FA Swan Song

Receiving my instrument ticket from a university pilot-mill, flight and weather planning was grueling and intense. For flights over an hour, a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is used. For secondary airports within five miles of a field with a TAF, the TAF from the primary airport can be used No TAF? Use the Area Forecast (FA).This originated from the Aviation Weather Services advisory circular, which states that an FA is used to interpolate conditions at airports which [sic] do not have a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast. Determining forecast weather, particularly ceilings and visibilities, is essential for instrument pilots to ascertain if an alternate is needed and to select one that meets requirements.

Key Takeaways:

• The FAA and NWS are discontinuing the 80-year-old Area Forecast (FA), a crucial weather product for instrument pilots, especially when planning flights to airports without Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAFs).
• For Part 91 instrument pilots, the FA is essential for determining alternate airport requirements and assessing specific ceiling and visibility conditions, as regulations don't specify other appropriate forecast products.
• The various products suggested by the FAA and NWS as replacements for the FA are found to be inadequate, lacking the necessary detail, specificity, or suitability for terminal weather forecasting crucial for instrument flight planning.
• The elimination of the FA without an effective substitute will burden pilots with difficulties in accurately assessing weather and determining alternate airport requirements, suggesting the FA should be updated rather than removed.

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