1. AMDAR for AeroMexico ARINC’s Role in AMDAR
Mexico City AMDAR Workshop
November , 2011
Al Homans
Sr. Program Manager

2. Introduction to ARINC
ARINC has provided information and communications services for the airlines and others since 1929.
We operate one of the most flexible and sophisticated private networks in the world to ensure mission-critical communications for more than 700 transportation industry companies and government agencies, including:
Approximately 100 airlines worldwide
FAA and National Weather Service
For the commercial aviation industry, we provide a global air/ground communications network with voice and data services for airline operations control and air traffic control.
Headquarters in Annapolis, MD, with offices and facilities to serve customers in 140 countries.

3. GLOBALinkTM Air-Ground Communications Services
HF/VHF Voice
VHF Data Link ACARS/VDLM2
SATCOM
HF Data Link (HFDL)
Virtual 100% assurance of message delivery

4. Typical Data Link Applications
Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS)
Taxi
From Aircraft
Link test/clock
Update
Fuel/crew information
Delay reports
Out
To Aircraft
PDC
ATIS
Weight & balance
Airport analysis
V-speeds flight
Plan-hard copy
Load FMC
Take-off
From Aircraft
Off
Departure
From Aircraft
Engine data
Ascent Weather
reports
To Aircraft
Flight plan
Updated weather
En route
From Aircraft
Position reports
Weather reports
Delay info/ETA
Voice request
Engine info
Maintenance info
To Aircraft
ATC oceanic clearances
Re-clearances
Ground voice request
(SELCAL)
Approach
From Aircraft
Provisioning
Gate requests
ETA
Special requests
Engine info
Maintenance info Descent Weather
reports
To Aircraft
Gate assignments
Connecting gates
Passenger & crew
ATIS
Landing
From Aircraft On
Taxi
From Aircraft In
Fuel info
Crew info
Fault data
(from central
maintenance
computer)

5. History of AMDAR in the U.S.
In late 1980s the concept of an automated aircraft reporting system for collecting weather observations was developed.
FAA and NWS funded implementation and operation of AMDAR in the U.S. – called the Meteorological Data Collection and Reporting Service (MDCRS).
ARINC fielded MDCRS in 1991
3 Participating airlines; Delta, Northwest, United
American, FedEx, and UPS participation added.
Southwest Airlines joined in 2005 and Alaska Airlines in 2011.
ARINC has continually provided the service for the FAA and National Weather Service.

6. Importance of AMDAR
AMDAR is an important data source for aviation weather forecasts.
Data show temperature inversions that forecast ceiling and visibility at airports.
Useful in forecasting wind gusts & Low Level Wind Shear in terminal areas.
Used in NOAA’s Rapid Update Cycle model for aviation forecasts.
Benefits to the airlines
Accurate wind forecasts enable efficient routing and fuel savings
Greater predictability of weather hazards
Improved forecasting of local conditions, freezing levels, icing, phases of precipitation, wind shear profiles and turbulence, potential for fog.
More accurate forecasts of temperature, wind, clouds, and storms.
AMDAR has become an extremely useful data source enabling a significantly better understanding of atmospheric conditions. (American Meteorological Society, Feb. 2003)

7. Airline Participation
Today’s numbers
7 participating airlines
Alaska, American, Delta/Northwest, FedEx, United, UPS, Southwest
1700 aircraft report Winds and Temps
25 UPS 757s are equipped with Water Vapor sensors
67 Southwest Airlines 737s being equipped with WV sensors (29 currently operating).
Turbulence reporting being added as airlines equip
Nearly 200,000 observations per day; almost 6M per month.
High resolution 3-D meteorological data from commercial aircraft have been shown to improve the accuracy of forecast, from short term (1 hour or less) to 1 week time projections.

8. Content of Typical AMDAR Messages, defined by ARINC 620
ACARS Header info contains Aircraft ID, Departure Station, Destination Station. (23 – 27 characters)
Time of Observation – Day, Hour, Minute (6 characters)
Latitude in Degrees, Minutes, Tenths (6 characters)
Longitude in Degrees, Minutes, Tenths (7 characters)
Pressure Altitude, feet (4 characters)
Wind Direction (3 characters)
Wind Speed (3 characters)
Static Air Temperature – degrees C (4 characters)
Roll Angle Flag (1 characters)
Phase of Flight (when available) (4 characters)
Turbulence (when available) (4 or 5 characters)
Icing (when available) (4 characters)
Water Vapor Mixing Ratio (when available) (4 characters)

9. Typical ARINC 620 Reporting
Taxi
Take-Off
Departure
En Route
Approach
Land
6 sec interval to 90 secs from OFF
20 sec interval to 510 secs to TOC
3 min. interval to TOD
60 sec interval to ON
Top of Climb
(TOC)
Top of Descent
(TOD)
91 samples during a typical 2:15 flight

10. Sample AMDAR Message with 6 Observations
^AQU DCABFXA ^M
.DDLXCXA ^M
^BDFD^M
FI AS1234/AN N123AX^M
DT DDL SFO D76A^M
,095,B ,100502,AS1234,KSFO,KPHX,0000,SW3006^M
6^M
N3736.9,W ,020122,-0006,0126,288,021,TO,4850,^M
N3736.9,W ,020123,-0012,0119,293,020,TO,4840,^M
N3737.0,W ,020123,00053,0115,284,023,TO,4850,^M
N3737.2,W ,020123,00234,0108,291,030,CL,4840,^M
N3737.3,W ,020123,00483,0100,297,035,CL,4820,^M
N3737.4,W ,020123,00725,0095,295,032,CL,4800,^M
:^M ^M ^C
S9999.9,S ,999999,99999,999.9,999,999,99,9999,
Lat , Long ,DDHHMM,Alt ,Temp,WD,WS,Ph ,MR

11. AMDAR Data Processing by ARINC
Remove message headers
Extract raw wx data, validate format
Remove airline and flight IDs
Covert to binary (BUFR) format

12. Steps to Implement AMDAR
Sign agreement between airline and ARINC to allow ARINC to distribute data containing meteorological observations from aircraft to the meteorological organization.
ARINC will sign agreement with a government or meteorological agency to support the airline and provide data.
Airlines work with avionics vendor to obtain Software to load in Digital Flight Data Acquisition Unit (DFDAU) to collect observations and transmit via ACARS.
Configure reporting as shown previously for Typical ARINC 620 Reporting.
ARINC can provide sample messages as examples.
Suggest configuring 1 or 2 aircraft to provide AMDAR data.
ARINC will confirm that message configuration and aircraft reporting is OK.
ARINC will establish routing to ensure AMDAR data are forwarded to NWS.
Configure remainder of fleet.