EMS HELICOPTERS

1
EMS HELICOPTERS

• The Majority of EMS Helicopter Accidents are
  Weather related resulting in CIFT.
• Weather Reports (AREA and TERMINAL)
• AWOS and ASOS Stations

1000
2
AREA FORCAST

• The US Weather Service and many private
  organizations report and forecast the weather. It
  is important for pilots and air traffic
  management personnel to know that a weather
  report or a weather map is history and a weather
  forecast is a computer-generated best guess. They
  must use all available weather data from real
  time to forecasts before and during the flight to
  make decisions that maintain safety in the skies.
  There are many sources of weather data, all of
  which are covered briefly below. For convenience
  they are categorized into printed reports and
  forecasts, graphic weather analyses and briefings
  and advisories. Not all are used all the time,
  but each provides valuable information. For
  short, local flights, a pilot may only need to be
  informed of general weather conditions. For
  extended or cross-country flights, a pilot will
  need more detailed information covering a greater
  area and perhaps at various altitudes.

3
TERMINAL FORECAST

• Terminal Forecasts (FT) is one of the best
  sources for predicting what the weather at a
  particular airport (terminal) will be in the
  future. These forecast predictions cover an area
  within 5 nautical miles of the center of the
  runway field. FTs are usually issued 3 times a
  day and are valid for accuracy up to 24 hours.
  The first section of the FT covers the expected
  weather for the upcoming 18-hour period. This
  includes information about ceiling, visibility,
  vision obstructions, wind and expected weather
  changes at that facility.

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ASOS

• PARAMETER PROCESSING RADIUS
• INTERVAL
  VALIDITY
• (MINUTES)
  (MILES)
• SKY CONDITIONS 30 3-5
• VISIBILITY 10
  2-3
• PRECIPITATION 10 1-2
  
• FREEZING RAIN 15 2-3
• TEMP/DEW POINT 5 5
• WIND 2
  1-2
• PRESSURE 1
  5

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AWOS (2,3)

• The Automated Weather Observing System
  (AWOS) is a suite of sensors, which measure,
  collect and disseminate weather data to help
  meteorologists, pilots and flight dispatchers
  prepare and monitor weather forecasts, plan
  flight routes, and provide necessary information
  for correct takeoffs and landings. AWOSs provide
  a minute-to-minute update that is usually
  provided to pilots by a VHF radio on a frequency
  between 118 and 136 MHz. AWOSs are categorized as
  either Federal or NonFederal. Federal AWOSs were
  purchased and are currently maintained by the
  FAA. NonFederal AWOSs are purchased and
  maintained by state, local, and private
  organizations. The sensors measure weather
  parameters such as wind speed and direction,
  temperature and dew point, visibility, cloud
  heights and types, precipitation, and barometric
  pressure. The AWOS does not predict weather, but
  many send current information to weather offices
  where forecasts are produced using this
  information along with computer model outputs,
  satellite photos and radar images, to name a few.
  Every hour on the hour, the AWOS data is made
  available to off-site users by those AWOSs on
  Service A (long line telephone communication) or
  satellite uplink. The aviation community, which
  is one of the largest users of environmental
  data, is the major user of the AWOS information.

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AWOS (1,2,3)

• Every hour on the hour, the AWOS data is
  made available to off-site users by those AWOSs
  on Service A (long line telephone communication)
  or satellite uplink. The aviation community,
  which is one of the largest users of
  environmental data, is the major user of the AWOS
  information.
• AWOS I Wind Speed, Wind Gust, Wind
  Direction, Variable Wind Direction, Temperature,
  Dew Point, Altimeter Setting, Density Altitude
  AWOS II Same as AWOS I Visibility, and
  Variable Visibility AWOS III Same as AWOS II
  Sky Condition, Cloud Height and TypeAWOS III-P
  Same as AWOS III Present Weather, Precipitation
  Identification AWOS III-T Same as AWOS III
  Thunderstorm and Lightning Detection AWOS
  III-P-T Same as AWOS III Present Weather and
  Lightning Detection

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ASOS and AWOS Stations1598 FED and NON-FED LISTED

• NEBRASKA 28
• MONTANA 20
• NEVADA 14
• NEW HAMPSHIRE 10
• NEW JERSEY 13
• NEW MEXICO 21
• NEW YORK 40
• NORTH CAROLINA 52
• NORTH DAKOTA 10
• OHIO 44
• OKLAHOMA 40
• OREGON 28
• PENNSYLVANIA 44
• RHODE ISLAND 05
• SOUTH CAROLINA 52
• SOUTH DAKOTA 16
• TENNESSEE 47
• TEXAS 88
• UTAH 15

• ALABAMA 24
• ALASKA 90
• ARKANSAS 25
• ARIZONA 26
• CALIFORNIA 93
• COLORADO 28
• CONN. 10
• DELAWARE 03
• FLORIDA 55
• GEORGIA 42
• HAWAII 07
• IOWA 52
• IDAHO 16
• ILLINOIS 49
• INDIANA 20
• KANSAS 37
• KENTUCKY 32
• LOUISIANA 23
• MASSACHUSETTS 19

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22 STATIONS (17 Class A Service)

•              

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COMMENT 1

• MORE WEATHER STATIONS
• MORE WEATHER STATIONS
• MORE WEATHER STATIONS

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ENROUTE ALTITUDES AND ROUTES

• ROUTE WIDTHS (2NM)
• AWOS MAP
• AWOS ALTITUDE
• AWOS CEILING (AGL)
• PREPLANNED
• NEW ROUTE

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• ALL AWOS STATIONS BE PLACED ON CLASS A SERVICE
  (LAND LINE, SATELLITE, OR WEB.
• AWOS ALTITUDE INFORMATION BE GIVEN WITH OTHER
  READ-OUTS.
• PLACEMENT OF AWOS SYSTEMS
• ABILITY TO USE OTHER WEATHER SOURCES AS ADVISIORY
  INFORMATION.
• TRAINING PROGRAM FOR EMS PILOTS ON WHAT WEATHER
  INFORMATION AND SOURCES ARE AVAILIABLE.
• STANDARIZED TRAINING PROGRAM FOR EXEMPTION
  (6175).
• TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR POIs ON EMS WEATHER,
  EXEMPTIONS, LOW LEVEL ROUTES, VFR AND IFR
  PROCEEDURES.