NON ADHERENCE TO FAA HANDBOOK. CURRENT ARPT WX NOT AVAILABLE TO CTLING FACILITY.
Synopsis
NON ADHERENCE TO FAA HANDBOOK. CURRENT ARPT WX NOT AVAILABLE TO CTLING FACILITY.
Narrative
FAA 7400.2D PROCS FOR HANDLING AIRSPACE MATTERS; PARAGRAPHS 23-4 AND 23-5 DESCRIBE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SURFACE AREAS. IN THESE PARAGRAPHS IT IS STATED 'WX OBSERVATIONS SHALL BE XMITTED EXPEDITIOUSLY TO THE ATC FACILITY HAVING JURISDICTION OVER THE SURFACE AREA.' ADDITIONALLY IF THIS XMISSION IS CONSISTENTLY UNAVAILABLE A NOTAM SHALL BE ISSUED AND RULEMAKING ACTION INITIATED TO REVOKE THE AIRSPACE. THIS IS IN FACT OCCURRING AT JHW ARPT SINCE THE AWOS WAS INSTALLED. ERIE APCH CTL; THE CTLING AGENCY OVER JHW SURFACE AREA DOES NOT GET THE WX FROM JHW AWOS. ACFT OPERATING IN AND OUT OF JHW ON IFR FLT PLANS ARE ADVISED TO CONTACT JHW AWOS FOR WX AND THEN ADVISE WHAT APCH THEY WOULD LIKE. THOSE ACFT OPERATE ON THE JHW ALTIMETER. THIS AREA IS HEAVILY TRANSITIONED BY OVERFLT TFC WHO ARE ISSUED THE ERI ALTIMETER; WHICH SOMETIME IS MUCH HIGHER OR LOWER THAN JHW. THIS IN ITSELF POSES AN UNSAFE SIT; HOWEVER; THERE IS ALSO A MORE COMPLICATING SCENARIO PRESENTED DUE TO THE LACK OF THE WX TO ERI CTLRS. WE NEED THE JHW WX TO MEET NUMEROUS REQUIREMENTS OF THE FAA 7110.65; ATC. I WILL LIST THE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO COMPLY WITH NOT HAVING THE CURRENT JHW WX: 7110.65H PARAGRAPHS -- 2-121 C 1-3 ALTIMETER SETTINGS. 3-100 DEP INFO. 4-92 A 4 APCH INFO BY APCH CTL FACILITIES. 7-31 VECTORS FOR VISUAL APCH. 7-32 B CLRNC FOR VISUAL APCH. 7-35 B CONTACT APCH. 7-40 A 4 SPECIAL VFR. 7-46 GND VISIBILITY BELOW 1 MI. IN ADDITION ANY ACFT WITHOUT A 720 CHANNEL RADIO IS UNABLE TO RECEIVE THE AWOS WX. ATC; ESPECIALLY IN NONRADAR OPS REQUIRES COMPLEX PLANNING TO EFFECT SEPARATION. WITHOUT THE CURRENT WX; IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO FORMULATE ANY SOLID PLAN. IN ADDITION; WX IS AN EVER CHANGING PHENOMENA AND IT IS CRITICAL TO ACFT OPS INTO AND OUT OF ARPTS. JHW IS 40 NM E OF THE ERI RADAR ANTENNA AND NONRADAR PROCS ARE UTILIZED FOR ACFT BELOW 5000 FT MSL. THE LACK OF THE JHW WX HAS CREATED AN UNSAFE SIT FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED REASON. THE ERIE AIR TFC MGR ISSUED A NOTAM REVOKING THE CLASS E SURFACE AREA AT JHW; HOWEVER; THE BUS AFSS CANCELED THE NOTAM; FOR REASONS WE ARE NOT AWARE. THEY REFUSE TO REISSUE THE NOTAM AND THIS ISSUE HAS ESCALATED TO THE EASTERN REGIONAL OFFICE AND WASHINGTON FAA HEADQUARTERS. THERE HAS BEEN NO LOGICAL ANSWER FROM EITHER TO DATE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THERE HAS BEEN NO RESOLVE OF THIS SIT. RPTR IS FILING A UCR. FSS COULD RELAY THE WX TO ERI APCH CTL BUT WON'T.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.