One more question from SELCAL.
What does FICON stand for?
When the flight is planned to an airport with below freezing temperatures, there is a high likelihood of snow and ice on the RWY. And it is vital to know if these weather conditions are suitable for particular type of a plane.
After a RWY overrun accident by B737 at Chicago airport in 2005, FAA improved the way how to report pilots about RWY condition via NOTAMS.The system now uses a matrix with Runway Condition Codes (RwyCC) that range in value from 6 to 0, with 0 representing the worst condition, and 6 - the best possible condition.
This type of NOTAM is classified as FICON, short for Field Conditions.
For all airfield surfaces, the condition description will, at a minimum, describe the type of contaminant. Depths may also be reported for certain types of contaminants.
In case of snowstorm FICON will also describe the actions taken.Most commonly you will see terms like PLOWED, SWEPT, SANDED, and DEICED.
