members:Flight
Scheduler Local Wx Home Contact us The SGFC 3080 Airport Rd Helena, MT. 59601 (directions) (406)443.0066 |
Upcoming events:Monthly Board Meeting: Second Monday of every month @ 5:30 pm U.N.O.
Members & Guests are welcome to attend. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Pilot Registration: The annual pilot registration fee of $10 goes to support the many clinics and programs of the MDT Aeronautics Division, including the Winter Survival Clinic, Aviation Career Exploration Academy, Aviation Art Contest, and the Aeronautics resource library. Registering pilots will receive a Montana airport directory and the monthly newsletter, Montana and the Sky. The information collected on pilot registration cards becomes invaluable in the event of search and rescue operations. Pilots interested in volunteering as search pilots and spotters may so indicate this on their registration card. Aeronautics staff have been working hard to process over 3400 pilot and aircraft registrations. If you have mailed your pilot and aircraft registration to the Aeronautics office and have not received your pilot registration card & airport directory or aircraft decal in the mail, please contact our office. We thank you for your patience during this busy time. For more information or questions, please contact the MDT Aeronautics Division’s main office at (406) 444-2506. Montana’s First FAA Aviation Weather Camera is Live Montana Aeronautics is excited to announce the first Aviation Weather Camera in Montana is now broadcasting live on the FAA’s website. The weather camera installation is located at the Lincoln Airport, offering views of the sky in three directions. The images update every ten minutes and are an excellent tool for both local and transient pilots to assist with preflight and enroute flight planning. Montana is the second state in the lower 48 states to offer aviation webcams hosted by the FAA. Colorado recently installed and activated 52 cameras across 13 locations. The FAA weather camera program began in Alaska, where some of the most severe and rapidly changing weather can greatly impact routes and safety of flight. There are currently 230 weather cameras across Alaska, with plans to install more. As a result of this added flight planning resource, Alaskan aviators have experienced an increase in safety and efficiency, highlighting an 85% reduction in weather-related accidents in mountain passes with the addition of new weather technology, electronic flight bags, and the new weather cameras. Additionally, NAV Canada hosts 178 sites across Canada; Hawaii will soon jump onboard with 23 camera systems placed in critical locations across the Hawaiian Islands. Starting the Web Camera program was a large undertaking. Many pilots, the FAA, and organizations in Montana assisted with its development. We extend a special thank you to Terry Spath of Lincoln for providing space on his hanger to mount the first camera equipment, along with the use of power and internet. He also engineered and built the pole mounting system for the camera array. Additionally, the Montana Pilots Association graciously surveyed their members and provided us with a list of locations cameras would most benefit the Montana pilot community with their flight planning needs. Thank you! The FAA is a critical partner in providing technical support and hosting of the online camera images. In the very near future, cameras are to be installed at the Seeley Lake and Yellowstone airports . After this initial installation period, mountain pass cameras will be a priority. We are excited to have this new tool available to assist the flying community with near-live visual weather observations. Additional site hosts are needed to expand the web cam network. Airports, entities, or individuals interested in purchasing camera equipment and hosting a camera site will need to provide an area with clear views along with power and a static IP address internet connection. If a static IP address internet connection is unavailable, a cellphone modem and phone plan can be used. For more information, please contact Derrick Olheiser at the Aeronautics Division at (406) 444-9592 or [email protected]. Please check out the feeds at https://weathercams.faa.gov to view the Lincoln camera footage live. Stay tuned for more updates Montana Aviation Conference Registration Open The Aviation Organization of Montana (AOM) is pleased to announce the Montana Aviation Conference will be held in Butte February 29 to March 2, 2024. The conference brings Montana's aviation organizations and the flying public together for three days of speakers, seminars, workshops, awards ceremonies, business meetings, comradery, and social events. It is an opportunity for those from the aviation community to connect, learn, and exchange ideas and information. Around 500 participants are expected this year. If you are interested in saving money on your registration fees, check out the “take off to landing” package on the registration website and register by February 1, 2024! Lodging is available at a special rate by calling the Copper King Hotel in Butte at 406-533-6960. Mention the Montana Aviation Conference for discounted room rates. Reservations must be made before January 1, 2024, to get the event rate of $109 + tax for single room, $109 + tax for double room, or $169 + tax for family suite. For more information, contact the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) Aeronautics Division at 406-444-2506 or email [email protected]. Lincoln Airport Community Open House Fly-in BBQ/PotluckWhen: Saturday, July 27, 2024, 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM Mountain Time (US & Canada) (UTC-07:00) Where: S69 Lincoln Airport Hangar 2 1925 South Airport Drive Hangar 2 Lincoln, MT 59639 Event Contact(s): Jerome M Cain(406) 461-5631 (p)(406) 461-5631 (c) |