Contact Approach

Not to be pessimistic, where in my FAA ATC bible does it say "official
source"?. Available to ATC may be just a phone call away. I passed a CBI
based ASOS test at an FCT and was qualified to disseminate weather if the
ASOS failed. The only qualifications I needed after the test was to send in
an observation every quarter to the NWS. So what makes me any more
qualified than a guy who actually went to school for the weather
certification. I only ask this question because it was asked of me by a
long time ATC instructor. Would a PIREP be good enough?

oneatcer

"Newps" wrote in message
...
It must be an official source and available to ATC. Your buddy the line
boy at the FBO who passed a weather observers test 8 years ago does not
qualify.



wrote:
If I'm not mistaken, the reported weather has to be available to ATC
in some fashion, but I'm not absolutely positive. One of our resident
ATC guys will know, for sure.



On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 19:36:34 -0500, Roy Smith wrote:


wrote:

ASOS, AWOS, or a qualified weather observer, if I'm not mistaken.

I guess the next question is, "reported to whom?".

Let's say for example my FBO has a certified weather observer on staff.
I
call up on unicom, ask for the weather, and am told it's 5000 broken and
2
miles. Does that count as "reported"? When I ask ATC for a contact
approach, they won't have that observation. Do I just tell the
controller
that I've got a report from the FBO?