Affordable Electronic Weather Reporting System for General Aviation Pilots

ARNAV Systems Inc. (ARNAV) proposes the development of a general aviation (GA) Electronic Pilot Reporting (EPiREP) system that provides real time transmittal of key atmospheric data: temperature, dewpoint, relative humidity, along with altitude, GPS- derived position, and type of the reporting airplane. EPiREP innovatively integrates new, low-cost digital data link packet modem transmission technology, with new low-cost solid state sensors and the global coverage of GPS. The integration of these technologies with ARNAV's low-cost multi-functional display implemented with a color Flat Panel display would lead to a software integrated modular EPiREP affordable for most GA aircraft. The EPiREP system proposed would compliment real time GA cockpit weather systems that are currently under development for displaying National Weather System (NWS) data. EPiREP will provide direct communications between aircraft and an automated ground weather systems for compilation and rebroadcast via satellite link into the NWS. Data compression and frequency conflict resolution software techniques will be used to ensure efficient frequency usage and avoid frequency saturation, and allow more than 150 aircraft to use EPiREP in a 75 mile radius airspace area.