The FAA’s Weather Camera Program has expanded to the northeast coast of the United States.
The FAA is now hosting 18 camera sites in Maine on its Weather Camera website, with plans to add more sites through 2023.
LifeFlight of Maine, which provides medevac service to the state, owns and maintains the camera sites. Josh Dickson, LifeFlight’s director of aviation services, said his goal is to have a camera at every airport in the state and at a few of the “pinch points” over higher terrain.
The cameras provide pilots with better weather information, especially in terrain where radar coverage is scarce, according to FAA officials.
It is just as important, said Dickson, that the cameras allow his pilots to assess runway conditions at airports.
“When we are trying to get a baby out of rural Maine at 3 a.m., we need to know what the runway looks like,” explained Dickson.
He noted that most of the airports don’t have air traffic control towers and do not have current Notices to Air Missions (NOTAM) declaring surface conditions.
“Can we send an aircraft, and if so, what kind?” Dickson said. “We need to be able to see if a runway has been plowed. Is there a moose standing in the middle of the runway? Is there precipitation not showing up on the radar? Our cameras can tell us all of that.”
The FAA’s Weather Camera Program began in Alaska more than 20 years ago. The FAA has expanded it to Hawaii and the continental United States.
“Our momentum is really good right now,” said Cohl Pope, program manager. “There’s going to be more.”
Pope estimates the potential for an additional 330 sites across Alaska, Hawaii, and the contiguous United States.
For instance, the state of Montana has installed cameras at a dozen sites, adding “little by little as they go,” said Pope.
One private airport in Utah has added a camera as well. The FAA has installed 11 sites in Hawaii. Another 10 sites are scheduled for Fiscal Year 2023 with another five planned in Fiscal Year 2024, according to FAA officials.
In addition to expansion to more states throughout the U.S., the Weather Camera Program is also researching technological improvements that will introduce 360° camera capabilities, FAA officials added.