US instruments company AAI/Systems Management is offering the option of a precipitation identification sensor on its Next Generation Weather Observing System (NEXWOS) - a low-cost meterological device designed for smaller airfields. The sensor identifies rain, snow, haze, smoke and drizzle.
The standard version of the ground-based automatic weather-observation system, certificated by the US Federal Aviation Administration in mid-1996, uses a suite of meteorological sensors to gather information on windspeed and direction, air and ground temperature, pressure, relative humidity, visibility, cloud height and, now, precipitation.
The bank of sensor equipment, powered by an Intel 486 or Pentium computer, is designed for use at remote or low-budget airfields which do not employ meteorological staff. Incoming pilots are able to check conditions at the airfield, either before they undertake a journey, or during their flight, by dialling into the system.
Data are updated once a minute and can be transmitted automatically as a text file to a video-display terminal, paper printer or facsimile machine; or as a "voice" message over VHF ground-to-air radio, telephone, non-directional beacon or VOR broadcast system.
Russell Zink, president of AAI/ Systems Management, says that the NEXWOS has "-captured over 50% of the general aviation market in the USA". He says that the low-maintenance system costs around $50-60,000.
Source: Flight International
