Current surface weather observations at commercial airports made by observers using equipment to measure or estimate nine weather elements meet or exceed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) operational requirements. These requirements are considered essential to providing airport and area aviation weather forecasts required by law and federal aviation regulations and are important in maintaining aviation safety at commercial airports. As part of its National Airspace System plan to automate air traffic control facilities in the United States by the year 2000, FAA plans to install 304 automated weather observing systems (AWOSs) costing $60 million at commercial airports across the country. GAO found that AWOS performance does not meet FAA's operational requirements for four weather elements and is not cost-effective at commercial airports compared with the existing observer system.
Installation of Automated Weather Observing Systems by FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) at Commercial Airports Is Not Justified
1985
40 pages
Report
No indication
English
Meteorological Instruments & Instrument Platforms , Avionics , Air Transportation , Visibility , Airports , Weather observations , Weather forecasting , Cost effectiveness , Meteorological instruments , Automatic control equipment , Air traffic control , Requirements , Performance evaluation , Financing
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