Weather Ready Nation

Has your club or organization been looking for another reason

to fly for a purpose? If so, then you may be interested in

the National Weather Service program called Weather Ready

Nation Ambassadors. This program encourages groups to be

proactive in communicating with the National Weather

Service, which is always a good thing for pilots.

Examples of services that flying clubs could provide to the

NWS are photos of flood waters, snow depth, straight line

wind damage, etc. The NWS relies on the public for reports of

weather related damage and who is better than a pilot to

obtain that information?

While planning to assist with obtaining photos, it is important

to remember some basic aviation rules. Always check for

TFR activity after a major weather event and abide by TFR

rules. Adhere to the VFR minimum altitude restrictions and

be aware of media helicopters, public safety aircraft and UAV

traffic in the area. Have a passenger take the photos whenever

possible so you as the pilot can focus on the maneuvering

flight and watching for traffic. Information that is useful

would be any photos depicting damage to property or environment

and include location coordinates. This information

would be sent to the local NWS station in that area.

You can find out more about NWS Weather Ready Nation

Ambassadors at https://www.weather.gov/wrn/ambassadors.

Assisting the folks at the NWS (who also assist us in planning

safe flight) is a great way to give back to the community while

providing a service that only general aviation can provide.