Airport gets Automated Weather Observing System
Hall-Miller Municipal Airport (KATA), Atlanta, has commissioned an Airport Weather Advisor® Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS). AWOS systems or weather stations are automated sensor suites that are designed to serve aviation and meteorological operations, weather forecasting, and climatology.
An article notes that “automated airport weather stations have become part of the backbone of the weather observing in the United States and Canada and are becoming increasingly more prevalent worldwide due to their efficiency and cost-savings.”
AWOS systems disseminate weather data in a variety of ways including computer-generated voice messages which are broadcast via radio frequency to pilots in the vicinity of an airport.
Typically, the message is updated at least once per minute which is the only mandatory form of weather reporting for an AWOS. There are some additional options including messages available over dial-up modem services and more recently through computers where the messages are currently in METAR format, which report frequencies once every 20 minutes.
According to a press release on March 28, Pappas Technologies Inc; completed the AWOS installation. Airport Weather Advisor®, which is the flagship product of Mesotech International, Inc, a Sacramento, California-based manufacturer of meteorological instrumentation systems. The AWOS supports aviation safety by providing up-to-the-minute weather reports to pilots via radio, telephone, and the internet.”
City officials felt adding this technology was important to the airport and our community for a variety of reasons. “The AWOS is part of our long-range strategic improvement plan. We leveraged state and federal funding sources as well as local economic development dollars to accomplish a lot in a short period of time. We have taken over and upgraded the fuel concession, resurfaced the airport runways, developed new hangers, and increased general aviation activity, “ explains Atlanta Texas Mayor, Travis Ransom.”
According to the same international press release, “Mesotech International, Inc. is based in Sacramento, CA, and has designed, manufactured, and installed meteorological monitoring systems for over 25 years. Mesotech’s flagship product, Airport Weather Advisor®, is an FAA-certified, ICAO compliant, and USAF-approved Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) for airports and military airfields. Awarded Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year (Region IX) in 2014, Mesotech is a US Air Force prime contractor who provides new systems, engineering, and logistics support for over 200 military installations worldwide.”
In response to being mentioned, Ransom says that “We are excited about the increased attention our airport is getting and look forward to continuing this improvement trajectory!”
“Hall-Miller Municipal Airport covers 162 acres and has two runways: an asphalt runway measuring 3,800 x 60 ft and a turf runway measuring 2.264 x 75 ft. In 2016, the airport had 20,000 aircraft operations and averaged 55 a day. The new Mesotech AWOS system will support these existing general aviation operations and help the airport safely grow and manage future operations, expanding the region’s economic development for years to come.”
“I’m proud of the many improvements we’ve been able to make at the Hall-Miller Municipal Airport during my tenure as Mayor,” says Ransom.