SUPERUNICOM
Not every
airport has the means to offer full-time unicom, complete with current weather
observations. But that's about to change.
By Dr. Lynn
Remly
Automated
weather observation systems like ASOS and AWOS are cost-prohibitive to many smaller
airporis Purchase and installation can typically exceed $200,000, a figure that is soon
augmented by a five-digit budget for maintenance.
But
those days are over. Potomac Aviation Technology has introduced Super-Unicom, a 260-pound,
self-contained weather system, unicom operator and unicom transceiver in one box.
SuperUnicom is a computerized, command response system combining traffic advisories with
enhanced ATIS, eliminating at least one frequency change while dramatically improving the
timeliness and accuracy of both. Messages are adaptable based on overall demand to the
frequency as well as pilot preference.
SuperUnicom
begins with an automated greeting to inbound VFR pilots: "Good evening, this is
'Anytown' Airfield Automated Unicom. Click your mic three times for advisory, four times
for radio check." SuperUnicom can greet pilots individually, on demand or continually
insert greetings into radio dead time between pilot communications.
Any
information that follows is computer-adjusted, based on the volume of unicom traffic, but
at the very least includes automated weather alerts and airfield conditions. Pilots click
to receive a basic weather advisory that begins with the airport name, then continues in
order of relative importance; altimeter, wind speed and direction, temperature, dew-point
and density altitude. Advisories are updated every second, while regular ATIS reports can
be up to one hour old. SuperUnicom relies on
sophisticated computer algorithms to continually modify reports on fog, crosswinds,
wind-shear, high density altitude or other custom selected criteria. When traffic and wind
are unambiguous, it will even call a favored runway.
When
radio traffic is heavy, the device abbreviates outgoing messages to the bare bones without
omitting essentials. Depending on airport operator preference, "additional"
services and reports then kick in, such as the current location of men and equipment,
special parking or operations messages, or notices of closed runways or inoperative
lights.
SuperUnicom
is being installed at airports ranging from unattended, low-activity, park-service fields
to tower-controlled, high-volume airports. Initial investment is $38,600. Installation
costs-under $100 - involve tightening two built-in clamps around any windsock pole, then
aiming the wind sensor north. Its weather-proof housing is 18x24x24 inches. The system can
be maintained for less than $200 a year, by nearly any qualified personnel.
And
SuperUnicom doesn't end with the weather. The system also provides a 24-hour echo radio
check. Activated by the pilot's four clicks, the system responds, "Transmit radio
check." The pilot makes a call, and SuperUnicom echoes the transmission, allowing the
pilot to judge his or her own radio's quality and reception.
If
your airport would benefit from current weather information and a 24-hour unicom service,
contact
Dave Wartofsky
Potomac
Aviation Tech Corp., Potomac
Airfield,
10300 Glen Way, Fort Washington, MD 20744, (301) 248-5720, fax (301) 248-3997,
E-mail:
bigcheese@superunicom.com.