-------- Original Message --------
672
NOUS41 KWBC 081119
PNSWSH
Technical Implementation Notice 11-44
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
715 am EDT Thu Sep 8 2011
TO: NWS Offices
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Customers
Family of Services Subscribers
Other Customers of NWS Aviation Forecasts
FROM: Cyndie Abelman
Chief, Aviation Services Branch
SUBJECT: Elimination of the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF)
Service for the Desert Rock Airport, Nevada (KDRA),
Effective December 7, 2011
Effective December 7, 2011 at 1200 Coordinated Universal Time
(UTC), the NWS Office in Las Vegas, NV, will no longer provide TAF
service for the Desert Rock Airport (KDRA) in Desert Rock, Nevada.
Routine and updated TAFS will no longer be issued for this
airport.
TAF service was initiated for KDRA in the 1970s when nuclear
testing personnel were routinely flying into the KDRA airport. At
that time, there was significant air traffic into that field. In
1992, flights into KDRA were reduced dramatically when nuclear
testing was banned. In 2009, the FAA changed the airport use to
private use, with permission required from the Department of
Energy (DOE) before landing. The airport has no control tower and
is unattended.
Holders of NWS procedural Instruction 10-813 (Terminal Aerodrome
Forecasts) should make the following deletion to the appendices:
Airport WMO Heading AWIPS ID
Desert Rock FTUS45 KVEF TAFDRA
In addition, the TAF will be deleted from the existing TAF
collectives below, which are transmitted to FAA personnel and
other external customers.
WMO Headings Available to the following customers
FTUS80 KWBC Non-FAA Domestic and Family of Services
FTUS90 KWBC FAA Weather Message Switching Center and FAA
Facilities
FTUS52 KWBC Global Telecommunication System Customers
If you have questions regarding the TAF change, contact:
Michael Staudenmaier
Meteorologist in Charge
National Weather Service Office
Las Vegas, NV 89139
702-263-9744
michael.staudenmaier@xxxxxxxx
National Technical Implementation Notices are available at:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/notif.htm
$$