As a pilot flying out of Western Maine, I am used to fast-changing weather and sparse station reporting. Deciding when to fly isn’t as easy as just reading a METAR. You need to combine it with radar imagery and a touch of local knowledge to know how a system might develop throughout the region. Is that scattered layer blocking the one mountain pass I need to get through? Are those FEW clouds sitting exactly where I don’t want them to be? Often the only option is to go up and look for yourself–until now.
Some FAA camera snapshots from my home airport, 8B0.
METARs don’t always tell the whole story
A single well-placed weather camera can provide a wealth of information. A picture is, quite literally, worth a thousand text-based weather products. And now, they’re becoming more accessible to pilots outside of Alaska, where they originated.
One camera can make a big difference
Pilots in Alaska have pioneered the adoption of this technology. While I get to pretend that Maine is remote, they get to live it. Alaska is about one-third the size of the entire U.S., and nearly 19 times larger than my home state of Maine! With fewer roads, fewer railways, and only a handful of commercial airports, general aviation isn’t just a convenience—it’s essential. Because the state is more spread out, the time cost of making the wrong go/no-go decision is greater. Here in Maine I can just turn around and be back at an airport with fuel in 20-30 mins. In Alaska, that same decision could cost 2-3hrs.
Alaska figured this out a long time ago
Walter Coombs is an Alaskan pilot who’s been faced with these challenges for 35 years. Walter lost eight friends and family to CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) accidents. Getting reliable real-time weather information in these remote areas was hit or miss. As recently as the mid-1990s, CFIT made up a large percentage of GA accidents in Alaska. Pilots often had no choice but to “take off and see for themselves,” hoping for the best.
Walter describes one such incident below:
I’d get a weather briefing from Flight Service and even call ahead to my destination, but there were times when the weather conditions I encountered were far different from the forecasts or the reports I obtained from my calls. On those occasions, I would simply try to turn around and return to where I started, but that wasn’t always possible. One time, we took off in a helicopter for a flight to Juneau. We were able to maintain VFR initially but suddenly were engulfed by clouds with mountains on either side of us and the ocean below. Fortunately, we were able to descend to about 100 feet and maintain visual contact with the water. Ultimately, we made it to Juneau safely, but it was a harrowing experience, one I’ll never forget.
Walter brought those experiences with him when he joined the FAA, taking on the role of managing the Weather Camera Program (WCAM) in 1999. The program’s mission was to give pilots near real-time weather data to help them make safer flight decisions. It set out to achieve four key things:
- Cut down on weather-related accidents.
- Reduce flight interruptions caused by weather, like delays, diversions, or returning to the departure airport.
- Improve overall decision making.
- Enhance Flight Service capabilities.
Walter’s team worked with pilots to figure out where the cameras would be most useful. Stations typically have four cameras, each showing a different angle. The images update every 10 minutes, and there’s always a “Clear Day” comparison image. Without that, you might not realize that there’s a mountain just beyond the clouds.
The camera network keeps growing
From 1999 to 2014, 220 camera sites were set up across Alaska, all run and maintained by the FAA. In 2015, Canada joined the effort, adding third-party operators. By 2020, Hawaii added 26 sites, along with other states like Colorado, with 43, and Montana, with 12, also joined in. Now there are nearly 600 camera sites across key parts across the U.S., providing over 2,000 real-time camera views. The FAA Plans to add 160 new FAA-operated camera sites by 2031, along with 100 additional third-party installations each year. The reach of these cameras will only continue to grow.
How I use them in my flight planning workflow
I’ve been flying since 2011 and got my PPL in 2018. Over the years, I’ve put about 1,100 hours in the air. The FAA’s weather cameras have been a game changer for me, especially flying in more remote areas. They have become the first source of weather information I pull up when preparing for a flight.
My 1965 CESSNA 180H and my copilot, Piper!
I use them to visualize mountain obscuration in a widespread AIRMET Sierra. A quick check of the image facing the windsock tells me all I need to know about how sporty the landing in my Cessna 180 might be. I use them to check runway conditions after a snow squall has passed through. I even use them just to look around at cool airports around the U.S.
The Cameras layer in ForeFlight has brought a wealth of visual information to my fingertips, and I am a safer pilot because of it. It’s been a pleasure to help build this system–not just as a developer, but as a pilot who depends on it. And I can’t wait for you all to fly with it. I hope it improves your flying as much as it has mine.
