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This post talks about a different kind of flying. Since 2019, the Disney Skyliner has transported thousands of guests over and around Walt Disney World parks and resorts. The ride system has gained quite a following. After my first ride, I was hooked. Skyliner is, by far, my favorite transportation around Disney World. So much so, that I decided to build a miniature, motorized Skyliner ropeway system in our basement.

Our basement ropeway generated a lot of interest after I posted a video on social media. I had several inquiries about how I constructed the system and if I’m willing to share the files. This post details how to print the parts and assemble my ropeway system compatible with Disney’s Skyliner models.

Gondolas arriving & departing the Caribbean Beach Resort Skyliner stationBackgroundDisney began selling collectible Skyliner models when the transportation system debuted. The models are surprisingly close in scale to the actual Doppelmayr Omega IV gondolas used by Disney. Each model features graphics of selected operating gondolas. When I discovered the collectibles at a resort gift shop, I was already building a ceiling mounted monorail in our basement. I immediately purchased one (the Stitch gondola for $17.99) to see if I could convert it to “fly” on a miniature ropeway system.

Disney Skyliner model displayed on the included stand I spent several months experimenting until I was satisfied that a model ropeway could work. As I continued fine tuning my designs, I purchased available Skyliner models from Disney resort gift shops. I found older models for sale on Ebay, Mercari, and Poshmark. My Skyliner fleet now incudes 11 gondolas. I’m only missing two; the Toy Story and Star Wars themed models.

Prime Directive: Do No HarmMy Prime Directive was to not alter or damage the Skyliner gondola models. If the system didn’t work, or if I decide to dismantle it, I want them in good condition for resale.

I had to create a way to attach the models to the ropeway. Real gondolas use a spring loaded rope grip to attach and detach from the rope. Due to the small scale, this wasn’t practical.

I designed a 3D printed rope grip that attaches to the ropeway; the hook on the top of the gondola snaps into the grip and can be easily removed. The shape of my grip fits into the grooves on the two bull wheels and interfaces nicely with the tower design.

Watch the gondola ropeway in action!Build Your Own Legal StuffMy model gondola ropeway system is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. You are welcome to make the system for yourself or for a friend. You may not sell or profit from any component of the system. If I catch you selling my Gondola Ropeway System, I will summon the Tiki Gods to rain upon your printer and filament.

If you’re interested in building a ropeway for your Skyliner models, here are the prerequisites:

Have access to (and know how to operate) a 3D printer. The largest parts (station shells) are 275 x 184 x 45mm. My printer has a 300 x 300 build plate and they’re a tight fit.
Be familiar with configuring a slicer. I’ll provide the print settings I used, but I won’t be able to help you beyond that.
Have basic understanding of DC battery power (5v, positive, negative, etc).
Have basic soldering skills.
If you choose to include the audio feature, be comfortable soldering wires to a circuit board.
The graphics on my stations are adhesive vinyl cut with a Cricut (or similar craft cutting machine). The SVG cut files are included with the STLs. You can also paint the stations, hand cut vinyl windows, or decorate any way you like.

The system can be built with or without audio that plays in-cabin announcements.

Short video of the real Skyliner ropeway system at Hourglass Lake, Hollywood Studios, & Caribbean Beach ResortHere’s the shopping list. I may receive a really small commission from Amazon when you buy using these links. You pay the same price, I get a few cents to help pay for website hosting – win/win .

PLA Filament

Hardware

ElectronicsI bought some of the electronics from Adafruit; a wonderful place to purchase your electronics gear. It’s an American, minority owned small business. US production facility is in Brooklyn. The AdaFruit “Learn” section has dozens of amazing, fun projects you can build yourself.

Items with the speaker emoji are required for the audio option.

FilesAll project files, including 3D STLs, audio tracks, and SVG vinyl cut files are available at Printables and Thingiverse.

Download from Printables
Download from Thingiverse

File Naming ConventionsMost STL file names begin with the name of the major component followed by the name of the sub component, and my version number. ie: DriveStation-Bullwheel-v25.stl

Sections of this GuideThis guide is divided into seven sections for assembling components, installation, and fine tuning:

Drive Station: has a motor driven bull wheel and optional Audio FX Soundboard, mini speaker, and speaker horn.
Return Station: also known as a tensioning station. The free-spinning bull wheel is mounted to a slider platform. A spring connected to the station shell and slider maintain ropeway tension.
Tower Assemblies: support the ropeway and gondolas between stations.
Rope Grips: attaches gondolas to the ropeway.
Control Box: holds a USB power bank to supply power to the motor and optional sound board. If sound option is used, a push button is mounted to the control box.
Installation: Putting it all together
Fine Tuning: Making the ropeway run smoothly.

Print SettingsI used the following general print settings. Most slicer default settings should work fine. I’ll mention any changes for individual files when necessary.

Filament: PLA
Resolution/Quality: 0.20 mm layer height
Infill: 20%
Walls/perimeters: 2
Supports: None
Brim: as necessary for build plate adhesion

Drive StationLet’s get building! The drive station is the most complicated, so we’ll start there.

Hourglass Lake (Pop Century/Art of Animation) Skyliner Station & my Drive Station (and Monorail Red in the background)Printing The PartsThere are seven 3d printed parts needed for the drive station; a speaker horn is also needed for the audio option.

DriveStation-Shell
- Orient the shell on the print bed laying on its top (upside down). I printed my shell with Hourglass Blue to match the color of the Pop Century/Art of Animation Hourglass Lake station. I picked some fun colors for the interior components. Choose whatever colors you like. Default print settings listed above should work fine.
DriveStation-Bullwheel (print two)
- Print two drive station bull wheel halves oriented with the flat side down on the print bed. Default print settings. The two halves are glued together with super glue gel. If the printed halves are slightly warped, it’s ok for now.
DriveStation-MotorMount
- Print the motor mount flat-side down with default print settings.
RopeGuide (print two)
- Print the rope guide flat-side down with default print settings. Both stations use the same rope guide, so print two.
DriveStation-RopeGuideMast
- Print the mast with large, flat-side down with default print settings. No supports needed.
DriveStation-SpeakerHorn
- Print the speaker horn if adding the sound option. The horn should stand up on the print bed with the wide, sound-output end on the print bed. Default print settings. No supports.
AdjustmentHolePlug (print two)
- Each station has a small hole in the front to allow a screwdriver to adjust the rope guide. The plug pressure fits into the hole to hide it after installation and adjustment. Print a plug to match the station color. Default print settings.

Drive Station AssemblyMotor & Audio Wiring HarnessI made a wiring harness to power the motor and sound board to make testing, assembly, disassembly a little easier. When wiring things up, pay close attention to male and female connector ends so you don’t end up having two connectors that don’t connect!

Be sure to protect the solder joints with heat shrink tubing or electrical tape. If you’re not going to have sound, you don’t need this harness.

I recommend 2-pin JST SM connectors. I used 3-pin connectors because I had a bunch in my parts drawer. Decide which pins will be positive and negative and solder the positive wires to positive; negative to negative.

Power CableBoth the motor and audio board (if used) are powered by 5v USB. This means you can plug a USB charge block into a wall receptacle or use a power bank mounted in the control box. Either way, a power cable is needed. Purchase a USB cable that will reach from the top of the Drive station to the control box or wall receptacle. I used a 6 foot USB-A to USB-C cable and used the USB-A end to plug into my power bank. A USB-C connector will also work.

Use a cheap cable with plastic coating. The braided fabric cables are more difficult to work with.

Cut the cable a few inches longer than you need. On the cut end, use a razor to carefully cut away a couple inches of plastic insulation to expose the 4 inner wires. Standard USB wiring includes:

Red: +5V
Black: GND
White: Data –
Green: Data +

Only the red (+5V) and black (ground) wire are needed. Strip the red and black wires, then solder them to the positive and negative leads on the JST connector. Be sure to cover the solder joints with heat shrink tubing.

Drive Station Bull WheelGlue the two bull wheel halves together. They can only fit together one way. Apply a small amount of super glue gel to the tabs, slots, and on the flat areas to be joined. Avoid gluing close to the edges to avoid oozing out. Press the two halves together hard to make sure all the tabs are seated in the slots. Lay on a flat surface and place heavy weights on it (I put a few paint cans on top). Let dry several hours.

If your completed bull wheel is a little warped, pour a few inches of 190°F/88°C water in a pan. Swirl the bull wheel in the water for a 5-10 seconds to soften the PLA. Remove the wheel and place on a countertop. Place a flat, heavy weight (like a can of paint) on top and let cool for an hour or so. The wheel should be nearly flat; a slight warp is ok.

Drive bull wheel and flange coupling attached with machine screws and hex nutsAttach the 6mm flange coupling to the bull wheel with 4 M3-.50 x 16 machine screws and hex nuts.

Motor MountPress 6x10x3mm Flanged Bearing into top of shaft pass-through hole. The bearing should seat with firm pressure. It doesn’t need to be very tight to do its job. If it’s too tight to go in smoothly, sand the hole with 220 grit sandpaper. If the bearing is loose enough to risk falling out, apply a touch of superglue gel on the edge. Do not allow glue to go inside the bearing. My bearings went in smoothly without sanding or glue.

Slide the drive shaft through the bearing and secure motor with four M3-.50 x 6 machine screws.

Solder the positive and negative wires of a 160mm (6.3″) 2-pin JST connector onto the motor contacts. The motor has a red dot on the positive contact. Reversing the positive/negative wires will turn the motor in the opposite direction. The system will work with in either direction. The Hourglass Lake and Hollywood Studios Skyliner routes have the gondolas on the right-hand side moving forward; the Riviera – Epcot line runs with forward moving cars on the left.

NOTE: Assembling the drive station is a little tricky due to the tight spaces. I experimented with different assembly steps to make it as easy as possible. In doing so, some of the photos were taken out of sequence. The steps below are in the order that I think is easiest. Feel free to assemble in a different order if you think it might be easier.

Motor Assembly to Station ShellAttach motor mount assembly to station shell with 4x M3-.50 x 20 machine screws and M3-.50 hex nuts. Screw heads should be inside the shell on the motor mount; hex nuts on top of the shell. Don’t over tighten the nuts to avoid damaging the shell; snug is fine.

Optional Audio FX Board and SpeakerI’ll include the minimum detail necessary to get the Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board working. If you want (or need) detailed instructions for the board, check out the in-depth tutorial on the Adafruit site. Unfortunately, I can’t provide any support for the board.

The audio system includes announcements from the eight Skyliner routes; plus two extra routes edited to represent my basement Pop Century to Hollywood Studios route.

When the audio button is pressed, a randomly selected “route” will play in its entirety.

Increasing Audio FX GainThe Audio FX board ships with the gain reduced to protect the built-in amp. My audio was too quiet, so I increased the gain by severing the small bridge on the G1 pad with a razor blade. This doubles the gain and fills a small room with glorious Skyliner announcements.

If you’re interested, the schematic for the FX Sound Board can be found here. The gain chart on the right side of the schematic details the dB increases by severing pads G0 & G1. Severing only the G1 bridge is plenty. Increasing gain further could damage the board.

If the audio is too loud after cutting G1, you can repair the G1 bridge with a small drop of solder.

Wiring the Adafruit Audio FX Sound BoardThe power, speaker, and button wires can be soldered directly to the FX board. However, I used JST cable connectors and a speaker terminal block (included with the Audio FX board) to make testing and assembly easier. Solder the terminal block to the left speaker channel pinouts. To connect the speaker, slide the stripped speaker wires into the holes and tighten the set screws. Black is negative, red is positive. The speaker wires are really thin; it’s a challenge to get them adequately pinched with the set screws. Give the wires a slight tug to make sure they are secure.

Solder the power connector wires to the Vin and Gnd pinouts. Solder the button wires to the #3 and Gnd pins. Below is a diagram showing pinout details.

Transferring Audio Files to the BoardThe Audio FX Board has a standard micro B USB jack on the end. Connect the board to your computer with a micro B USB cable. Be sure to use a known good data+power USB cable. Cheap cables that come with power banks often don’t support data transfer.

The audio board file transfer is compatible with most any computer. I successfully tested it with my Mac, an old PC, and my Linux laptop.

Once plugged into a computer, the FX board will appear as a removable USB drive in your Windows directory or Mac Finder. If there is a file already on your new FX Sound Board, it’s a test file from the factory; you can leave it or delete it.

The Skyliner audio files are in a zip file at Thingiverse and Printables. Make sure to unzip the files; there should be 10 ogg files. Drag and drop one audio file at a time to the board and be patient. File transfer to the board is slow (especially with an aging Win10 PC).

After the last file is transferred, eject the drive to assure the transfers are complete. Unplug the board and you’re ready to test and install.

It’s a good idea to temporarily plug in the push button, wire up the speaker, and attach and power wires to test the board. The micro USB jack on the board is only for transferring files; you can’t power the board and speaker with the micro USB jack. For audio playback, the board is powered by the Vin & Gnd pins.

A green LED light will illuminate on the board when properly powered. Momentarily pressing and releasing the button should illuminate a red LED and play a randomly selected audio file. The volume of the speaker will be very low unless it’s attached to the printed speaker horn.

If you have trouble with the Audio FX Sound Board, I can’t help you. Refer to the documents on Adafruit:

Audio FX Sound Board Tutorial
Sound Board Schematic

Install the Audio ComponentsAttach the audio board to the shell with two M2.5 x 10mm nylon screws and nuts. Do not use metal screws due to the risk of shorting out board components. Push the power and push-button wires through the square hole in the top of the shell.

Peel off the oval sticker backing paper from the speaker and press the speaker onto the back of the speaker horn. Attach speaker horn to the shell with two small sheet metal screws through the top of the shell. I think I used #4 x 3/8″ screws; find a couple of small screws that look like they’ll fit.

Attach Drive Bull Wheel To ShaftSlide the bull wheel flange coupling over the motor drive shaft, leaving a 1mm space between the coupling and motor housing. Align the flat side of the shaft with the set screw on the flange. Use an allen wrench to tighten the set screw in the flange.

Rope Guide PrepFor each Rope Guide (you should have two, one for each station), cut two pieces of clear packing tape about 9mm x 90mm. Wrap the tape around the ramps on each guide. The tape provides a smooth surface for the rope grips to glide over.

Press the tape down firmly on the bottom of the ramp.

Attach Rope Guide & MastConnect a rope guide to the rope guide mast with one M3 x 10mm machine screw and nut.

Assemble the rope guide and mast with the screw hole centered in the slot. Tighten just enough to be snug. Later, when fine tuning, this screw is loosened to adjust the height of the Rope Guide so the gondola rope grip smoothly transitions onto the bull wheel.

If the nut won’t fit into the hexagonal hole, apply gentle pressure with pliers to pop the nut into the hole. If hole is still too tight for the nut, try enlarging with a razor blade.

Attach rope guide assembly to station shell with two M3-.50 x 10 machine screws and M3-.50 hex nuts.

Drive station assembly is now complete! The station should look something like this:

Return StationThe return station is sometimes called the tensioning station because it’s designed to maintain tension on the cable (or “rope”) that carries the gondolas. Our return station maintains rope tension with a small spring.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Skyliner station & my Return Station Printing The PartsThere are six printed parts needed for the return station.

ReturnStation-Shell
- Orient the shell on the print bed laying on its top (upside down).
- I printed my return shell with teal filament and added a 4mm layer of red mid-print to resemble the Hollywood Studios station. Choose whatever colors you like.
- The interior of the shell has four sets of rails to hold the sliding tensioner. Enable supports in the slicer software to properly print the rails. The supports are removed after printing (a small screwdriver is helpful for prying the supports out of the slots). The small access hole on the front wall of the station shell does not need supports.
ReturnStation-Bullwheel (print two)
- Print two return station bull wheel halves oriented with the flat side down on the print bed. Default print settings. The two halves are glued together with super glue gel. If the printed halves are slightly warped, it’s ok for now.
ReturnStation-Tensioner
- The tensioner holds the bull wheel & rope guide, and slides fore and aft to maintain ropeway tension. Use default print settings.
RopeGuide
- You may have already printed this when printing the Drive Station parts.
AdjustmentHolePlug
- Each station has a small hole in the front to adjust the rope guide. The plug pressure fits into the hole to hide it after installation and adjustment. Print a plug to match the station color. Default print settings.

Enable supports to allow proper printing of the rails (supports depicted in light blue). Block supports (no supports) for the access hole. Test Fit Tension SliderTest fit tension slider in the station shell. Slider should slide freely and smoothly fore and aft. Sand rails and/or slider as necessary. If tension slider is warped, dip into 190°F/88°C water for a few seconds, and hold flat on a countertop until cool. It took me a few tries at de-warping and sanding to achieve smooth, action with no binding. After testing, remove tension slider from station shell.

Test to assure smooth sliding with no binding.Return Station Bull WheelThe return station bull wheel halves assemble in the same manner as the drive station wheel. Apply a small amount of super glue gel to the tabs, slots, and on the flat areas to be joined. Avoid gluing close to the edges to avoid oozing out. Let dry several hours on a flat surface with weights on top. After dry, remove any warp using the instructions above for the drive wheel.

Attach Rope Guide to TensionerAttach Rope Guide to the mast on the Tension Slider with a M3 x 10mm machine screw and nut. Tighten screw until just snug. Like the drive station rope guide, position the screw hole mid-slot.

Attach Bull Wheel to TensionerInsert a 608 spinner bearing into the wheel. Lightly sand if necessary to pressure fit the bearing. Bearing should be flush with top edge of bull wheel. If the bearing is really tight, use 220 sandpaper to remove defects in the hole so the bearing fits firmly in the bull wheel.

Secure bull wheel to slider with a #8 flat washer and #4 x 1/2” wood screw. Tighten screw just until firm. Do not over tighten. Wheel should spin freely.

Bull wheel should spin freely on tensioning sliderInstall Tensioning SpringSlide the tensioner in position before screwing in the hooks; the tensioner can not be installed with the hooks in position.

The tensioning spring is attached with two small cup hooks. I used two screw eyes bent with pliers into hooks. The two hooks screw into the holes on the tensioner and back of the station shell.

The provided holes may be too small; use a drill bit to enlarge them.

I had several springs in my junk drawer. The spring I used needed modification to work. I cut it a little shorter and used pliers to create hooks on the ends. The spring will likely be too tight; it should be kind of “springy” to maintain string tension. We don’t want the nylon cord to be tight, just firm. The spring should give and take as the gondolas move around the bull wheels. It’ll take some experimenting to get it right.

To loosen the spring force, I slightly over extended the spring until I was happy with it.

Once the spring is installed, it may be easier to remove the spring, screw hooks, and tensioner assembly to install the station on the ceiling.

Ceiling SpacersEach station needs 3 ceiling spacers. The spacers keep the station tops 3 cm below the ceiling to provide room for the motor and wires. It also gives the stations a nice, finished look when installed. I printed my spacers in black. Default print settings should be fine.

Tower AssembliesThe towers support the ropeway and gondolas between stations. Each tower mounts to the ceiling with a small drywall screw.

How Many Towers?The first towers should be about 8 inches (20 cm) from the front of each station.

After the first towers, I spaced my towers every 18 inches (46 cm), give or take an inch or two. Feel free to experiment with the spacing. I like how 18″ looks and it seems to support the rope and gondolas well. After you figure out how many towers you need, it’s time to start printing components.

Printing The PartsThere are five printed parts needed for each tower assembly.

Tower
- Orient the tower on the print bed with the ceiling mounting tap sticking up.
- Default print settings should work. No supports needed.
Tower-GuideMount (2 needed)
- The guide mounts snap onto the tabs on each side of the tower.
- Print with the single slot facing up
- Default print settings should work. Avoid using a brim unless necessary.
- Try to assure z-seam is on the bottom of the guide.
Tower-GuideSlider (2 needed)
- The guide slider has two tabs that snap into the mount. The top surface of the slider is what the ropeway and gondola rope grips slide over.
- Print with the two tabs facing up.
- Default print settings should work. Avoid using a brim unless necessary.
- Try to assure z-seam is on the bottom of the guide.

Below is a fresh batch of tower guides. Notice the z-seam is on the bottom of each guide. If you print with the seam on top of the guide slider, you may want to sand the seam smooth. A seam on the bottom won’t hurt and won’t be noticeable.

Assemble the GuidesApply a bit of super glue gel to the two tabs and slots on the mount and slider. Add a dab of gel on each side of the slots, but not enough to ooze out. Firmly squeeze the mount and slider together. Wrap a rubberband several times around each slider/mount and let dry for a few hours.

Warping the Guide FinsThe four fins protruding from each tower guide need to be warped. The fins assure the rope grip is properly aligned for its journey over the guide.

Fill a Mickey coffee cup with 190°F/88°C water. Dip one end of the guide in the water and submerge the two fins for about 5 seconds. Gently bend the fins slightly outward as pictured. Be gentle; the fins will be soft from the hot water. It doesn’t take much effort to bend them. Repeat with the other two fins.

Attach Guides to TowerYou may be able to snap the guides onto the towers without glue. About half of my guides snapped on tight; I used a bit of super glue gel for the rest of them.

Take a close look at the alignment of the guides and tower. The guides need to be as close to 90° to the tower as possible. Gently bend the guides to align them. If the guides are stubborn, warm water can be used to soften the tab before attaching the guide, then hold in position while it cools.

Rope GripsThe rope grip provides a means to connect the gondola to the ropeway (nylon cord).

Print the rope grips with default settings. I printed most of my grips with a .20 layer height, but also had good results printing a few at .16 (dynamic quality). No supports needed.

Lightly sand the bottoms of the grips with 120 sandpaper to smooth out the sharp layer edges. The photo above shows my sanded grip bottom. It’s not necessary for the bottoms to be perfectly smooth.

Control BoxThe control box holds the USB power bank and push button (for the sound option). If you plan on powering the Skyliner with a wall outlet, and without sound, you don’t need the control box.

Printing the PartsThe box consists of the box back that screws into the wall, and 2 versions of the front; one with a hole for a sound button and the other without a hole.

Box
- Orient the box on the print bed laying on its back.
- Default print settings. No supports needed.
Box-Front
- Orient the box front on the print bed laying on its face.
- Default print settings. No supports needed.
Box-Front-NoSound
- Same settings as Box-Front

Control Box AssemblySound option: Attach the button to the hole in the box front and solder the button wires to the button posts. For my button wire, I used some thin speaker wire I had in my junk box. Any sort of 2 conductor wire will work.

Route the wire up the left or right side of the box in the slots as shown below.

The box is designed to attach to the wall with a #6 x 1 ¼” drywall screw. Screw the box into the wall then press on the front. If the front fit isn’t snug, add a small drop of hot glue to the outside of each tab on the sides of the front and press into position. Permanently gluing the box together will make removal from the wall difficult.

Most pocket-size USB power banks will slide into the box.

Decorating the PartsThe stations, towers, and control box can be decorated with cut vinyl, paint, or stickers. I included my Cricut SVG cut files if you want to use them. The files should be compatible with most vinyl cutting machines.

Detailed cutting instructions are beyond the scope of this article.

Ropeway InstallationProject the Route with a LaserUse a laser level to project the Skyliner route on the ceiling. I thought about snapping a chalk line, but this would be messy and likely stain the ceiling. The laser allows you to experiment with different options. Use small pieces of blue painter’s tape to mark the ends of the route so you can reposition the laser if it gets bumped.

Align the StationsTemporarily disassemble the return station. Hold the station shell in position and use a pencil to mark the three mounting holes on the ceiling. Use the return station shell to mark holes for both stations.

Make sure the station is aligned with the laser as closely as possible.

Prep the Drive StationPrepare the drive station for installation by connecting the USB power cable and button wires. Plug the USB cable into a USB power source and make sure the motor runs and bull wheel rotates. Press and release the audio button to make sure the audio works.

Use duct tape and zip-ties to secure the wires to the top of the station

Install the StationsScrew each station and spacers into the ceiling with three #6 x 2 inch drywall screws. Slide the screws into the mounting holes on the shell, through the ceiling spacers, and screw into the ceiling. Hit the pencil marks on the ceiling as accurately as possible. Tighten until just snug. Over tightening will strip the drywall. Screw holes on the shell will allow for slight adjustment to assure alignment with laser.

Fully wired and installed drive stationMark and Install the TowersMark the tower positions with blue painter’s tape. My first towers are positioned 8 inches from the front of each station, then about 18 inches apart.

Install each tower with a #6 x 1 ¼” drywall screw. Screw slot will allow for small adjustments of the towers. Don’t over-tighten the screws; just snug.

Install the Ropeway (Nylon Cord)Use the 1.5mm nylon cord to make a large loop. Here’s a formula to get the cord circumference (length):

Measure the distance between the front edges of the stations and multiply by 2. Then add 873mm (or 34 3/8”). On my installation, the distance between the front edges of the stations is about 134″. 134(2)+34.375=302.375

The formula will get you in the ballpark. Actual length will vary due to spring length/tension and cord tension. It took me a couple tries to get the length just right.

Cut the string a few inches longer to allow for tying a knot. I marked my string with pieces of painters tape so I knew where to make the knot. I used a square knot. Don’t trim the excess string until you are happy with the length. You will likely need to loosen and adjust it a few times.

Test fit the ropeway by looping it around the drive station bull wheel, then the return station bull wheel while gently pulling the bull wheel away from the spring to provide some slack. When the bull wheel is released, the loop should pull and hold the tensioning assembly about a 1/4″ to 1/2″ or so forward of its neutral (no tension) position. As more gondolas are added, there were be more tension on the spring.

The image below shows my spring and tension slider assembly in the neutral (no-tension) position on the left and with the cord and 11 gondolas installed on the right.

When you’re happy with the loop length, make sure the knot is tight and trim the loose ends close to the knot. Use a match or lighter to heat the knot just enough to soften the cord fibers (quickly pass the knot through the flame so the cord doesn’t burn through). When the knot cools, it will be secure. The knot will break if over heated.

Make sure the cord is positioned above all the tower guides and rope guides inside the stations. The cord will not touch all of the tower guides, especially near the stations. This is normal. The weight of the gondolas will pull the cord down onto the guides.

Attach the Skyliner GondolasRope Grip InstallationInstall the rope grip by gently snapping into place on the gondola hanger arm. Be careful! The hanger section of the model is fragile; it wasn’t designed for this. It may be necessary to lightly sand areas on the grip to get a good fit. My grips snap onto the arm without any alteration.

Attaching Grip to RopewayThe narrow channel along the bottom of the grip pinches the string tightly. I use a fingernail to force the nylon cord into the channel.

Placing a gondola’s rope grip directly in front of the cord knot will help ensure the knot doesn’t get snagged on a tower slider.

Space the gondolas around the ropeway evenly. When I had 7 or 8 gondolas on my system, I noticed the ropeway would bog down and slip on the bull wheels due to a balance issue. Once I spread out the gondolas evenly, the ropeway worked smoothly. I also had better luck with an odd number of gondolas; so only one gondola goes around a bull wheel at a time.

Fine TuningStation Rope GuidesPower up the system and pay close attention to the how the rope grip transitions from the station rope guide onto the bull wheel. The rope grip should slide smoothly off the guide and into the bull wheel groove. If the guide is too high or low, you’ll hear/see a click as rope grip hits the top or bottom edge of the wheel and snaps into the groove.

Adjust the rope guide height by inserting a small screw driver into the front access hole and loosen the screw. Wiggle the rope guide a bit to raise or lower as needed. Watch the gondola again to check for smooth operation. When finished, tighten the screw.

The video below shows the grip smoothly sliding off the guide and into the bull wheel groove.

Demo of rope grip transitioning smoothly from guide to bull wheel grooveRepeat the adjustment on the other station.

Adjust TowersWatch the gondolas as they slide across the tower guides. Towers may need to be moved left/right or slightly rotated so the grip slides smoothly over the guides. It may also be necessary to bend a guide or two if they are out of square.

Failure IS an Option (for me & Edison)When discussing the challenges of creating a light bulb, Thomas Edison said: “I have not failed 10,000 times – I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”

I didn’t make it to 10,000, but I definitely discovered a lot of ropeway designs that didn’t work!

Good Luck!If you have questions and/or decide to take on this project, let me know in the comments!

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A METAR map is a custom-made map with LED lights positioned at selected airports or reporting stations. The lights change color to indicate weather conditions based on METAR reports via internet. I’ve wanted to make a METAR map for a few years and finally took the plunge, and I’m thrilled with the results.

Creating a map is not difficult and requires only basic tools (scissors, electric drill, hot glue gun). No computer programming knowledge is necessary and configuring the lights is easy.

If you’re curious about METARs and the process to make your own map, read on!

What is a METAR?METAR is a French acronym for Météorologique Aviation Régulière; the English translation is Meteorological Aerodrome Report. Take your pick. Either way, METAR is a format for reporting weather observations. METARs are typically issued every hour, usually more often, by many airports and a few non-airport reporting stations.

ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System) or older AWOS (Automated Weather Observing System) stations automatically collect the data used in METARs. Humans are still an important part of the process. Local observers (like control tower personnel) can augment the automated reports with information the machine can’t see, like funnel clouds or distant lightning.

ASOS data collection sensors at Elko Regional Airport (Wikimedia Commons)METAR ExampleHere’s a METAR from my home airport, Bowman Field in Louisville (KLOU):
KLOU 041653Z 35006KT 10SM BKN038 03/M05 A3033 RMK AO2 SLP273 T00281050

METARs look awful at first, but with a little practice they aren’t difficult to read. They all follow the same format. Here’s the decoded observation from the above METAR:

KLOU Decoded Observation:
Time Stamp: 4th day of January, 1653z (UTC Time)
Wind: 350° at 6 knots
Surface visibility: 10 statute miles
Clouds: Broken cloud ceiling at 3,800 ft
Temp / Dew Point: 3°C / -5°C
Altimeter: 3033 inHg (US reports inches of mercury; most countries use millibars)
Remarks:
Type of station: AO2 (an AO2 station can detect precipitation type)
Sea-level Pressure 1027.3mb
Temp/Dew point in tenths: 2.8°C / -5.0°C

Lexington, Kentucky METAR displayed in-flight on an Avidyne IFD540 GPS NavigatorNon-Airport METARsMETARs are also issued at a few non-airport reporting stations. My favorite is Mount Washington Observatory, New Hampshire; elevation 6,288 ft (METAR ID: KMWN). Mount Washington boasts some of the most extreme weather in the country. I pulled up the KMWN METAR as I was writing this and was not disappointed:

KMWN 041547Z 27039G44KT 0SM -SHSN FZFG BLSN VV000 M11/M11 RMK VRY LGT ICG

KMWN Decoded Observation:
01/04/2024 at 1547z
Winds 270° at 39 knots (45 mph) gusting to 44 knots (51 mph)
Light snow showers, freezing fog, blowing snow
Indefinite ceiling with vertical visibility: 0 feet
Temp/Dewpoint: -11.0°C ( 12°F)/-11.0°C ( 12°F)
Remark: Very light icing

In other words, typical gorgeous day atop Mt. Washington! Years ago, when we first had access to live, inflight METARs, I would have fun with my first officers by pulling up Mt Washington’s METAR. I’d point at it and say: “wow, check out the latest weather at [our destination].” Always good for a laugh to break up the boredom on a long flight.

Who uses METARs?By number, pilots and dispatchers are the primary consumers of METARs. The weather observations in METARs provide pilots with the information to determine what takeoff or landing procedures should be used. There are times when a METAR will indicate a takeoff or landing cannot be safely made. Pilots often “refresh” METARs when approaching an airport with poor weather to monitor trends and have the most current decision-making information available.

Airline dispatchers read and speak fluent METAR. Dispatchers monitor origin, destination, and alternate forecasts and METARs for all their active flights. If weather at a destination or alternate changes unexpectedly, the dispatcher contacts the flight crew to work out a safe plan.

Weather hobbyists (like me!) enjoy monitoring METARs for the fun of it (I’m a hoot at parties). Weather nerds like to watch the changing observations during severe weather.

Meteorologists Use METARsI asked WAVE TV Louisville Meterologist Ryan Hoke how he uses METARs.

Ryan HokeMost Meteorologists use METARs just about every day. Our predictions are only as good as our current view of the weather, so we rely on radar, satellite, and, of course, METAR observations to paint that picture for us.

While knowing the temperature, dew point, and wind speeds from METARs are great for day-to-day use, it’s the more extreme weather events that make METAR data exceptionally useful. Wind gust speeds from METARs during a High Wind Warning event, like we saw on March 3rd, 2023 in Louisville, KY, helped meteorologists guide the public through a life-threatening situation. Every few minutes we were able to see incredible wind gust numbers come in from the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport’s ASOS site, providing METARs that showed 79 MPH wind gusts. This, along with METAR reports from other ASOS sites, allowed us to communicate to the public in almost real-time, that hurricane-force gusts were occurring. Thanks to the somewhat recent introduction of 5-minute METAR data updates, meteorologists no longer have to wait for the top of the hour to get the latest reports. This is a far-cry from when I had to make telephone calls to nearly a dozen airport ASOS sites to make a temperature map for TV, as now most airports are online and participate in 5-minute data output. With that in mind, the traditional hourly updates are still very useful, especially at ASOS sites that are paired with a human FAA weather observer, much like at Louisville’s airport.

Observer remarks in METAR data include sightings of lightning, tornadoes, and precipitation types, which are very useful for helping meteorologists confirm reports of severe and winter weather. Oftentimes we see these more rare METAR remarks and extreme observations posted to the National Weather Service Slack chat room since NWS both manually and automatically posts the METAR texts of these reports when certain criteria are met.

In short, METARs seem so basic when you consider how far we’ve come with satellites, radars, and weather modeling, but without them the world of meteorology would fall apart!

WAVE Meteorologist Ryan Hoke

METAR Resources The FAA and National Weather Service have interactive tools for finding METARS. The FAA’s Surface Weather Observation Stations tool is an easy way to find observations and METAR IDs by state or territory. https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/weather/asos

If you already know the METAR IDs (or have a list of favorites) they can be displayed on the NWS Aviation Weather Center METAR page: https://aviationweather.gov/data/metar. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about decoding the observations, because the tool has a “Decode” option that displays the weather in an easy-to-read format.

If you plan on reading a lot of METARs, take some time to learn the abbreviations and acronyms. Most are easy to remember. The Aviation Weather Center has a page to help with decoding METARS.

METAR MapsA METAR map uses LED lights to display basic flight conditions at a reporting station (usually an airport). Early generation maps displayed four colors that correlate to the four basic flight categories. Only two elements of the METAR were used: cloud height and visibility.

Green – VFR (Visual Flight Rules) Ceiling > 3,000 ft. Visibility > 5 mi
Blue – MVFR: (Marginal VFR) Ceiling 1,000 to 3,000 ft and/or visibility 3 to 5 mi
Red – IFR: (Instrument Flight Rules) Ceiling 500 to < 1,000 ft and/or visibility 1 to 3 mi
Pink – LIFR: (Low IFR) Ceiling < 500 ft and/or visibility < 1 mi

Newer generation map software can incorporate more METAR elements. Windy conditions can be displayed by flashing yellow, while flashing white can indicate lightning. A bright blue flash is displayed during frozen precipitation (snow, sleet, freezing rain, etc). The added elements provide an interesting, dynamic display.

Choosing METAR Map TechnologyThe heart of any map is a small, internet connected system-on-chip computer. If you’re a tech hobbyist, you can build a map from scratch using a RaspberryPi or ESP8266 board. So, if you have an old RaspberryPi laying around, you’re halfway there. Lights and connectors can be sourced on Amazon. Open source software is available at Github. I wasn’t interested in that much adventure, so I looked for a pre-programmed, ready-to-assemble kit.

There are several vendors that sell kits and finished maps. After comparing options, I narrowed my search to DIY Metar (diymetar.com).

DIY Metar is a family business that sells both kits and custom made, fully assembled maps. Unlike some of their competitors, DIY Metar maps need no subscription or annual fee. The owners, Alexander and Haley from Lakeland, Florida, were enthusiastic and responsive to my pre-purchase questions, making my purchase decision easy!

I bought their 100-light DIY Metar kit. The box includes two 50-light, addressable LED strings, a pre-programmed hub (controls lights and retrieves METARs via WiFi), USB power cube, and stickers to make a virtual LED legend. Most important, my purchase came with plenty of friendly customer support.

DIY Metar 100 light kit includes two 50 light strings, hub, charge cube, cables, stickers, instructionsDisclosureI received no payment or goods in exchange for mentioning DIYMetar.com in this article. The owners were unaware that I was writing this piece until I asked them to proof-read for accuracy. I’m impressed with their products and service; I think their business is worth recommending to my readers.

Testing the KitAfter unboxing my new kit, the first task was connecting the two strings to the hub and plugging it in. As expected, I had one hundred bright LEDs running through the brief test cycle.

Power on self-test of the DIY Metar hub and 100 lightsDesigning the MapI decided to include all Kentucky airports with weather reporting, then expanded to a 135 mile radius around our home airport (about an hour flight time in our Cherokee Six).

The actual map is the FAA’s U.S. VFR Wall Planning chart. The DIY Metar website has the Planning Chart available for download. However, the most current version of the chart is found on the FAA’s digital products page. Click the “Planning” tab, then download the PDF or Tiff file (whichever format you’re more comfortable editing). The files are quite large.

The Wall Planning chart is great for maps covering large areas. On the other hand, if mapping a small region (e.g., the Chicago area), sectional and terminal area charts can be downloaded and used to provide more detail.

You’ll need basic graphic editing skills and software to crop and make minor adjustments to the image. If graphic editing isn’t your bag, DIY Metar can design a map centered around your favorite airport.

Reduced-size version of my photolab-ready mapI used my favorite open-source graphics editor (Inkscape) to add the 135 mile circle, outline of Kentucky, a fancy legend, and some shading; none of which are necessary for a stunning METAR map.

DIY Metar kits come with a couple of stickers to make adding a virtual LED legend easy. After the map is printed, place a sticker where you want the legend and drill the light holes.

Pro-Tip:I placed a black dot on each airport that will have a light. Because some airports don’t issue METARs and others are close together, not every airport will have a light. The dots make it easy to locate the correct airports when punching holes.

Other Map ResourcesLooking for a state METAR map? The Department of Transportation for several states provide high resolution aeronautical charts which could make excellent METAR maps. Wisconsin’s chart is a perfect example. Check your state’s DOT website for current charts; not all states have them. I did a quick Google search and found the following state charts. There are more states available.

Wisconsin State Aeronautical ChartIf you find a state chart not listed, let me know in the comments and I’ll add it!

Colorado
Georgia
Indiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Wisconsin

Map ResolutionWalgreens recommends saving files with a resolution of at least 200 PPI (Pixels Per Inch). PPI and DPI (Dots Per Inch) are equivalent. My map size is 30″ x 20″. So, at 200 PPI, my saved file should be at least 6000 x 4000 pixels for printing. A lower resolution may cause the map may appear blurry or pixelated. So, expect large maps to have large file sizes.

Once I was happy with my map, I upload the file to Walgreens and ordered a 20″x30″ poster print.

Mounting and Drilling HolesI found others map-makers on the internet that glued the map to foam core board. Alexander from DIY Metar suggested I glue the map to mat board (available at craft and frame shops). Great suggestion! I sprayed both the map and mat board with adhesive and bonded them together. An old linoleum printmaking ink roller was perfect to assure a smooth finish. A Vinyl Application Squeegee will also work, but take care not to scratch or scuff the map.

Ink roller used for printmaking to smooth the map on the mat board.The next step is punching holes. My map has 99 holes (I should have found an airport for that last light!). As recommended on the DIY Metar website, I ordered a Uxcell 7mm punch drill from Amazon. The punch shank is 11mm (7/16″) diameter and should fit in the chuck of a standard drill.

Drilling 7mm holes with the hole punchI placed scrap mat board and plywood beneath my map to protect the table. The hole punch is razor sharp and easily cuts the holes at low RPM with a little pressure. After a few practice holes in scrap mat board, I cut 99 perfect holes in about 20 minutes.

Map with 99 perfect little holesWhen the map is flipped over, it’s blank with a bunch of random holes. I labeled each hole with its airport code. To make labeling easy, I printed a small, reverse-image (horizontal flip) of my map so I could quickly identify each airport hole.

Using a mirror-image map to help locate and label holesInstalling the LightsI’ve seen examples of mounting the lights using electrical tape and a hot glue gun. I started using clear duct tape (not a good choice). After mounting 10 lights, tape was already coming loose. The hot glue gun worked much better for me.

Dress RehearsalI tested the system after installing ten lights to make sure the hub, lights, and our WiFi were going to play together. I added the first 10 airports to the hub setup page and less than a minute after reboot, 10 green VFR airports illuminated. Time to install the remaining lights.

First 10 lightsSuccesful testNow the fun part! Finding a path for the light string that hits each hole. It’s not terribly difficult. I thought ahead 4-5 holes at a time and sketched the path with a pencil. I was able to complete the lights in two sittings, about two hours with union coffee breaks. The next morning I went back with the hot glue gun and re-secured a few areas that popped loose.

Gluing the lights and writing down each airport as its light is secured. The DIY Metar kit includes a worksheet to write down each airport ID as its light is affixed to the map. This is really important when it’s time to program the hub.

The photo below is the back of my completed map mounted to an inexpensive craft store frame. The closest light to the hub was a little too far for the supplied wire bundle, so I spliced in extra wire. I could have avoided that with a little more planning.

Kind of ugly, but no one will see it (but you)Setting Up the HubDIY Metar HubThe hub requires a comma-separated list of the airports in the same order as the lights were installed. With 94 airports plus the 5 lights for the legend, I wanted to make sure I entered them accurately. All codes must be in 4-digit ICAO format (KLAX instead of LAX). I typed them into a text editor (separated by commas), then tested by pasting the entire list into the NWS METAR page. The page happily crunched the string and spit out a list of METARs. I went through the list and noticed one METAR missing. I had typed a capital “i” instead of a number one in an entry. With that fixed, it was time to set up the hub.

The DIY Metar kit includes instructions to place the hub in setup mode (it’s easy). After connecting a laptop, tablet, or phone to the hub’s WiFi, setup is as easy as opening a webpage, entering your home WiFi settings, pasting the list of airports, and selecting a few options. In most cases the default settings will work fine. After hitting submit, the hub reboots, and within a couple of minutes the map displays current flight conditions!

Pics of the Completed MapCompleted mapOn the wallVirtual LegendPro-Tip:Save the numbered airport worksheet! Tape it to the back of your finished map. In the event of a software glitch, the list will make setting up the hub easy.

The Map in ActionPhotos of the METAR map don’t do it justice. In real life, the LEDs are bright and the colors are vivid. The map looks stunning in my office and is a fantastic conversation piece. Although not a weather briefing, it’s a fun way to visualize the area weather.

Frozen Precipitation and Windy Conditions Snow reported at CVG (Cincinnati). Two bright blue flashes indicate frozen precipitation. Winds over 15 knots are indicated by flashing yellow lights.

Frozen precip reported in CincinnatiWindy conditions in IndyFive hour time-lapse during a blustery, rainy day. Station lights flash yellow when winds exceed 15 kts (customizable). I chose the default setting of 15 knots because the max demonstrated crosswind component of our Cherokee Six is 17 knots. If I see a yellow light, I need to take a close look at winds and runway alignment before driving to the hangar.

5 hour time-lapse loopAreas of snow over Indianapolis and DaytonBright blue flashes indicate snow in the METAR reports. Compare the flashing lights with the areas of snow in the Foreflight radar image below.

Flashing blue lights indicate frozen precipitation in the METARRadar image of the snow reported in the above METAR mapInterested in building or ordering a METAR map? Do you already have one? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear about it!

The post Make Your Own METAR Map! appeared first on AeroSavvy.

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Anchorage, Alaska plays a key role in the transport of international goods. Why Anchorage? The summers are nice, but winters are long and dark. Weather, earthquakes, and even volcanoes present logistical challenges. So, why does cargo transported between North America and Asia make a pit stop in Anchorage?

A pair of UPS 747s depart AnchorageThis feature first appeared at FlightRadar24, July, 2023Anchorage Airport StatsTed Stevens – Anchorage International is one of our planet’s most important cargo hubs. A few stats from the Alaska Department of Transportation:

Anchorage is less than 9.5 hours from 90% of the industrial world
2 in the US for landed weight of cargo aircraft
4th busiest airport in the world for cargo throughput

Data provided by FlightRadar24 shows over 8300 cargo flights arriving and departing Anchorage International in May 2023. Cargo flights departed to or arrived from 103 different locations during the time period.

103 nonstop cargo flights to/from Anchorage in May 2023. Data provided by FlightRadar24. Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper.The number of cargo airlines stopping in Anchorage is impressive (not an exhaustive list):

The above list doesn’t include local cargo airlines like Northern Air Cargo, Lynden, ACE, Everts, and others. These carriers provide vital service to remote Alaska communities.

Anchorage & Passenger AirlinesFrom the 1940s until early 1990s, passenger airlines used Anchorage as a “technical (tech) stop” (fuel and crew change) for routes between North America, Europe, and Asia.

In 1957, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) began service between Copenhagen and Tokyo, using Anchorage as a tech stop. Photo: SAS Douglas DC-7 in Anchorage.There are more direct routes between Europe and Asia, but at the time, Soviet and Chinese airspace was unavailable for most carriers. Airlines flew a polar route from Europe to Anchorage before continuing to Tokyo.

In the 1990s, passenger airlines were able to skip the Anchorage stop thanks to new long range aircraft and changing geopolitical climate. As Anchorage passenger traffic declined, cargo traffic exploded.

Location, Location, LocationAnchorage seems like such an out-of-the way place to rack up impressive stats. What brings all these aircraft to Alaska? Don’t be fooled by the flat maps in elementary school classrooms.

Flat Maps are DistortedCartographers have the challenging task of projecting a spherical earth onto a flat map. Center areas of the map are fairly accurate, but land masses and distances become distorted north and south of center.

What’s the shortest route between North America and Asia? Anchorage appears to be quite a few miles out of the way. The map seems to indicate Hawaii might be a more efficient stop (certainly better weather). To gain a better perspective of where Alaska is situated on the globe, a spherical representation is needed.

A straight line on a flat map does not necessarily indicate the shortest routeEarth is an Oblate SpheroidThe earth is a slightly squished sphere. If you have a globe sitting around the house, take a close look at it. Stretch a string between Chicago and Tokyo. Wiggle the string until you find the shortest route. It’s an interesting, sometimes surprising exercise. Try other routes, like Chicago to Beijing.

No globe? The animation below shows the shortest route (great circle route) between Louisville, KY (UPS Worldport) and Tokyo. The route crosses almost directly over Anchorage.

Animation created with the Foreflight navigation app.Geopolitical issues often impact the route aircraft must fly. The first graphic below depicts a few great circle routes between North America and Asia. The next graphic displays the same city pairs using the North Pacific Route System (NOPAC) to avoid Russian airspace. Almost all flights are routed over Anchorage. So, how do cargo airlines use this to their advantage?

Great circle routes on the left, routes to avoid Russian airspace on the right. Maps generated by the Great Circle MapperStop in Anchorage vs. Non-StopAircraft can only carry so much weight. If a flight needs to fly a long distance, then it must carry a lot of fuel, but sacrifice cargo. An aircraft flying a shorter distance carries less fuel, and can accommodate more cargo.

There are a few regular cargo flights that fly non-stop between North America and Asia; Both UPS and Fedex fly time-critical non-stops from their hubs in Louisville and Memphis to Tokyo.

Most North America/Asia cargo flights make a pit stop in Anchorage. The aircraft carry far less fuel than a non-stop, and as a result can haul a lot more cargo. When an aircraft lands in Anchorage, cargo can be moved to other aircraft heading to different destinations (nice efficiency boost). In some cases, the cargo stays on the aircraft while the jet is fueled, then continues to the destination with a fresh crew. This is often called a “Gas & Go.”

A typical Anchorage pit-stop departs Louisville’s UPS Worldport around 3am local and arrives in Anchorage at 6am. The aircraft then leaves Anchorage 3 hours later, arriving in Tokyo at 9am local for afternoon deliveries.

Eastbound flights depart various Asia airports at 9pm local, arriving in Anchorage at noon. The jets depart Anchorage with fresh crews around 2pm, arriving at Louisville’s Worldport hub at midnight – perfect timing for the cargo to be sorted and flown to North America destinations for morning delivery.

Atlas Air 747-400 & UPS MD-11 departing Anchorage runway 15Anchorage WeatherGeographically, Anchorage is the perfect location for a trans-Pacific pit stop. But the weather is all over the map.

Beautiful WeatherLate spring and summer provide heavenly weather and excellent flying conditions in Alaska. If you visit on a land or cruise vacation, you’ll fall in love with the foliage and wildlife. Alaska’s fresh produce is second to none. Long, sunny days and highs in the mid-sixties (°F) grow amazing fruits and vegetables. I love long layovers in Anchorage during the summer.

TransNorthern Cargo DC-3Bald Eagle near Mendenhall GlacierBear in Denali National ParkAboard Alaska Railroad’s Denali StarFedEx apron next to UPS OpsCaribou grazing near FairbanksThe author enjoying spring weatherThe Alaska aviation community comes to life in the spring. It’s a plane spotter’s dream. But, enough about Alaska’s four months of good weather…

Challenging WeatherAnchorage weather provides special challenges for aircraft operators. Thanks to the North Pacific and Alaska Coastal currents, Anchorage has relatively mild winters compared to the state’s interior. But it can still get quite cold and very snowy.

From the years 2000-2022, Anchorage’s average snowfall was about 74 inches/year. All that snow keeps aircraft deicing crews busy from October to May. The following video was shot in November, 2022 during a moderate snowfall event. Warmly dressed crews in four deicing trucks apply Type-4 fluid to the wings and tail surfaces of a UPS Boeing 747-8F. On this particular day, the pilots had about 50 minutes after deicing to takeoff before the deicing fluid holdover time expired.

A UPS 747 being deiced during moderate snowfall in Anchorage. The Alaska Department of Transportation does an amazing job keeping the airport open in the worst winter weather. Snow removal teams perform a well rehearsed ballet to clear a snow covered runway in a matter of minutes. Crews alternate between the two parallel runways so aircraft can continue to arrive and depart. Anchorage International is always open.

Snow crews sweeping & treating taxiway Tango in AnchorageHere’s a small taste of winter operations at Anchorage International:

Dragging a suitcase747 during light snowA few minutes after arrivalClosing the cargo doorSnow covered taxiwaysDeicing in ice fogFree Daily Airshows!Anchorage has four very busy, tower-controlled airports within a four mile radius. A variety of aircraft are always in the Anchorage skies.

Merrill FieldMerrill Field, located a mile east of downtown, has been an active airport (at times, one of the busiest in the world) since 1930. Over 800 small aircraft are based at Merrill. The airport has two asphalt runways and a 2000′ gravel runway used seasonally as a snow runway for ski-equipped aircraft.

Ted Stevens – Anchorage InternationalTed Stevens International handles all the passenger and cargo airline traffic. If you like watching heavy metal, this is the place to be. Northern Lights Blvd and Point Woronzof Road are popular picnic spots for aircraft spotters.

Lake Hood – World’s Busiest Seaplane BaseAdjacent to Anchorage International is Lake Hood, home to nearly 800 seaplanes and wheeled aircraft.

2012 photo of Lake Hood by “N727RH” – Wikimedia CommonsLake Hood has three landing areas (water runways) for seaplanes and one gravel runway for wheeled aircraft. During the winter months, the frozen lake is maintained for aircraft with skis.

The seaplane base averages 190 flights a day. It’s great fun to watch the seaplanes. If you visit in the summer, rent a bicycle for a leisurely ride around the base.

Lake Hood airport diagram depicting three water landing areasAn unusual control tower arrangement allows Anchorage International and the world’s busiest seaplane base to coexist. Anchorage tower is located within sight of both airports.

The tower is staffed by two sets of controllers; one for Ted Stevens International and the other for Lake Hood. Each airport has its own set of communication frequencies (they share the same Clearance Delivery frequency). The airspace and traffic flow is designed to accommodate big Boeings and single-engine seaplanes. It’s an amazing thing to see.

Control Tower serving Ted Stevens International and Lake HoodElmendorf Air Force BaseIf heavy cargo jets and seaplanes aren’t enough, how about some Raptors? (Yes, please!) Just seven miles Northeast of Ted Stevens is Elmendorf Air Force Base. The sounds of F-22 Raptors an C-17 Globemasters can be heard downtown on most weekdays. Look up and watch the action!

Anchorage’s Daily AirshowI created the following four minute video using media I shot over the last 12 years. The video is a good representation of the aircraft arriving and departing daily at Ted Stevens International (and one from Lake Hood).

Northern LightsOne of the best airshows in Alaska (and Canada) is provided by earth’s magnetosphere. Northern Lights, or the Aurora (named after the Roman goddess of the dawn) occur year-round, but are most easily visible in the northern hemisphere between August and April when the night skies are darkest. The first image shows the lights of downtown Anchorage on the horizon.

Anchorage on the horizonYukon, March 2018The post Anchorage: World’s Cargo Hub appeared first on AeroSavvy.

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Time for WorkThe flight crew arrives at the Boeing 767 freighter between 30 and 60 minutes prior to departure. If the pilots expect an on-time departure, they’ll be busy until pushback. This is a general overview of what’s involved in preparing the aircraft for flight.

A flight crew prepares a Boeing 767 for flightEvery airline develops its own preflight procedures. The following is based on my experience on the Boeing 767 freighter with one carrier. Captain, first officer, and international relief officer preflight task assignments are different at every airline. References to a certain crew member doing a particular task are examples only. This article provides a general overview of a typical preflight; some tasks have been omitted for brevity and security.

This feature first appeared at FlightRadar24, Jan, 2023Power Up & InitializeThe first task is to make sure electric power is available. If the station doesn’t have external power (like a power cart), the crew will start the ship’s auxiliary power unit (APU) to supply electricity and bleed air. Bleed air supplies the air-conditioning packs to make the aircraft comfortable.

After power is available, a crew member turns on the three inertial reference system (IRS) switches to begin a 7-10 minute alignment process. The IRS is the heart of many aircraft navigation systems. If all other navigation sources fail (zombie apocalypse) the inertial nav system can provide guidance.

Current position for the FMC is found on a parking bay sign or an airport chart (Singapore)The first officer enters the current position (lat/lon coordinates) of the aircraft into the Flight Management Computer to complete IRS initialization. Crews can locate the exact aircraft position on a parking stand sign or airport chart.

Logbook CheckThe captain reviews the aircraft maintenance logbook. The logbook contains a recent history of inspections and repaired/deferred items. Typical deferred items are minor scuffs or dings on the fuselage or temporary repairs to be completed at a later date. Occasionally, a component will be inoperative. If the aircraft has sufficient redundancy, an inoperative item (like a single landing light) can be deferred for later repair.

The captain ensures an inspection of ETOPS critical components is documented before oceanic flights.

After both the captain and aircraft maintenance technician have signed the current logbook page, the aircraft is legally ready for flight. Airlines are moving toward electronic maintenance logbooks. Same idea, with digital signatures.

Equipment CheckMy airline assigns the first officer (or International Relief Officer on long flights) to inspect flight deck equipment. The inspection assures required emergency gear is on board and working.

Fire extinguishers, life rafts, emergency oxygen bottles, jumpseat oxygen masks, escape equipment, lavatory supplies, catering, and a lot more are inspected. The inspection takes a few minutes to complete.

Boeing 767-300F flight deck Cockpit Setup – Go With the Flow!Large aircraft have dozens of switches, knobs, and buttons. Pilots use checklists as a final check to make sure the important things are accomplished. A checklist that lists every item would be long and impractical. There’s a better way. It’s called a flow.

The captain reviews the aircraft maintenance logbook while the FO programs the boxPilots learn about each aircraft system during initial training. The next step is learning to efficiently set up the systems for each phase of flight. Every airline develops its own preflight flows. The illustrations are generic examples and do not represent any particular airline procedure.

A flow is simply a logical pattern to check each item. Pilots will often move a hand over the controls following the prescribed flow. Each crew member is assigned their own flows.

Captain and First Officer cockpit setup flowsOnce crews learn the flows, it takes only a few minutes to configure the aircraft for engine start. When flows are followed correctly, nothing is missed, and the use of challenge/response checklists can be minimized.

Here’s a detailed example of the first two flow movements of the overhead panel pre-flight. The crew member begins at the top left column of the panel and moves their hand over each system’s switches, checking for proper selection/indication.

Detail of overhead panel flowThe complete overhead panel flow allows the pilot to quickly configure all major aircraft systems for engine start (navigation, flight controls, engines, hydraulics, electrical, fuel, pneumatics, pressurization, etc).

Flows aren’t just for preflight. Pilots use flows for other phases of flight, like Before Takeoff, After Landing, and Shutdown. Thanks to the efficiency of flows, my airline’s 767 “Before Takeoff” checklist consists of one item: “Flaps: ___.”

Yoke checklist on a Boeing 767-300FMake Some Noise!A few 767 preflight checks make a little noise. Crews typically test the TCAS and Radar/Windshear systems before the first flight of the day. They’re included in the center console flows pictured above.

A small button on the transponder control panel activates the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) test function. The test displays various TCAS symbols on the flight displays, as well as an audible voice test.

Selecting the test mode on the radar control panel initiates the Radar and Windshear System test. This is our “noisiest” preflight test. The test in the video is on a newer aircraft with predictive windshear (uses doppler technology); it’s a little different than the test on older aircraft.

Exterior Walk-Around InspectionAfter finishing cockpit setup flows, it’s time for a crew member to grab a flashlight and walk around the aircraft. The captain performs the walk-around at my airline (first officer at many other carriers). The exterior inspection is my favorite part of preflight. I really enjoy the walk-around and never delegate in bad weather… typhoon, snow, sunshine, I don’t care. I enjoy the walk to see what I can find.

Not surprisingly, the exterior walk-around is really just a giant flow. Pilots learn the items to inspect, then follow the flow diagram so nothing is missed. It takes five to ten minutes to complete a walk-around.

Exterior walk-around inspection flowWhat are we looking for?An aircraft maintenance technician gives the aircraft a detailed arrival and pre-departure inspection. The pilot’s job is to give the exterior a final look to double check the general condition of the aircraft, along with a few specific items.

Stuff we look for: Loose/missing inspection panels, unlatched maintenance access doors, pitot covers and gear pins, condition of probes, pressurization valves, tires, evidence of leaks, foreign object damage, and snow/frost/ice. There’s a lot to check, but it’s easy when you go with the flow.

Programming “The Box”While the captain is strolling around the aircraft, the first officer programs the flight management computer (FMC), often referred to as “The Box.”

The crew programs the box with aircraft coordinates, weight, route of flight, winds aloft, and performance requirements (speeds and altitudes) as planned by the dispatcher.

A blank FMC Performance Initialization (Perf Init) page, ready for programming. First officer enters en route wind data.Depending on aircraft, airline, and type of FMC, the crew may be able to download the information via datalink. A pilot with exemplary typing skills can complete the task manually in about 10 minutes. When complete, the other pilot proofreads the programming.

Takeoff Performance DataShortly before loading is complete, a load supervisor provides the weight and balance data to the crew via paper, or ACARS datalink. A pilot loads the data into the FMC and submits an ACARS takeoff performance data request for the expected runway (in the old days, we used thick binders of airport specific charts).

ACARS: Text messages for flight crewsAircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) is a digital datalink system for transmitting messages and data between aircraft and ground stations. It’s been around since 1978.

My airline uses Garmin subsidiary AeroData to deliver live takeoff performance data to the aircraft. AeroData provides the crew with runway-specific takeoff thrust setting, speeds, flap setting, and critical engine out performance data. It takes only seconds to submit a request and receive the response through ACARS. The performance data takes into account current weather, weight & balance, and configuration options specified by maintenance, dispatch, and/or crew.

Takeoff data for Kuala Lumpur runway 32R at intersection A9The above image displays an example of live data received via ACARS for departing Kuala Lumpur runway 32R from intersection A9. The takeoff performance report provides a tremendous amount of information. I print the report with the aircraft’s thermal printer for easy reference.

ACARS takeoff data for Kuala Lumpur runways 32R and 32LPreflight ChecklistAfter the crew completes the preflight flows, the captain calls for the preflight checklist. Thanks to flows, the checklist is short and sweet. A typical 767 preflight checklist has about 5 items. Here’s an example:

Cockpit Windows – Closed and locked (pretty important!)
Oxygen system & masks – Checked
Altimeters – ____
Parking Brake – Set
Fuel Control Switches – Cut Off

We’re almost ready to start the engines.

ClearanceAbout ten minutes before departure, the flight crew requests a route clearance by VHF voice or data link. The clearance delivery controller (usually located in the control tower) will tell the crew their expected runway, departure route, altitude, departure frequency, and a transponder code. A typical departure clearance from Kuala Lumpur:

Aerosavvy 101, cleared to the Shenzhen airport via runway 32 right, KIMAT One Delta departure. 5000 feet. Lumpur Departure 135.25. Squawk 2137.

After scribbling down the clearance, the pilot will read it back to the controller for confirmation.

Departure BriefingLoading is nearly complete and the crew is running out of things to do. The captain and first officer will determine whose turn it is to fly (captain’s decision, coin toss, or rock/paper/scissors). The flying pilot will brief the departure:

OK, Skipper [I always laugh when they call me “Skipper”], we’re departing KL runway 32 Right. Taxi route will probably be Hotel, hold short of Bravo. Let’s be careful after Bravo, taxiways are confusing; likely Bravo 13 and Alpha 11 to the holding point.

Takeoff will be NADP-2 on the KIMAT One Delta SID. I’ll call for autopilot at 200 feet. LNAV is already armed. VNAV at 1,000 feet. We’re cleared to 5,000. Transition altitude is 11,000.

If we have an engine failure after V1, I’ll fly straight ahead to 1,100 feet. After that, our engine-out procedure is to continue runway heading. Let’s climb to 4,000 and plan on returning to 32 Left. We have 3,000 pounds in the center tank we can dump if we need to.

Threats tonight include a few thunderstorms near the coast. We may need to deviate a little north. It’s our first night flight this schedule, so I plan on making coffee when we reach cruise. There’s hot water in the pot.

I’ll select terrain, you’re on radar. Any questions? No? Groovy!

And that’s it! When the ground crew finishes loading, the pilots will close the doors and buckle in. The aircraft is ready for pushback and engine start.

Matt Foley is ready for takeoff! The post 767 Flight Deck Preflight appeared first on AeroSavvy.

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“O’Hare Tower, We Have Your Numbers” Since the beginning of aviation, the primary means of pilot-controller communication has been voice over the radio. By the late 1950s, air traffic control radio frequencies were becoming congested.

A serious bottleneck was the tower control frequency. As aircraft arrived in the terminal area, pilots would contact the tower and request the current airport information. The controller would respond with cloud conditions, altimeter setting, wind speed and direction, active runway, and any other information the pilots needed to know. This worked fine when an airport had a handful of arrivals each hour. Busy airports, like Chicago, had so many arrivals that tower controllers spent most of their time repeating the same information to every pilot. There had to be a better way…

In an effort to relieve the congestion, pilots would often monitor the tower frequency early, hoping to overhear the controller issue the information to another pilot. When it came time to call the tower, pilots would report “we have your numbers,” saving the controller from repeating the same information. This technique helped, but was far from a satisfactory solution.

1964: A Solution Emerges In early 1964, the FAA began testing a service to give pilots timely airport information without burdening air traffic controllers. Chicago, Van Nuys, New York, and San Francisco/Oakland where the first airports to test the new system called ATIS – Automatic Terminal Information Service.

The idea was simple. Each hour, a controller records the current airport conditions. The recording is broadcast on a loop using local navigation aids (usually a VOR).

When an aircraft approaches an airport, the pilots tune in the VOR frequency and listen to the repeating message. Pilots preparing to depart listen to the recording at their convenience before taxiing. Tower controllers could now devote more time to keeping airplanes separated instead of repeating information.

ATIS worked beautifully and was fast-tracked for busy airports. By 1968, 60 airports had ATIS. Larger airports began broadcasting on dedicated VHF voice frequencies to make it more convenient for pilots. In 1974, ICAO defined its use internationally.

Reprinted with kind permission of IFATCA from The Controller – Journal of Air Traffic Control Jan 1965, p.16. ATIS Format and Example The content of U.S. ATIS has changed very little since 1964:

Airport name, designator, zulu time
Wind direction & speed
Visibility and weather
Cloud conditions
Temperature & dew point
Altimeter setting
Runway(s) in use
Comments or special information
Designator

ATIS is usually updated once an hour; 30 minutes at some airports. If the weather or airport conditions change significantly before the next version is due, a new message is recorded immediately with the word “special” added after the zulu time. This alerts pilots that a significant change has occurred.

Here’s an ATIS recorded in 2014 at Rockford International airport (KRFD) near Chicago. The transcription follows:

Rockford Tower information X-Ray, 0754 zulu.
Wind zero-eight-zero at eight
Visibility one-zero, light rain
Ceiling 2500 broken, 3300 broken, and 4500 overcast
Temperature four, dew point one
Altimeter three-zero-zero-three
ILS runway one and ILS runway seven approaches are in use
Clearance Delivery is 119.25
Ground control is combined with tower on 118.1
Advise on initial contact you have information X-Ray

The first and last item in the recording is important. When ATIS is updated, it’s assigned a phonetic alphabet letter. The first broadcast of the day is “Information Alpha” followed by Bravo, Charlie, etc. After information Zulu, it starts over with Alpha. When a pilot contacts an approach control facility, they tell the controller they have “information X-Ray” (or whatever the current designator is). This lets the controller know the crew has current (or obsolete) information.

ATIS Outside the U.S. Airports outside the United States generally follow the standard ICAO format, which is a little different. Runway information is provided first, followed by the weather and comments. Here’s an example from London Stansted Airport (EGSS).

Stansted information Hotel, time 2150
Runway in use: two-two. Expect an ILS approach
Ground is closed, delivery is closed
Surface wind two-one-zero, one-one knots
Visibility one-zero kilometers or more
Slight rain
Broken 700 feet, overcast 1100 feet
Temperature: plus niner, dew point plus eight
QNH: niner-eight-two hectopascal
Transition Level: Flight Level seven zero
Runway two-two: wet-wet-wet
Acknowledge receipt of information Hotel and advise aircraft type on first contact

A few differences between ICAO and US ATIS: Visibility is given in Kilometers instead of statute miles. Altimeter setting is usually in hectopascal instead of inches of mercury. Transition level is sometimes provided to remind pilots when to adjust altimeters to the local setting.

The runway condition provided by Stansted (Runway two-two, wet-wet-wet) means that each third of runway 22 (touchdown, midfield, rollout) is wet.

Advances in ATIS Technology ATIS changed very little from the 1960s to the 1990s. New recording equipment came along, but controllers still updated the looped recordings by reading into a telephone handset.

In 1996, ATIS entered the digital age when Houston Intercontinental introduced data link ATIS (D-ATIS) over ACARS. The new system allows pilots to receive ATIS hundreds of miles from the destination. [ACARS is a digital data link technology that allows pilots to exchange text information with their company.]

Data link ATIS from Cologne (EDDK). Received by ACARS and printed with the ship’s thermal printer. To create a D-ATIS message, air traffic controllers use a menu interface to enter airport information into the system. Current weather is often imported automatically. The process to update D-ATIS takes only a few seconds.

Most major airports around the world have upgraded to data link ATIS.

Data link ATIS workstation in the tower
Editor screen used for the D-ATIS

Airports with D-ATIS still provide an audio broadcast for pilots that don’t have ACARS equipment. The D-ATIS system uses text-to-speech technology to convert the message to a synthetic voice. It’s fun to listen to D-ATIS broadcasts around the world. Different airports use different speech systems. Newer systems have natural sounding voices and even incorporate local accents. The audio example above from Stansted airport is a synthetic voice.

Benefits of Data Link ATIS D-ATIS provides a big safety enhancement for aircraft crews. To receive an audio ATIS, one crew member must monitor a separate frequency and write down the information during a high workload phase of flight. Textual D-ATIS information can be received during cruise and reviewed at the crew’s leisure.

Other benefits of D-ATIS:

Controller can update the current information in seconds
Can be printed if the aircraft has a printer
Reading D-ATIS increases comprehension (audio is often difficult to understand)
Separate arrival and departure messages can be created (pictured below)

Arrival (ARR) and Departure (DEP) D-ATIS at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport. ATIS at Small Airports FAA Control Tower at Louisville’s Bowman Field (KLOU) Tower controlled fields that have low traffic volume or cater to small aircraft often use the classic, human-recorded broadcast. Many general aviation planes lack data link equipment, so there isn’t much benefit for a small airport to upgrade to D-ATIS. And it’s always nice to hear a human voice once in a while.

Bowman Field (KLOU) serves the general aviation community around Louisville, KY. Unlike it’s busy neighboring airport (Louisville International) located a few miles west, Bowman Field hosts private planes, helicopters, flight school aircraft, and small business aircraft.

Here’s an old-school ATIS from Bowman…

How do pilots find ATIS? It’s on our charts! Airport diagrams (maps) and approach charts show the frequency for listening to the ATIS broadcast. The charts also indicate if the ATIS has a data link version. If the chart shows “D-ATIS,” pilots know it’s available via ACARS.

Rockford old-fashioned voice-only ATIS
Louisville D-ATIS. Synthetic voice also on VHF

ATIS Language English is considered the international language of aviation. A few places in the world support dual language air traffic control. Controllers in these locations speak both ICAO Aviation English and the local language. Even ATIS is sometimes provided in two languages!

Quebec City and Montréal airports broadcast in both French and English on separate frequencies.

Montréal’s Trudeau International Airport broadcasts ATIS in English and French. Airports in China broadcast a dual language ATIS on a single frequency, alternating Mandarin and English versions (audio examples below).

Data link ATIS is always transmitted in English.

ATIS Soundboard! Audio may not be available in all browsers. If you can’t see the audio controls below, try a different browser.

Prerecorded ATIS broadcasts from around the planet!
Click highlighted airport identifiers to see print out

| Anchorage, USA PANC https://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Anchorage-PANC.mp3 | Osaka, Japan RJBBhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Osaka-Kansai-RJBB.mp3 | | Clark, Philippines RPLC https://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Clark-Airport-Philippines-RPLC.mp3 | Penang, Malaysia WMKPhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Penang-WMKP.mp3 | | Cologne, DE EDDKhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Cologne-EDDK.mp3 | Rockford, USA KRFDhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Rockford-KRFD.mp3 | | Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam VVTS https://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Ho-Chi-Minh-VVTS.mp3 | Shanghai, China (dual language) ZSPDhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Shanghai-ZSPD-Oscar.mp3 | | Incheon, South Korea RKSIhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Incheon-RKSI.mp3 | Shenzhen, China (dual language) ZGSZ https://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Shenzhen-ZGSZ.mp3 | | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia WMKPhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Kuala-Lumpur-WMKK.mp3 | Changi, Singapore WSSShttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Singapore-WSSS.mp3 | | Louisville, USA KSDFhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Louisville-KSDF-Aug18.mp3 | Winnipeg, MB CYWGhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Winnipeg-CYWG.mp3 | | Newark, USA KEWRhttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Newark-KEWR.mp3 | Zhengzhou, China (dual language) ZHCChttps://aerosavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Zhengzhou-ZHCC.mp3 |

ATIS is Serious Business (most of the time) Air traffic controllers occasionally put a little fun into the ATIS. Holiday greetings are common but other special occasions are often mentioned. Here’s a holiday greeting from Kelowna International Airport in British Columbia (audio clip from SoundCloud)

After France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Côte d’Azur Airport (LFMN) in Nice included a special victory message in the NOTAM (Notices to Airmen) section of their ATIS.

France celebrates FIFA World Cup. Photo by Nico
Holiday greetings from JFK. Photo by Captain Tim

ATIS on the Internet It would be helpful (and fun) if audio or data link ATIS were available on the internet. Unfortunately, live ATIS is tough to find online. With a few exceptions, official broadcasts can only be received on aircraft VHF frequencies or from an aircraft data link vendor.

Official ATIS Feeds I found two places where official ATIS is available to the public from the airport authority:

Czech Republic Air Navigation Services provides data link ATIS on its website for Prague, Brno, Ostrava, and Karlovy Vary airports. Visit the Czech Republic’s Integrated Briefing System, click the “ATIS” tab and select an airport (no login required).

Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department provides arrival and departure ATIS for Hong Kong International.

If you know of any other official feeds available to the public, let me know in the comments and I’ll add them!

Unofficial ATIS Rebroadcasts The best place to find rebroadcast ATIS audio is LiveATC.net. The website relies on volunteers to stream local air traffic control broadcasts to LiveATC servers. Quality of the streams varies considerably.

On the LiveATC homepage, enter your favorite airport code (like JFK or KJFK) into the Airport/ARTCC search box to see if an ATIS frequency is available.

If you want to see all the airports on LiveATC with an ATIS feed, enter “ATIS” in the Site-wide search box. The search will generate pages of results.

ATIS on Twitter Airservices Australia provides ATIS online for several airports, but only for registered pilots. A Twitter user has created a bot that pulls Airservices data and tweets the current ATIS for the following airports:

ATIS App for iOS (updated August, 2020) The ATIS App was recently released by Steven Flesch. The app allows live viewing of the most current Digital ATIS, or D-ATIS, information for major airports in the United States. You can view ATIS information with no account or signup required.

This app is perfect for pilots, dispatchers, aviation enthusiasts, and other airline personnel interested in weather and airport conditions at US airports.

The ATIS App is available for iPhone and iPad at the App Store

Know of other online ATIS resources? Let me know in the comments!

In loving memory of our son Casey
1997-2018

Point Foundation scholar, GLSEN board member, artist, activist, TEDx speaker, contributor to HuffPost Teen & MTV News, Disney Cast Member, and Disney trivia master °o°.

Your light shined incredibly bright. We were so lucky to have you. Rest in Power.

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2 in the US for landed weight of cargo aircraft