MONTANA AIRPORT ACTIVATES FIRST WEATHER CAMERAS

In May, Montana’s first aviation weather webcam went live on the FAA website, broadcasting live views of the sky from three directions at Lincoln Airport (S69) in Lincoln, MT. The images are updated every ten minutes and provide an excellent new tool for local and transient pilots during their preflight and en route flight planning. Future camera installations are planned for the Seeley Lake and Yellowstone airports, and Montana DOT is actively soliciting additional site hosts.

Montana is the second state in the lower 48 to install weather cameras, following Colorado which has 52 cameras at 13 locations. The FAA began the weather camera program in Alaska, where its rapidly-changing and severe weather can impact the safety of flight along many routes. Alaska presently has 230 webcams and plans to install more.

The efficacy of weather cameras and other technologies in increasing flight safety has been clearly demonstrated in Alaska, which has witnessed a dramatic 85% reduction in weather-related accidents in mountain passes. Hawaii plans to join the program with 23 camera systems placed in critical locations around the islands. NAV Canada also currently hosts 178 sites across Canada.