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The
Atis
Wheel™ is a mechanical device designed to help
the airplane pilot in recording
all ATIS information while presenting the data as a graphic depiction.
The
Atis
Wheel™ is presented on a 14.5 cm x 22.5 cm
rectangular durable format with seven individual
wheels
positioned about the perimeter of the device along with two, concentric
wheels positioned
in the center. Each wheel’s topic coincides with the
sequential information
reported in the airport terminal area’s ATIS
broadcast.
Once
the
information is entered onto the Atis Wheel™,
this displayed information is now
available to the pilot for continued reference without the possibility
of
transcription error or forgetting the pertinent ATIS data.
(It is recommended
that the pilot listen to the pre-recorded ATIS
information twice to verify that
the correct information has been entered on the Atis
Wheel™.)
The
Atis
Wheel™ information coincides with the
sequential layout of the Atis Wheel™,
providing the pilot the following data:
The
ATIS
information phonetic letter identifying this specific
ATIS report, named
sequentially after a phonetic letter of the alphabet.
Example:
This is Providence ATIS information ALPHA
The
time
the ATIS information was recorded - in ZULU (GMT) time.
In
as much
as all ATIS information should be current, there is no wheel on the Atis
Wheel™
to record the ZULU time - The DIRECTION from which the wind is blowing
- The
VELOCITY of the wind, and wind GUSTS, if any
- The
VISIBILITY and SKY condition
- The
CEILING of the sky (if any) and cloud height, if OVERCAST.
- The
TEMPERATURE and DEW POINT
- The RUNWAY
in use for LANDING and TAKEOFF
- The
instrument APPROACH in use for landing
- The
BAROMETRIC pressure, in order to calibrate the altimeter
- Additional
tower comments (i.e., notice of closed taxies, etc)
- Additionally
offered on the Atis Wheel™ (though not offered in the ATIS
broadcast) is an
input on a wheel to display the airport FIELD ELEVATION, critical for
instrument approaches.
- The Atis
Wheel™ also displays clearly the visual
relationship between the wind direction
and the active runway, informing the pilot as to the pending cross wind
takeoff
and landing situation.
- The Atis
Wheel™ device has 7 punched wholes on its left
side making it conveniently
compatible with Jeppesen™ or
similar flight binders.
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