Purpose
of Coast Guard Weather |
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-- Questions and Answers
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The goal of this website is to help those who are interested
and willing to put forth an effort to achieve the goals below:
1st….Provide a “how to brief”
situational weather overview and, ,
2nd…Provide MST Weather briefers
with a more structured learning curriculum, beginning with how to
read a surface chart to how to brief aviation weather, both obtaining
and briefing pertinent weather hazards. This will allow for interchangeability
or “Plug and Play” between aviation units and all sector
and subordinate command throughout the entire Coast Guard with regards
to planning around the weather.
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1) What is Coast Guard Weather?
Coast Guard weather 'CGWX'
is specific to the missions within the CG: Maritime Safety, Security,
Mobility, National Defense, and Protection of Natural Resources. Other
military services have weather support based on amount assets and
secrecy of missions carried out. The Coast Guard is the only military
service which does not have a weather program, and solely relies on
other sources for now 'casts' and fore ‘casts’ of weather.
There are vast resources available on the internet, both from Air
Force, Navy, NWS and various other sources that renders a formalized
weather support system within the CG as not necessary as with other
services. However, it is extremely important for CG command to understand
what they are looking at. Granted most people do know and understand
that when they hear about a Low pressure moving over their AOR in
the next few days, this mean inclement weather moving in. Another
important aspect of CGWX knows where to get reliable source data;
as this is of equal importance in operational risk assessment and
situational awareness. From preparing aviation weather briefs to informed
incident management, weather is everywhere, and can have profound
effects on every mission carried out by CG personnel.
2) Who (what units) need Coast Guard Weather?
All units requiring situational awareness need
weather and aviation units requiring weather from a “qualified
source” however, only a few aviation units are currently billets
for MST’s to provide formalized weather.
Aviation
Ashore |
Personnel Allowance |
|
| Air Station Kodiak |
MSTC | MST1 |MST2 | MST2 |
fixed & rotary wing |
| International Ice Patrol |
MSTCS | 2 MST1| 12 other MST's |
fixed wing only |
| Aviation
Afloat |
Personnel Allowance |
rotory wind only |
| USCGC Heally |
MSTC | @ 4 other MST's |
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| USCGC Sea |
MSTC | @ 4 other MST's |
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| USCGC Star |
MSTC | @ 4 other MST's |
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3) What should the structure
be?
I have designed CGWX to be knowledge based level of
both qualification and competencies.
Level
1: Basic Weather Briefers - CGWXB
- CG Weather Briefer: Intended for MSTs at Sectors or anyone
required to brief weather to a command for situational awareness…should
be open to all rates.
- No previous experience required
- Is open an encouraged for all Coast Guardsmen and women to
be familiar with
- is a CORE weather competency; all proceeding Qualification
begin with “CGWXB”
1> Reading a weather
chart
-
Surface Station Plot Interpretation
-
What the public wants in a forecast
2> what is
a front?
3> How are
air masses related to fronts and what you need to understand?
4> What exactly
is a front and how does it apply to your weather situation?
5> Operational
weather terminology / Symbology
6> Where
does the information come from for surface charts
7> Where
to get a reliable surface chart – NWS structure
8> template
for a concise weather brief
Level 2: Basic Aviation Weather
Briefer - CGAWXB
- CG Aviation Weather Briefer: Intended for MST's briefing aviation
weather IAW the COMDTINST M3710, and FAA/DOD requirements for
a standard weather brief (Dash-1).
- Member must first earn the CGWXB core competency
- The qualification is only open to MST’s serving at a
unit providing weather to aviation assets.
- By earning this competency MST’s become interchangeable
- IAW Commandant Instruction Manual 3710.IF It should be understood
that MST’s provide a service based on requirements.
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Weather is an extremely important safety
factor in the planning and conduct of flight operations.
Paragraphs B.3.a. through B.3.d. of this chapter describe
the weather information a PIC must obtain before each
flight along with certain record keeping requirements.
Section D of this chapter contains information about minimum
weather requirements for takeoffs, landings and other
aspects of aircraft operations.
B.3.a. General
An aviation weather briefing shall be obtained
before all flights. If a weather briefing cannot be obtained
prior to departure and the weather conditions are at or
above the minimums required for departure, the flight
may proceed. The PIC shall contact an appropriate facility
for weather information as soon as practicable after takeoff.
B.3.b. Weather Clearance
Weather information entered on aircraft
clearance forms shall be supplied by qualified meteorological
personnel when such personnel are available. Commanding
officers may authorize, in writing, Marine Science Technicians
who are graduates of an approved weather briefing school,
and who are considered qualified, to prepare and sign
flight weather briefing forms.
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The basis of this qualification
is providing a standard weather brief on a DD form 175-1 Flight
Weather Briefing, which is an all inclusive weather package.
Knowing each block and what each element means you will have
the knowledge to provide an aviation weather brief to pilots.
This requirement is set forth not only by Coast Guard, but FAA
standards.
Level 3: Local unit qualifications.
This qualification reemphasizes key elements of two previous
qualifications, and incorporates any local instructions pertaining
to how business is accomplished such as unit MISHAP plans. For
instance, the IIP has ice observing as their main mission.
- Prerequisites include: CGWXB , and
CGAWXB | Kodiak
- IIP
- By completing the first two levels, an inherent level of knowledge,
creating a solid foundation of learning.
- Air Force weather apprentice school is highly recommended
for all MST’s assigned to a unit providing Aviation weather.
- Aspects to the unit level qualification might include other
element of weather to include, but is not limited to ice observing,
cutter operations, and afloat aviation weather.
Level 4: Aviation
Weather forecaster –
CGAWXF
- This qualification is not required. Rather it is put out
there for those true weather geeks out there looking to further
challenge themselves regarding operational weather and into
the realm of forecasting.
- Prerequisite is all three levels AND Air Force Weather school
- Intended to go above and beyond Coast Guard needs.
- This online leaning curriculum is specifically designed for
Aviation
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5) What should manager the
weather program?
This is a tough question, as the members of the Coast
Guard in such positions are ever changing. Typically the Course Writer
for any rate is the Subject Matter Specialist or SMS. However currently
only a select few have formalized training or hold a degree in meteorology
(or related Earth Science). The MST rate has a very basic weather
curriculum, but is not comprehensive enough to held any one MST as
a ‘Program Manager’ (even so a PM is typically an O6 (CAPT).
This question remains up for discussion.
6) What kind of training does a briefer
need?
Most MSTs that have graduated from “A”
school should be more than adequately prepared to begin the basic
CGWXB qualification process. Since MSTs are stationed at all Sector
commands, it would not be unforeseeable to have a standardized weather
brief for each Sector Command, prepared by MSTs which could be distributed
to outlying units, as the other services do as well. This would only
supplement what is already available via the internet. Otherwise,
this site CoastGuardWX.com should contain all necessary information
and qualifications for teaching basic briefing and aviation weather
to anyone tasked with carrying out this tasking.
7) How do I become qualified and
with the competency of CGWXB?
This basic qualification and competency for weather in the Coast Guard
is in the infancy stage of development. Therefore what is presented
on this site is unofficial at this point. However, I am working with
key people at Headquarters to add CGWXB as a basic (core) competency,
possibly Coast Guard wide. I do not want to say anything just yet,
as these things do change, but I believe the entire CG has a need
to understand weather.
For the mean time, CGWXB, has what is applicable
to Coast Guard WX knowledge and should surffice to begin anyone needing
to prepare weather briefs, or look at weather charts for planning.