In addition to receiving accurate and certified aviation weather information, pilots now have the ability to visually observe weather conditions high in the Colorado Rockies before they depart the airport. Colorado’s new aviation weather cameras can be accessed online.

The installation was made possible through a partnership developed between the Colorado Division of Aeronautics and the FAA’s Alaska Weather Camera Program. For many years, the FAA has administered a Weather Camera Program in the State of Alaska, providing visual weather information to pilots in that state’s challenging environment. Currently, the Alaska Program has a network of over 230 camera sites. The 13 new camera sites now operational in Colorado are the first in the US outside of Alaska to be incorporated into the FAA weather camera network.

On the FAA’s weather camera website, Colorado pilots (and others with an interest) can access current weather camera images and compare them to clear day views, and also have the ability to playback a loop of past images to ascertain weather trends. The FAA’s upgraded website also provides one-stop access to a variety of safety of flight information, including current conditions, terminal area forecasts, pilot reports, and radar and satellite imagery.

“The Colorado Division of Aeronautics is excited to have had this opportunity to partner with the FAA in yet another joint effort to enhance aviation safety in Colorado,” said Colorado Department of Transportation Aeronautics Director David Ulane. “The division is proud to continue our heritage of pioneering new initiatives that further our mission to help advance a safe, efficient, and effective air and space system in Colorado.”

The project marks the third such collaboration between the Division of Aeronautics and FAA, where the division has funded FAA-completed safety improvements on its behalf. Previous reimbursable agreements with FAA include the development of Colorado’s Wide Area Multi-Lateration System, and ongoing Remote Tower Project at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport.