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Where can I find an airport's level of service for weather services?

In other words, how do I know if a given airport's Service Standard is a categorized as Service Level A, B, C and D?


For background, the FAA has determined Service Standards to categorize the levels of detail in weather observation sites. See the following from Appendix D of FAA JO 7900.5C (p. 152):

The term Service Standards refers to four levels of detail in weather observations at sites where there is a commissioned ASOS/AWSS. The first category, known as Service Level D, is completely automated service in which the ASOS/AWSS observation constitutes the entire observation, that is, no additional weather information is added by a human observer.

The second category, known as Service Level C, consists of all the elements of Service Level D, in addition to a human observer, who adds information to the automated observation. This is referred to as "augmentation." [...] Service Level C is provided at all airports with a properly sited, fully qualified Federal facility during facility hours of operation. During hours that the facility is closed, the airport reverts to stand-alone ASOS or Service Level D as described above.

The highest category, referred to as Service Level A, includes major aviation hubs and high traffic volume airports with average or worse weather. The remaining group of airports (smaller hubs or special airports in other ways, that have worse than average bad weather operations for thunderstorms and/or freezing/frozen precipitation, and/or that are remote airports) are referred to as Service Level B airports

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    $\begingroup$ Welcome to aviation.SE! I've never heard of those levels, can you add some more information about them, and which country/region/regulator you're asking about? $\endgroup$
    – Pondlife
    Jun 13, 2017 at 15:31
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    $\begingroup$ Are "Service Levels A thru D" FAA designations? $\endgroup$
    – STWilson
    Jun 13, 2017 at 15:33
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    $\begingroup$ For some info describing the FAA Service Level designations, see FAA JO 7900.5C, specifically Appendix D, starting on p. 152. $\endgroup$
    – J W
    Jun 13, 2017 at 16:30
  • $\begingroup$ The pilot's resource, Aviation Weather Services, AC-00-45, 3.1.3 says, "Whereas manual stations were most common prior to the mid-1990s in the United States, the vast majority of today’s METARs and SPECIs are from fully-automated stations." @JonathanWalters Good find! $\endgroup$
    – STWilson
    Jun 13, 2017 at 18:46
  • $\begingroup$ There used to be some correlation between airports with a control zone (cz) and towered airports having "manned" weather reporting. The manned stations with control zones also provided "airport advisory service" monitoring traffic on 123.0. You'd provide your position information to the weather station person, calling out "radio, N12345 is 10 miles out..." instead of calling "traffic" in the blind. These are replaced with automated stations, and where there used to be control zones, Class E now extends to the surface in a keyhole shape protecting approach zones. $\endgroup$
    – STWilson
    Jun 13, 2017 at 20:11

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The last of the service standards issued by the FAA was a 2014 report and ONLY available via a FOI request.

According to AJT-21, the yearly updates have been discontinued (without giving any reason that we are aware of). Last "published" report was 2013.

If you wish to see it, please email @ [email protected]

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