ACARS Unit for light aircraft
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southampton
Age: 51
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Avidyne's MLX770 2-way Datalink transceiver offers textmessaging via Iridium Satellite network as well as 'almost' live weather data. Coupled with a Avidyne EX500 MFD would give you a light GA solution.
I can put you in touch with some fantastic avionics installers if your interested ;-)
Brgds
N
I can put you in touch with some fantastic avionics installers if your interested ;-)
Brgds
N
ACARS also requires a service provider as well as the equipment. I think you are looking at a lot of money to install the equipment and pay for the service. For the use you would get out of it in a GA aircraft, I would not be convinced it would be worth it.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Denmark
Age: 62
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Portable D-ATIS
I cannot help thinking that the technology required to recieve a D-ATIS would fit in a smartphone, or at least in a box the size of a Garmin 296. I would give up the other ACARS features as probably more demanding technologically, but I think just the D-ATIS would have several advantages: no missing ATC calls (or interrupting intercom chat), no misunderstanding of ATIS contents and not having to write it down. But does such a box exist?
@huv: what is the status of this D-ATIS technology? I should think most aerodromes visited by private pilots don't do "traditional" ATIS, let alone a digital version. So I am afraid it is not very relevant, not today at least. What the future brings remains to be seen. Que sera, sera...
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Denmark
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Jan O: Here in little Denmark we have 4 official ATISes and at least 2 "secret" one's (not published in AIP) - 6 in all. That gives a fairly dense coverage. I know that my home airport, EKRK, provides D-ATIS, and Copenhagen Kastrup EKCH also, but actually I do not know about the others. But I suspect that more and more D-ATISes will become available, ultimately to eliminate VHF ATISes and save precious frequencies.
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: USA
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One would find that a 747 from NY is hardly likely to arrive at LHR only to find it fogged in when they call up the ATIS
Most of the time we have the weather in hand when we leave KJFK or KEWR, and when we arrive in Europe, we pick up the weather with ATIS. That's it.
Some of our aircraft have ACARS, some don't. We don't use it.
I do call up VOLMET when enroute if there's a question about weather, but usually we know what we need to know from the forecasts. We can also call on the satphone. In VHF contact, sometimes we'll request weather through ATC.
For use in general aviation aircraft, the idea of ACARS is bordering on the ridiculous...right up there with INS. What's next? Night vision and infrared?
No doubt, datalink capability will be just around the corner with cellular technology, but it's bad enough to have people texting in cars. We really don't need people texting in airplanes, too. Especially single pilot without autopilot, flying at lower altitudes with plenty of air traffic to look after.
I know a crew which managed to stall a 744 on departure, and which didn't realize that the company knew all about it, thanks to ACARS and an airplane which told the tail. They tried to hide it, didn't say a word, and got busted. ACARS isn't always one's friend.
''I do call up VOLMET when enroute if there's a question about weather, but usually we know what we need to know from the forecasts.''
Well I'm glad that forecasts is acccurate enough for you to feel confident, but in my part of the world weather can chage very quickly and 3 Hr TAFs and ammendments are issued regularly. Of course, it's not going to help if you have already departed with planned fuel, but often forewarned is forearmed and you can start planning suitable options.
For modern operations, ACARS is a useful tool. In ours, we get TAFs, METARs, SPECIs, SIGMETS, NOTAMS, get our loadsheets, get our clearances, do our take off performance, get new flight plans and do the voyage report all through ACARS.
Also, certain aircraft maintenance functions will be notified through ACARS by the maintenance computers.
Getting information to GA pilots through a text system is not a bad thing. Yachts have had it for a while.
''What volmet can you get whilst transatlantic?''
HF VOLMET.
Well I'm glad that forecasts is acccurate enough for you to feel confident, but in my part of the world weather can chage very quickly and 3 Hr TAFs and ammendments are issued regularly. Of course, it's not going to help if you have already departed with planned fuel, but often forewarned is forearmed and you can start planning suitable options.
For modern operations, ACARS is a useful tool. In ours, we get TAFs, METARs, SPECIs, SIGMETS, NOTAMS, get our loadsheets, get our clearances, do our take off performance, get new flight plans and do the voyage report all through ACARS.
Also, certain aircraft maintenance functions will be notified through ACARS by the maintenance computers.
Getting information to GA pilots through a text system is not a bad thing. Yachts have had it for a while.
''What volmet can you get whilst transatlantic?''
HF VOLMET.
