Up In The Clouds, Part I: North Coast Aviation Weather

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The weather impacts North Coast aviation on every flight, and pilots and airports must be prepared to deal with the changing conditions to keep their aircraft and passengers safe. Bill Wickman is a retired commercial pilot, and tells Redwood News that low visibility, winter icing, and mountains are the biggest challenges he faces.

Commercial airports on the North Coast include Crescent City, Arcata, and Ukiah with daily flights. Adverse weather conditions impact commercial flights, private pilots, rental car services, and the overall economic bottom line of each airport, Cody Roggatz, Director of Aviation for Humboldt County, tells us.

The National Weather Service office in Eureka provides aviation weather support to area airports and pilots 365 days a year. Scott Carroll, Lead Meteorologist, tells us that small scale weather greatly impacts terminal forecasts here along the North Coast, and that it can be very tricky to forecast.

Thankfully, pilots have an array of data and resources available to aid in their flying. The National Weather Service provides Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts, or TAFS, four times a day to commercial airports. Scott Carroll also tells us that the weather service staff uses a variety of sophisticated software to monitor real time weather conditions.

In addition, the Arcata Airport is equipped with many systems to help planes navigate, including landing lights, airport markings, and an Instrument Landing System (ILS) to help planes land safely. The ILS technology was originally developed here in Humboldt County just after World War II, Cody Roggatz tells us.

The airport is also ready to respond to emergencies, with fire rescue equipment and personnel at the ready. The Arcata Airport is in the process of building a new Aircraft Response Vehicle Building, according to Martin Stockton, a Supervising Airport Service Worker at ACV.

The North Coast weather can change on a dime, and can make flying a challenge at times, but the sights and experiences on a beautiful day are superb. When the weather does get squally, one can take comfort in knowing there are many systems in place to help aircraft and passengers travel safely.