Plans are reportedly on schedule to install state-of-the-art
Automated Weather Observing Systems (AWOS) at three airports in
Oklahoma this fall. The unmanned AWOS systems--manufactured by All
Weather, Inc. (AWI), a leading producer of weather information
systems and meteorological sensors based in Sacramento,
California--will provide continuously updated weather information
to pilots and ground personnel at Blackwell-Tonkawa Municipal
Airport near Tulsa, Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport outside
Oklahoma City, and Stigler Regional Airport in eastern
Oklahoma.
The AWOS, developed by AWI, is an unmanned system that monitors
weather conditions and outputs the data continuously over
ground-to-air radio and to a network of local and remote displays.
A full array of parameters is measured and steadily updated by the
AWOS, including wind speed and direction, temperature, relative
humidity, barometric pressure, rainfall, visibility, sky condition,
present weather, and thunderstorm activity.
“Oklahoma is subject to the full gamut of weather
conditions--from ice storms to blazing heat to intense
thunderstorms,” said Barbara Baca, U.S. Sales Manager for All
Weather, Inc. “The combination of sensors used in the AWI
AWOS makes monitoring of this vast meteorological variety possible.
With their consistent and reliable reporting, our AWOS systems will
be key in ensuring air safety in all conditions.”
Among its suite of sensors, the AWI AWOS includes
state-of-the-art, heated ultrasonic wind sensors for measuring wind
speed and direction. These sensors eliminate the problems
encountered with many mechanical wind sensors, including freezing
and bearing wear.
All three sites are also outfitted with AWI's Dual Technology
Visibility Sensor and Model 8339 Laser Ceilometer. AWI's visibility
sensors are used around the world in visibility and Runway Visual
Range (RVR) applications to provide pilots and airport personnel
with up-to-the-minute visibility data and trends.
The Laser Ceilometer uses laser pulses to detect clouds and
measure the extent of cloud cover. Using sophisticated software
algorithms, the AWI ceilometer is able to determine the height and
depth of up to three layers of clouds.
"We've developed our AWOS over years of working closely with
both large and small airports," Baca said. "The technology we have
now gives us a better chance than ever before of minimizing the
aviation hazards associated with weather."
All Weather, Inc. (AWI) provides AWOS aviation weather systems
and air traffic control display systems, as well as a wide range of
high-accuracy meteorological sensors and systems, including laser
ceilometers, runway visual range systems, lightning detection
sensors, and a variety of other meteorological sensors.