FAA Using Webcams to Aid Alaskan Pilots

Isthistakenyet? writes "CNN is running a story about a series of FAA webcams designed to give fliers in Alaska pictures of current weather conditions around the state. I can even get current conditions near where I used to live - check out the 'Clear Day Image' :)" Hopefully the slashdotting won't keep a legit pilot from checking conditions.

Re:censor slashdot to protect pilots! gimme a brea

[DNS-and-BIND]

Well, I wouldn't be so quick. I recently testified in a federal case in which the defendant was accused of nothing more than sending email. The server he was sending mail to had an absolutely awful design, it crashed due to the small volume, and the defendant found himself in court accused of "accessing a remote system to do damage", a 5-year rap. It seems but a small step from sending email to sending hits.

First of all...think about this:

[dbCooper0]

Sure, if some pilot actually relied on a webcam to be his/her eyes, then having this site /.ed would pose a problem. So would covering the windshield, etc. and using a CCTV to do visual navigation with. Go figger. The alarmist posts here are typical geek FUD.

But check this out from the article: Flying into bad weather is the leading cause of fatal accidents among Alaska's commuter airlines and air taxis. Alaska averages an aviation accident a day and a fatal crash every 10 days.

I can't be the only one who has a problem with this statistic; whatever happened to "seat of the pants" decisions - where the pilot (or driver or captain, depending on the craft they have control of) has to make the call to turn back and return to safety instead of flying (or driving or sailing) into bad weather?

IMHO, this is a good use of now-common technology to provide extra knowledge, but not meant to be a navigational aid.