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Old 26th Sep 2007, 20:40
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IO540
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
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They have...

http://www.moving-terrain.de/en/index_en.htm

This uses a weird sort of customised table computer, with (AFAIK) a GSM (GPRS/3G) modem for ground connectivity, and an off the shelf cable connected satellite phone for airborne connectivity.

They have a deal with the European weather data cartel (the UK Met Office and its equivalents) for near real time weather radar.

They have a server with some airways routing software and a gateway of some sort into Eurocontrol so they can generate airways routings which are immediately flyable.

It's a slick system; in many ways an implementation of a pretty obvious requirement in the European IFR market.

Unfortunately they don't do a software-only product i.e. something you could run on your own hardware, and they have a high entry level of about £5000.

So, one can do it, but using straight TCP/IP (internet) over the 38.4k satellite phone data link, rather than the dedicated data network which Nexrad uses in the USA.

The problem is the very small European private IFR population - probably under 1000 active pilot/owners.

They appear to have sold a fair few to professional users, notably some helicopter ops.

Their market is limited at the top end because anything half decent has its own weather radar which has to be better for tactical CB avoidance than even a few mins of delay which MT offer.
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