# Presentation: 528098

## Facilitator Guide

- The Impact of Weather on Air Traffic Management

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
This guide is part of a training package requested by D.L. Johnson to improve NWS forecasters’ understanding of how weather impacts the national airspace system and how we in the NWS can better serve the needs of our customer, the FAA. The training uses a process that actively involves both the CWSU MIC and his or her staff. This guide will help you understand the various pieces of the training and how to tailor the process for your particular office so that your forecasters get the maximum benefit out of the training.

## Training Objectives

- Describe the components of the NAS and the FAA infrastructure

- Describe the needs of the FAA for weather information

- Identify how various weather events affect the NAS and its different components

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
When your forecasters have completed this training, they should be able to:

Describe the components of the NAS and the FAA infrastructure.
Identify how various weather events affect the NAS and its different components. 
Describe the needs of the FAA for weather information.

## Training Objectives (cont.)

- Identify local needs and requirements

- Produce a briefing that meets these needs, using “FAA-ese”

- Brief at the appropriate time via the most effective medium

- Create a station-specific Weather Impact Playbook (WIP)

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Additional training objectives are to:

Identify needs and requirements that are specific to a forecaster’s area and facility through collaboration with their local FAA partner.
Produce a briefing that meets these needs, in a language the FAA understands. In other words, be able to communicate in “FAA-ese”, and  
Deliver a briefing at the appropriate time, using the most effective medium.  

Finally, information that each forecaster has collected as part of the training activities will be used to create a Weather Impact Playbook (or WIP) that you have tailored for your office. This will become an important reference manual.

Let’s take a look at an overview of this process, before going into the details.

## WIP Development Process

-   MIC reconciles
- worksheets into the
**WIP**

- Students complete module, quiz,
- job sheets, and WIP
-   worksheet

-   Student
-   #1

-   Student
- #2

-   Student
- #3

-   MIC completes module, quiz,
- job sheets, and customizes WIP
- template

- Completed               Worksheets

- WIP Template

- WIP Worksheet

- Step 1

- Step 2

- Step 3

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Completing the training and developing the WIP involves three steps through which local, regional, and national information is brought together by collaboration between the CWSU MIC and his or her staff. Notice that this process requires everyone to go through all of the materials and activities. 

The first step is that you, or whoever is facilitating the training, will complete the module, quiz, and the job sheets, which are information gathering activities. You will use the information from these to customize a WIP template to fit your office’s particular situation. This customized version then becomes the WIP worksheet that each of your staff will fill out as they complete the module, quiz, and job sheets. Once you have all the input from the WIP Worksheets, you will reconcile the information into a single document that will become your station’s Weather Impact Playbook. What all these different elements are will become clearer as you go through this guide.

Let’s start with the module and its job sheets.

## The Module

- Introduction
- The NAS and the FAA
- Weather Impacts
- Briefings
- Other Module Components
- In-depth topics
- Glossary
- Quiz
- Job Sheets
- Available on CD sent to CWSUs and from the COMET MetEd Website (_[http://](http://meted.ucar.edu/nas)__[meted.ucar.edu/nas](http://meted.ucar.edu/nas)_)

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Here’s an overview of the module. It is broken into an introduction, overview of the NAS and the FAA, weather impacts to the NAS, and briefings.  There are a few other module components such as in-depth topics, a glossary, exercises, and a quiz. As mentioned before, the job sheets are information gathering activities tied to the WIP, and they are linked within the module. 

## Module Section 1: Introduction

- Welcome from NWS Director Johnson
- FAA/NWS Partnership and Missions
- Overview of the Module, Job Sheets, WIP, and In-Depth Topics

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Section 1 of the module emphasizes how important it is for CWSU meteorologists to understand how weather impacts the NAS and what information FAA air traffic managers need to control the flow of air traffic. This section also presents the FAA-NWS partnership and the missions of the respective agencies. It  closes with an overview of the rest of the module, job sheets, the Weather Impact Playbook (or WIP), and in-depth topics. 

## Module Section 2: The NAS and the FAA 

- NAS and FAA History
- NAS and FAA Infrastructure
- Familiarization Flight Example
- Background, Skills, Weather Knowledge, and Communication of Air Traffic Personnel

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Section 2 provides a history and infrastructure of the NAS and FAA. It is important for CWSU meteorologists to understand the complexity of both and how they interface. A simulated familiarization flight is also provided to show pilot-controller interactions during all phases of flight – terminal, departure, en-route, approach, landing, and destination terminal. This section also describes what goes into the FAA’s unique culture. A meteorologist cannot communicate effectively with air traffic personnel unless he or she understands them. Background, skills, weather knowledge, and communication of air traffic personnel are discussed.

## Module Section 3: How Weather Impacts the NAS

- Weather as a User of the NAS
- Climatology of Weather Impacts
- Impacts on Terminal, Approach/Departure, and En-Route Operations

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Section 3 is the “meat and potatoes” of this module. Climatology of weather impacts to the NAS is examined so we can better understand how impacts vary. Air traffic flows have daily and seasonal patterns, and weather can cause major problems for them, depending on timing and location. This section looks at how weather can affect each phase of flight.  Procedures used by air traffic managers to mitigate weather’s impact are also examined.  

## Module Section 4: Situational Awareness and Briefings

- Know Your Customer’s Needs
- Opening Lines of Communication
- Preparing the Briefing
- Top Ten Delivery Tips
- Briefing Critique

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Section 4 is where the “rubber meets the road.” To be effective in their briefings, CWSU meteorologists must know their customer’s needs. An important part of that is to open lines of communication and develop relationships. Tips are offered on how to prepare and deliver a good briefing. This section also recommends things to avoid. As a final exercise, students are asked to critique two briefings on the same weather situation and think about how they can polish up their own briefing skills. 

## Other Module Components

- In-Depth Topics

- Exercises

- Glossary

- Quiz
- Requires Internet connection

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Other components of the module include:

In-depth topics, which are optional links embedded within the module for those who want to know more about a specific topic such as airspace classification
Exercises, which are scattered throughout the module and challenge students to apply the material they’ve learned
A glossary of common FAA terms, phrases, and acronyms to help forecasters understand and speak the language of their customers
And finally, a link to a quiz that resides on the NWS Learning Management System. Note that if the student is taking the module on the CD, he or she will need to connect to the Internet in order to take the quiz.

## Job Sheets and WIP

- Job Sheets = Treasure Map
- 		- Linked to in the module
- 		- Direct the student to find information
- 		- Map to the WIP
- WIP = Treasure Chest
- 		- Contains Valuable Information

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Job sheets are similar to the module exercises, but map directly into the Weather Impact Playbook that you’ll be creating. Like a treasure map, these job sheets direct the individual to find information. The job sheets may also give hints on where to find it. This information is used to fill out the individual WIP worksheets, which are then consolidated into the station’s WIP. So, the WIP is like a treasure chest where valuable information is documented and stored.  

There are 20 job sheets. Let’s look at an example of one.

## Job Sheet Example

**Job Sheet 2**
**Objective:****	****Identify NOAA NWS Management at your Supporting WFO**
**WIP Section:****	****ARTCC Facility Structure**
**	****	****	****B1 – Traffic Management Unit **
**	****	****	**
**Data Sources:****	****(Regional) Telephone Directory**
**                                **_[Air Traffic Positions](http://ohrm.doc.gov/handbooks/classification/pdlibrary/2952.html)_** <<why is this underlined & in red?>>**
**                                ****Interview with TMU personnel**
**	****	****	**
**Discussion:****	**
- People in the TMU are your primary face-to-face customer. You can have a much better working relationship with them if you know what they do and what weather information they need To that end, identify each position within your Traffic Management Unit (TMU) and what weather impacts are of most concern. For example, your facility may have a “metering” position where winds at the airport, thunderstorms along the departure routes, and/or thunderstorms at a particular arrival gate are primary weather impacts. Does your facility have a military desk? Is there a special events position (e.g., NASCAR Races, the Indianapolis 500, the Masters or Ryder Cup, the Kentucky Derby, the Oshkosh AirVenture or other similar aviation shows)? What are their weather concerns? Do not be restricted by the format of the WIP worksheet. Add all information necessary to provide the utmost support to your customer.

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
This is an example of a job sheet for identifying each position within the Traffic Management Unit and discovering what the weather impacts are.  Notice how it is tied to a particular training objective and WIP section. The discussion lays out the tasks. Data sources, (including Web links when available) are provided to help the student complete the tasks in an efficient manner. All job sheets follow this structure.  

As mentioned previously, the Job Sheets map into the WIP. But what exactly is the WIP? And how does it differ from the WIP template and the WIP worksheets?

## The WIP and Related Pieces

- Weather Impact Playbook
- Tactical operations guide
- Customizable
- Augments the SDM
- Training tool

- WIP Template
- .doc file you download from **http://weather.gov/os/aviation/cwsu/resource.shtml**

- WIP Worksheet
- Customized version of the WIP template
- Distributed to students before they start the module

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
The Weather Impact Playbook is a customizable tactical operations guide that augments information in the SDM. It’s your ultimate objective because it’s going to help your entire staff to understand what your FAA customer needs and wants. It is intended primarily as a training tool, not a product development exercise, and it will also be an invaluable resource for bringing new employees up to speed. 

The WIP template is a downloadable WORD file that you will get from a new Aviation Program Web page. The URL will also be given at the end of this guide.

The WIP worksheet is a customized version of the template. After you have been through the module and the job sheets yourself, you will use what you have learned and what you already know to customize the template for your office. This then becomes the WIP worksheet, which you will give to each student before they begin the module. We’ll talk more about the worksheet later, but first let’s take a look at an example section from the WIP template.

## Example WIP Template Page (Before MIC Customization)

**B. ARTCC Facility Structure**
- 1. TMU Positions:
- i. ________________________________________________________________
-               Weather Impacts_____________________________________
- ii.________________________________________________________________
-               Weather Impacts_____________________________________
- iii.________________________________________________________________
-               Weather Impacts_____________________________________
- iv._______________________________________________________________
-               Weather Impacts_____________________________________
- v.________________________________________________________________
-               Weather Impacts_____________________________________

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
This is an example of a WIP Template page before it has been customized by the MIC. Basically, the entire WIP template is a guideline for assembling a huge amount of information in one place. It includes such things as contact information, what weather information different ARTCC positions need, information about pushes at pacing airports in your area, significant weather at arrival gates, playbook operations, etc.

## WIP Template Customization

- Add or subtract to provide the correct amount of possible blanks for all possible answers
- Add sections if needed; write “N/A” in those that do not apply
- Modify graphics to fit your airport situation(s)

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
So, how does this customization work? 

CWSU’s are different from one airspace to another. The number of control towers, flight service stations, hub airports, and their runways will vary dramatically between CWSUs, as will the decision points and weather concerns of each CWSU’s customers. Each CWSU MIC will be responsible for adding or subtracting lines in the WIP to match the exact number of TRACONs, control towers, hubs, etc. that are in the airspace. For example, if there are 3 lines for hub airports and you have 10 hub airports, simply cut and paste 7 additional lines.  

If something doesn’t quite fit your area, change it to match your needs. For example, there is no line for the Military Operations Supervisor, or MOS, in the current WIP template. In some CWSUs, there is a lot of contact between the MOS and the CWSU staff; in others, there is little or none. Or, as another example, weather playbooks are not used by Air Traffic Managers in Alaska. If there is someone or something important to your CWSU missing from the WIP template, add it. If there is something not applicable, put N/A in the spaces. (If you remove it entirely, the WIP won’t match the Job Sheets your staff is using, which could be confusing.) Be careful, however, not to fall into the trap of believing that because something was not a concern before, you are free to discard it. If the item exists in your CWSU’s airspace, then it needs to be addressed in the WIP.

Customize your WIP completely before you hand it out to your staff. If the WFO(s) in your airspace write 20 TAFs, but you only leave 4 lines in the WIP, your staff may stop looking after they find 4 sites or they may think only the top 4 TAF sites need to be in the WIP. 

## WIP Development Process

-   MIC reconciles
- worksheets into the
**WIP**

- Students complete module, quiz,
- job sheets, and WIP
-   worksheet

-   Student
-   #1

-   Student
- #2

-   Student
- #3

-  MIC completes module, quiz,
- job sheets, and customizes WIP
- template

- Completed               Worksheets

- WIP Template

- WIP Worksheet

- Step 1

- Step 2

- Step 3

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
To recap Step 1, you’ll download the WIP template, go through the module, quiz, and the job sheets, and then customize the WIP template based on your local information. You then make copies of the new form, now called the WIP worksheet, and provide them to your staff to fill out while they complete the module and job sheets. 

You may be wondering why you don’t just complete the WIP yourself and give the document to your staff. The process of finding the information, talking to people, and thinking about problems is a valuable learning tool for everyone on your staff. It can help them discover what they do and don’t know about their job and motivate them to find out what their customer really wants. And, they may find different information or sources of data that you don’t know about. Also, when you review all of the completed worksheets, you’ll have a better understanding of what your staff knows and where they may need some additional training.

So, moving onto Step 2, let’s talk about what the students will do. Just as you did in Step 1, each student will go through the module. When they’re done, they’ll take the quiz. They will also use the Job Sheets to guide them in completing the WIP Worksheet. 

## The WIP Worksheet

- Job Sheets give directions
- Can just be filled out with pen/pencil
- Each student should complete his or her own worksheet
- Don’t exempt long-time employees
- Facilitator should decide if some tasks will be done by individuals or groups and results shared
- Do conduct FAA interviews in groups

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Most of the WIP worksheet will be self-explanatory, and the job sheets will give directions as your staff fills out the individual worksheets. These can just be completed with pen or pencil—they don’t have to be nice looking, because you’ll eventually put them into the final product.

Because this is a training exercise, we think every staff member should complete the entire worksheet. If you farm out the tasks, it’s likely that the person who already know the information will complete that section, and the others won’t learn as much. Also, if everyone completes the worksheet, you may discover different sources of information or find out that certain staff members really don’t know something as well as they should. Don’t exempt someone from completing the WIP just because they’ve been at the CWSU a long time. Often these people have outdated information and will benefit from the process just as much as the new employee. Having said all that, you need to decide how best to manage this process, and if you feel that some sections are better done by individuals or groups and then shared with the entire staff, it’s your call.

However, we do recommend that interviews with FAA employees be conducted in groups or teams to avoid taking up a lot of their time.

## Example WIP Worksheet page, after  student has filled it in

**B.  ARTCC Facility Structure**
**1. TMU Positions:**
_**i. BDX Meter**_
**Weather Impacts:**
_**TS within 20 NM of airport**_
_**IFR/LIFR conditions at airport**_
_**Direct cross wind > 25kt**_
_**SFC-120 winds > 50kt shear**_
_**Winds swinging E or W of due N or S**_
_**ii. ABC Meter**_
**Weather Impacts:**
_**TS within 20 NM of airport**_
_**IFR/LIFR conditions at airport**_
_**Direct cross wind > 25kt**_
_**SFC-120 winds > 50kt shear**_
_**Winds swinging N or S of due E or W   **_

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
Here is an example of a completed WIP worksheet page. After all students have finished their worksheets, you’ll go to Step 3 in the process.

## WIP Development Process

-   MIC reconciles
- worksheets into the
**WIP**

- Students complete module, quiz,
- job sheets, and WIP
-   worksheet

-   Student
-   #1

-   Student
- #2

-   Student
- #3

-  MIC completes module, quiz,
- job sheets, and customizes WIP
- template

- Completed               Worksheets

- WIP Template

- WIP Worksheet

- Step 1

- Step 2

- Step 3

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
In the final step, the MIC takes all of the completed worksheets from the students and reconciles them into a “Master WIP” document. This can be done exclusively by the MIC, or through collaboration with the staff. This “Master WIP” may be used to supplement the Station Duty Manual.

## So, what’s the WIP to you?

- “Graduate Course” specific to your CWSU
- Standard on operational information
- Best guide for helping you serve the FAA

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
The WIP can be considered the result of a “graduate level” training exercise completed by each forecaster in your office. It is specific to your CWSU and becomes the standard on operational information. Inherently, it is the best guide you can use to serve the FAA. 

## Distributing Your WIP

- Copies of the final WIP will go to the:
- RAM
- CWSU Coordinator
- Additional copies may go to the:
- WFO MIC or Aviation Program Manager
- Internet/Intranet

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
After the WIP is done, you should distribute copies to the RAM and the ARTCC CWSU Coordinator. Other copies may go to the “host” WFO. You may also want to post the WIP on the Internet or your Intranet, as appropriate. 

## Annual Training and WIP Updates 

- Update annually
- Can be redone in its entirety as a training exercise, or just reviewed
- Update for current information such as:
- FAA Management changes
- NWS Management changes
- Procedure changes
- Addition or deletion of information
- New forecasters should go through the complete process

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
The WIP is a fluid document and will become outdated quickly as TMUs, Supes, STMCs, etc. retire, rotate out of position, or transfer to other stations. The WIP should be updated as needed, but annually at a minimum. You could also choose to go through the entire process from scratch periodically as a refresher training exercise while doing the update.

New forecasters should be given a blank WIP Worksheet to fill out as part of their initial training and then later compare it to the “Master WIP” with the MIC/Facilitator.

## For Questions on any part of the WIP and Job Sheet design or implementation (Facilitator only). Contact:

- Dr. Chip West
- MIC Atlanta CWSU
- Office 770-210-7871
- _[chip.west@noaa.gov](mailto:chip.west@noaa.gov)_
- Cell 770-309-1517

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
If you have questions on any part of the WIP or Job Sheet design, here’s who to contact. 

## CWSU Training Page

- http://weather.gov/os/aviation/cwsu/resource.shtml
- WIP Template
- Example completed WIP
- Contact information
- Link to module
- Link to MetEd quiz registration page
- Links to COMET modules related to aviation forecasting
- Link to a copy of this guide

- Produced by The COMET® Program

**Notes:**
The Aviation Branch has established a new CWSU Training Page at the URL shown. Go to this URL to download a copy of the WIP Template. There is also an example of a completed WIP for a fictitious CWSU that you can use as a guide and contact information if you have questions about the WIP or job sheets. On this page, you will also find links to the module (which is also available from the COMET MetEd Website), additional training relevant to aviation forecasting, and a copy of this guide.

We hope you and your office will find this training experience to be useful and informative.