AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2022 - 93

RUDDER & WRENCH
Loop " button. The other camera angles at
the selected site are shown at the bottom
of this window. Clicking on one of those
images changes the primary view to that
camera's view.
Camera images are updated every 10
minutes. Wondering what utility these systems
might provide at an airport with an
ASOS/AWOS? Consider that a METAR is
valid for up to an hour, and a lot can change
in an hour. When installed at an airport, one
of the cameras is often set up to provide a
view of a windsock as well. In between
airports, mountain pass weather can be difficult
to assess without literally going there
to " take a look, " and many a pilot has run
into difficulty participating in that exercise.
Montana Aeronautics in cooperation
with FAA is expanding the system within
the state, as is Colorado. The FAA Alaskan
Region will be exploring the use of the
new Starlink satellite system to support
two remote systems in Montana to provide
internet service in remote sites where there
is no internet connectivity. If the Starlink
system pans out, it may be a viable avenue
to providing weather cameras in some of the
remotest parts of the country, at a reasonable
monthly cost for unlimited data.
If you have a few minutes, go to
weathercams.faa.gov and look around
at our part of the world and explore this
innovative system. It's also fun to explore
Alaska remotely using these systems.
More important, if you're going to be
flying in Montana or Colorado soon, utilize
these systems. I think you'll find them
to be very helpful, and a great resource to
foster aviation safety.
As a footnote, after I wrote the first
draft of this article, I was returning home,
planning to fly through Bozeman Pass.
While about 40 miles out, I looked at the
pass weather camera site with my cellphone
and found that blowing snow was
obscuring the pass. So, I diverted toward
the north end of the Bridger Mountains,
where visibility was far better. As a former
user of the Alaska systems, I am excited to
welcome these important systems to the
Lower 48. Mike Vivion, of Bozeman,
Montana, is a commercial pilot and Gold
Seal flight instructor with more than
13,000 hours.
IN FEBR UARY 2021, a Cessna 182RG
departed Georgia's Lee Gilmer Memorial
Airport on Runway 11 toward Daytona
Beach, Florida, about 15 minutes before
sunset. With four miles visibility, light
rain/mist, and a 400-foot ceiling, the
Skylane entered instrument conditions
almost immediately after liftoff. About
600 feet agl, the pilot checked in with
departure control and reported he was
climbing to 3,000 feet msl. Although
his clearance involved turning just 30
degrees to a heading of 140 degrees, the
aircraft continued in a right turn toward
the northwest and descended into terrain
with no further transmissions from
the pilot.
The final accident report has yet to be
issued so the cause of the accident isn't
clear. What is clear and sobering is that
there were many red flags before the takeoff
roll even commenced. The pilot had
earned his instrument rating the previous
summer. Several weeks before the accident,
he sold his Piper and purchased the
Skylane with a new-to-him avionics suite.
With his wife and brother on board, he
departed for a long cross-country flight
in the evening into low instrument meteorologic
conditions. I see at least six red
flags here: night flight, low IMC, new airplane,
new panel, new instrument rating,
and family aboard. Exactly how many do
we need to see before we decide to tuck
the airplane back in the hangar and exercise
plan B?
I heard about this accident soon after
it happened when a friend of the pilot
called to fill me in. It especially stung
because I met the pilot when, as an FAA
examiner, I administered his private pilot
practical exam. Examiners not only assess
an applicant's knowledge and command
of the aircraft, but we judge decisionmaking
skills, too. I've wondered many
times since getting that call whether I
AOPA PILOT / June 2022
93
FLYING SMART /
Personal minimums
Stick to them regardless of the nonflying
consequences
BY CATHERINE CAVAGNARO
http://weathercams.faa.gov
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2022
