1. Friends and Partners in Aviation Weather (FPAW)
Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC) – Goals and Initiatives
By: Gary Pokodner, Program Manager, Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC)
Date: November 1, 2012

2. The Notional WTIC
Cockpit?

3. All Kidding Aside:
The previous slide highlights important issues with our WTIC program:
More information is not always better; need the right information
Poor human factors can reduce benefits of enhancements
Complex to get information and data to cockpits
Training matters
Despite our dream notional cockpit, the WTIC program is not building boxes

4. Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC) Overview
WTIC is an FAA NextGen program that consists of a portfolio of research projects
WTIC research is used to develop, verify, and validate requirements for standards related to weather information and technology in the cockpit
Research to identify requirements that improve the quality and quantity of meteorological (MET) information in the cockpit
The program supports multiple NextGen goals
Reduce weather delays
Re-route flexibility to avoid adverse weather
Reduce weather-related accidents and incidents 4 4

5. WTIC Goals Flight Deck/Cockpit Information
Appropriate and optimized weather information to support NextGen and current operations is available in the cockpit
Released standards/guidance documents to enable implementation of mobile meteorology (MET) applications concurrent with supporting technology
Capabilities and requirements to enable automated turbulence information identified
Capabilities and requirements for improved oceanic information defined
Phased improvements of pilot awareness of adverse weather (alerts, data comm, pre takeoff)
Completed benefits assessment of probabilistic information into the cockpit 5 5

6. WTIC Goals Human Factors
Pilot interfaces to cockpit weather information enable consistent, safe, and efficient execution of all NextGen and current operations
Developed recommendations on optimal presentation of GA MET information
Improved GA training methodology on the use and application of MET information in the NextGen environment
Developed recommendations on cockpit applications of Weather Avoidance Fields (WAFs)
Implemented corrective actions to trends identified in weather related accidents/incidents reports 6 6

7. WTIC Goals Standards
Recommended standards are ready for implementation of weather in the cockpit to support all NextGen and current operations
Defined datalink architecture for disseminating MET information to/from the cockpit (via RTCA support)
Minimum Aviation System Performance (MASP) for downlink, uplink, and crosslink of MET information (via RTCA support) completed
Initiated Minimum Operational Performance Standard (MOPS) (via RTCA)
Initiated globalization of select standards 7 7

8. WTIC Goals Air/Ground Integration
Dissemination of appropriate and optimized weather information to/from the cockpit to be at the right place and at the right time
Released recommended standards for EDR
Demonstrated benefits of enhanced wind information uplinked to aircraft FMS for select NextGen applications
Developed functional and operational requirements for disseminating MET information via NextGen datalink architecture
Identified the feasibility and benefits for providing 20 minute and beyond weather look ahead in the cockpit on a legacy or portable device
NextGen datalink architecture supports optimized presentation formats 8 8

9. WTIC Goals Technology
Industry collaboration on MET technology research to be informed of technology capabilities that enable efficient MET information dissemination, collaborative decision making, and intuitive presentation of MET information in the cockpit for safe current and NextGen operations 9 9

10. Building WTIC Program Support
WTIC Team is actively engaging stakeholders (internal and external) to better define user needs
Improved collaboration with internal FAA agencies including: Safety, Certification, Human Factors, …
We are always looking for your suggestions, feedback, and new research ideas 10 10 10

11. WTIC Team – Key Personnel
Office of Primary Interest: Aviation Weather Division (ANG-C6) – Acting Division Manager: Rick Heuwinkel
Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR): Weather Research Branch (ANG-C61)
Steve Abelman, AWR Team Lead ( )
Gary Pokodner, WTIC Program Manager ( )
Eldridge Frazier, WTIC Lead Engineer ( )
Ian Johnson, WTIC Engineering Psychologist ( ) 11