviation Administration Râvala Pst.8 10143 TALLIN

ESTONIA

FINLAND Klaus HAIKARAINEN + 358 9 1929 3612 Head of Group, Development of Services, E-mail: [email protected] Customer Applications Finnish Met Institute Erik Palmenin aukio 1 00101 Helsinki

FINLAND

Ossi KORHONEN + 35 89 8277 2274 GSM 358 400 Chief Meteorologist 607461 FINAVIA Fax: + 35 89 8277 2292 P.O Box 50 E-mail: [email protected] FI-01531 VANTAA

FINLAND

FRANCE Florence BARBINI + 33 1 45 56 70 37 METEO-FRANCE E-mail: [email protected] Departement des missions aéronautiques 1 quai Branly 75340 Paris Cedex 07

FRANCE

GERMANY Hans-Dieter SAFFRAN E-mail: [email protected] Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) Luftfahrberatungs Zentrale München Terminalstrasse Mitte 18 MAC Nord Eb07 85356 München Flughafen

GERMANY

Udo BUSCH + 49 69 8062 2644 Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) Fax: + 49 69 8062 2014 Frankfurterstrasse 135 E-mail: [email protected] D-63067 OFFENBACH

GERMANY

Dirk ENGELBART + 49 228 99 300 49 11 Ministry of Transport Fax: + 49 228 300 807 49 11 BMVBS E-mail: [email protected] GERMANY

Irina HERPEL E-mail: [email protected] Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) Frankfurterstrasse 135 D-63067 OFFENBACH AM MAIN

GERMANY

Erland LORENZEN + 49 6103 804 33 50 Supervisory Office for ATC E-mail: [email protected] BAF Agency

GERMANY

Viktoria SCHNEIDER E-mail: [email protected] Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) Frankfurterstrasse 135 D-63067 Offenbach

GERMANY

Klaus STURM + 49 69 8062 2899 Director (Aviation) Fax: + 49 69 8062 2014 Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) E-mail: [email protected] Frankfurterstrasse 135 D-63067 OFFENBACH AM MAIN

GERMANY

LITHUANIA Regina PRETKELIENĖ + 370 5 273 9051 Chief Specialist of the Air Navigation Fax: + 370 5 273 9038 Services Division E-mail: [email protected] State Enterprise "Oro Navigacija" Rodunios Kelias 2, Airport LT - 02188 VILNIUS

LITHUANIA

NORWAY Knut RESTAD E-mail: [email protected] MET Expert Norwegian Meteorological Institute

NORWAY

POLAND Piotr OJRZYNSKI E-mail: [email protected] IMGW Meteorological Forecast Office in Wroclaw

POLAND

Boguslaw BARTOSIK 48 22 520 7284 Head of Inspectorate Fax: 48 22 520 7284 Civil Aviation Authority E-mail: [email protected]

ul. Marcina Flisa 2 02-0247 Warsaw

POLAND

Jerzy CZAPROWSKI E-mail: [email protected] IMGW Aerodrome Meteorological Station Gdansk

POLAND

ROMANIA Alexandru HOZOC + 40 21 2083 511 MET Expert E-mail: [email protected] ROMATSA

ROMANIA

Marcela BAICU 40 21 208 1536 Head of Examination Unit, Licensing Fax: 40 21 208 1522 Department E-mail: [email protected] Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority Bucuresti-Ploiesti Road, No. 38-40 Sect 1 RO-013695 Bucharest

ROMANIA

Valentin MAGUREANU +4021 2083 350 Head of Aeronautical MET Centre Fax: +40723 311 668 ROMATSA E-mail: 10, Ion Ionescu de la Brad, Sector 1 [email protected] 013813 BUCAREST

ROMANIA

RUSSIAN Yuliya NARYSHKINA +7 499 252 2729 FEDERATION Deputy Chief of division Fax: +7 499 252 2729 Meteorological service of ATM E-mail: [email protected] Meteoagency of ROSHYDROMET

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Nina ZHAROVA +7 499231 6732 Deputy Head Of Air Navigation and Fax: + 7 499231 5553 Meteorological Services Division E-mail: [email protected] Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviaçiya) Ministry of Transport Leningradski Pr 37 Moscow 125993

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

SERBIA Dragan RADOVANOVIĆ + 381 11 321 8067 MET Expert Fax: + 381 11 3240 456 Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services E-mail: [email protected] Agency Ltd

SERBIA

SLOVAKIA Ivan HASIČEK +421 918 382 055 Inspector, Department of ANS Fax: +421 2 4342 4090 Civil Aviation Authority of the Slovak E-mail: [email protected] Republic M.R. Štefánika Airport 823 05 BRATISLAVA 21

SLOVAKIA

Cyril KUNZO + 421 2 4857 4262 Head of CMBO - Chief Meteorologist Fax: + 421 2 4333 8548 Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute E-mail: [email protected] Aeronautical MET Service Jeseniovia 17 833 15 BRATISLAVA

SLOVAKIA

SLOVENIA Andrej HRABAR + 386 1 478 40 01 Aviation Meteorology Service Fax: + 386 4 280 45 18 Environmental Agency of Republic of E-mail: [email protected] Slovenia Vojkova 1b 1000 LUBLJANA

SLOVENIA

SWEDEN Eva NOREUS + 46 11 415 21 41 Senior Advisor ANS Fax: + 46 708 19 26 67 Swedish Transport Agency E-mail: SE-60173 NORRKOPING [email protected]

SWEDEN

Lars UNNERSTAD E-mail : [email protected] Forecaster and Developer SMHI

SWEDEN

SWITZERLAND Oliver BAER +4143 816 2011 Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA Fax: +4143 816 2014 Federal Office of Meteorology and E-mail: oliver.baer@meteoswiss.ch Climatology MeteoSchweiz P.O. Box, CH-8060 Zürich-Airport

SWITZERLAND

TURKEY Ibrahim CAMALAN + 90 312 30 22 580 Turkish State Meteorology Service Fax: + 90 312 30 22 575 Aviation Meteorology Department E-mail: [email protected]

TURKEY

UKRAINE Vasyl SITAK + 380 44 246 20 92 ; 461 5903 UKSATSE Fax: + 380 44216 89 82 MET Department E-mail: [email protected] 76A Povitrolflotsky Prospect KYIV 03151

UKRAINE

UNITED KINGDOM Jon DUTTON E-mail: Forecasting and Service Delivery Manager [email protected] MET Office Fitzroy Road Exeter Devon EX1 3PB

UNITED KINGDOM

______

AOPA Pit ODENTHAL E-mail: [email protected]

GERMANY

DAEC GERMAN Wolfgang MUTHER E-mail: [email protected] AERO CLUB Chairman of the Commission for Power Flight

GERMANY

EASA Clement AUDARD + 49 221 899 90 2038 Safety Team Support Office E-mail: European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) [email protected] Ottoplatz 1 50679 KÖLN Germany

GERMANY

EUROCONTROL Ken REID + 32 2729 3106 Head, CND/ITR Fax: + 32 2729 4008 Eurocontrol E-mail: [email protected] Division AIM Rue de la Fusée, 96 B-1130 BRUXELLES

BELGIUM

IBL SOFTWARE Michal WEIS + 421 2 326 62 1111 ENGINEERING Managing Director Fax: + 421 2 326 62 110 Mierova 103, 82105 Bratislava E-mail: [email protected] Slovakia

SLOVAKIA

Herbert LEPPER + 49 6196 23189 General Manager E-mail: [email protected] Fuchshohl 8 65812 BAD SODEN

GERMANY

ICAO Greg BROCK + 33 1 46 41 85 16 Regional Officer Air Navigation Systems E-mail : [email protected] Implemenation (Meteorology) – EUR/NAT/MID Regions 3 bis, Villa Emile Bergerat 92200 – Neuilly sur Seine Cedex

FRANCE

IRAM Nikolay BOCHARNIKOV +7813 70 75 171 Deputy Director Fax: +7813 70 75 592 IRAM E-mail: [email protected]

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Tatiana BAZLOVA + 7 813 70 75 171 Leading Scientist Fax: + 7 813 70 75 592 IRAM E-mail: [email protected]

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

ROYAL DANISH Anders MADSEN E-mail: [email protected] AEROCLUB Secretary General Royal Danish Aeroclub

DENMARK

Arne HAUGAARD + 45 22 73 22 77 Commission Member E-mail: [email protected] Royal Danish Aeroclub

DENMARK

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