Emma Kelly/LONDON
Situational awareness in the cockpits of general aviation aircraft operating in US airspace, is set to improve with the introduction of Federal Aviation Administration and Jeppesen-led weather information services.
The FAA's Flight Information Service Data Link (FISDL) operation is the result of a government-industry partnership with Arnav Systems and Honeywell. The service - which will be available throughout the US National Airspace System (NAS) - provides GA aircraft with basic text weather information, including routine weather reports, special aviation reports, terminal area forecasts, pilot reports and severe weather forecast alerts. To access the service, pilots require a VHF data radio and a multifunction display unit capable of displaying digital graphic and text messages.
Under the terms of five-year deals signed last year, Arnav and Honeywell are service providers for FAA information, with the companies receiving two nationwide datalink frequencies for the broadcast of information. The Arnav system is already operational, while the Honeywell Bendix/King service is due to come online in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, flight information provider Jeppesen has teamed up with communications company AirCell in an alliance which will see high-resolution weather graphics delivered to GA cockpits via AirCell's airborne communication system and Jeppesen's FlightMap navigation software from the fourth quarter. The service will be compatible with Jeppesen's latest generation JeppView Electronic Airway Manual Service - JeppView FliteDeck - which will be available next month, providing Jeppesen's terminal charts in an electronic format displayed on handheld or mounted displays.
Weather updates will be routed to the FliteDeck and FliteMap systems via the AirCell communication system, with information coming from Jeppesen's worldwide Aviation Weather Servers.
Source: Flight International
