Welcome and Administrative Remarks

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Welcome andAdministrative Remarks

• Mr. Samuel P. Williamson
• Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services
  and Supporting Research

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Welcome andAdministrative Remarks

• The 2nd International Conference on Volcanic Ash
  and Aviation Safety sponsors
• Office of the Federal Coordinator for
  Meteorological Services and Supporting Research
  (OFCM)
• United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  (NOAA)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  (NASA)
• Smithsonian Institution (SI)
• Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)
• Meteorological Service of Canada/Environment
  Canada (MSC/EC)
• International Association of Volcanology and
  Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
• Tenix Corporation
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

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Welcome andAdministrative Remarks

• Thanks to everyone who helped make sure The 2nd
  International Conference on Volcanic Ash and
  Aviation Safety will be a success
• Special thanks to the National Aviation Weather
  Program Council
• Thanks to the members of the Office of the
  Federal Coordinator for Meteorology staff,
  Science and Technology Corporation, sponsoring
  agencies, exhibitors, the Interagency Working
  Group for Volcanic Ash, key speakers,
  chairpersons, panelists, moderators, and
  presenters
• A special Thank You to you, the participants of
  the conference, who are instrumental in making
  this conference a success

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Welcome andAdministrative Remarks

• Ms. Erin McNamara--Conference Coordinator for
  Logistics
• Ms. Mary Cairns--Conference Coordinator for
  Agenda
• Ms. Dawn Erlich--Registration Assistance
• Mr. Kent P. LaBorde and Mr. Greg Romano (NOAA
  Public Affairs)--Arranging for Media Events
• Lt. Col. Frank Estis--Protocol and Coordinator
  for Media Events
• Mr. Ken Barnett--Audio/Visual Assistance (Note
  If you have not already done so, please turn in
  any slides you plan to present to Ken as soon as
  possible.)

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Mayor William D. Euille

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Special Welcome

• The Honorable Ted Stevens,
• United States Senator from Alaska (Invited)

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Special Welcome

• The Honorable Ted Stevens, United States Senator
  from Alaska (Invited)
• Dr. James R. Mahoney, Assistant Secretary of
  Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA
  Deputy Administrator
• Dr. Charles G. Groat, Director, U.S. Geological
  Survey
• RADM. James P. Schear, Vice President for Safety,
  Federal Aviation Administration
• Mr. Ronald J. Birk, Director of the Earth Science
  Applications Division, Office of Earth Science,
  NASA
• Mr. Gianni Semenzato, Senior Flight Inspector,
  Ente Nazional per LAviazione Civile (Italian
  Civil Aviation Authority)
• Mr. William Voss, Director, Air Navigation
  Bureau, International Civil Aviation Organization
  
• Mr. Saad Benarafa, World Meteorological
  Organization

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Conference Thoughts

• Background
• Why hold a Second International Conference on
  Volcanic Ash and Aviation Safety?
• What should we expect to accomplish at this
  conference?

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Conference ThoughtsBackground

• Airborne volcanic ash poses a serious threat to
  aviation
• More than 100 aircraft have encountered volcanic
  ash clouds in flight
• Several resulted in multiple engine failures
• Disastrous crashes have been only narrowly
  averted
• Safest mitigation strategy--aircraft avoid flying
  into an ash plume
• Avoidance requires knowing where an ash plume
  exists
• Dispatchers, pilots, and air traffic controllers
  must be quickly informed of volcanic activity
• On average, about 15 major explosive eruptions
  occur per year

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Conference ThoughtsBackground

• 1991 symposium on volcanic ash and aviation
  safety brought stakeholders together for the
  first time
• Since then, nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers
  have been established

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Conference ThoughtsBackground

• Methods for observing and analyzing the
  indicators of an impending eruption have been
  improved
• New satellite-based remote sensing techniques are
  being used or developed
• Volcanic ash detection and forecast is very
  important to the international aviation community
  
• The International Civil Aviation Organization
  established the International Airways Volcano
  Watch Operations Group in 2002
• The ICAO deems this as a very significant problem
  
• Eight contracting States dedicated resources to
  support this effort
• You will hear more about this in Session 4
• Additionally, a closing address will be provided
  by the ICAOs Mr. William Voss on ICAO's
  commitment to mitigating this hazard

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Conference ThoughtsWhy a Second Conference?

• Because volcanic ash is truly an international
  problem
• A volcanic ring of fire circles the Pacific
  basin from South and Central America through the
  Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and around to
  Kamchatka, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and
  Micronesia

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Conference ThoughtsWhy a Second Conference?

• About 100 potentially dangerous volcanoes lie
  under air routes in the North Pacific region
  alone
• There are other regions of volcanic activity
• Ash carried downwind can endanger aircraft
• The ICAO began provisions in 1987 for volcanic
  ash warnings to be included in aviation SIGMETs
• In 1998, ICAO established the International
  Airways Volcano Watch, which consists of nine
  Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAACs)
• Each VAAC uses reports from volcano observatories
  and satellite imagery to track volcanic activity
  and ash clouds in its designated region.

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Conference ThoughtsConference Expectations?

• Improve the international system for volcanic ash
  risk mitigation
• Ensure we can provide accurate, timely reporting
  of an eruption to mitigate the risk to aviation
• Leverage and improve the use of capabilities such
  as satellites to detect and track ash clouds
• Improve the operational experience of the
  aviation community with the still-evolving system
  for detecting and communicating volcanic ash
  hazards

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Conference ThoughtsConference Expectations?

• Lets dedicate ourselves to
• Oneidentifying any new operational requirements
  (observation, forecasting, reporting, etc.) and
  the needed research and development needed to
  satisfy those requirements.
• Twowhere possible, match those operational and
  research and development requirements to ongoing
  programs/projects to maximize our partnership
  efforts.
• Threedevelop a roadmap for improved volcanic
  ash-related education, training, and outreach.
• And fourdevelop a framework for improved
  partnerships within the international volcanic
  ash community in an effort to leverage resources
  and capabilities across the spectrum of
  operations and research and development issues.

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Dr. James R. Mahoney,Assistant Secretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA
Deputy Administrator

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Dr. Charles G. Groat,Director, U.S. Geological
Survey

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Rear Admiral James P. Schear,U.S. Naval Reserve
(Retired) Vice President for Safety Federal
Aviation Administration

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Mr. Ronald J. Birk, Director of the Earth
Science Applications Division, Office of Earth
Science, NASA

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Mr. Gianni Semenzato, Senior Flight Inspector,
Ente Nazional per LAviazione Civile (Italian
Civil Aviation Authority)

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Luncheon WithCaptain Eric MoodyBritish Airways
(Ret.)(Sponsored by Air Line Pilots Association)

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