Northwest Mountain Region
Remote Airport Information Service (RAIS)
- US Department
- of Transportation
- Federal Aviation Administration
- 800 Independence Ave, SW
- Washington, DC 20591
All Air Traffic Division Managers (500's) All Flight Service Station Managers AOPA, NBAA, EAA, Interested Aviation Groups
Dear Aviators:
Immediate News Release: FAA Tests a New Remote Airport Information Service (RAIS)
FAA will conduct a test of Remote Airport Information Service. The service will be offered on a test basis from the Louisville, Kentucky, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Jonesboro, Arkansas, Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSS). The test period will be 6 months starting on June 5, 2000, for Green Bay AFSS; July 10, 2000, for Jonesboro AFSS; and August 14, 2000, for Louisville AFSS.
The participating locations will be London Kentucky airport (LOZ) provided by Louisville AFSS on frequency 122.65, Eau Claire airport (EAU) provided by Green Bay Wisconsin AFSS on frequency 123.6, and Harrison Arkansas airport (HRO) provided by Jonesboro AFSS on frequency 123.6.
RAIS is a terminal information service that, while very similar to Local Airport Advisory (LAA), has some differences.
RAIS is a safety enhancing terminal service provided at airports that do not have an operating airport traffic control tower or AFSS/FSS. The service provides information to arriving and departing aircraft concerning meteorological, aeronautical, and known or reported traffic information. Meteorological information is provided from the latest information available to the AFSS/FSS specialist from either Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS), Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), or manual observation. The information is advisory in nature and does not constitute an air traffic control (ATC) clearance.
The major differences between these services are LAA requires the specialist to be located on the airport receiving the service and the specialist to have direct reading wind and altimeter instruments. The direct reading instruments are used to advise the pilot of changes in wind and altimeter during the landing. The RAIS service is provided at REMOTE airports using automated weather
The RAIS service is provided at REMOTE airports using automated weather reports for the wind and altimeter information. However, RAIS provides much more than current wind and altimeter advisories.
During the test program, the flight service specialist will give information pertinent to the operation that a pilot needs to ensure safe landing, takeoff, and taxiing operations; for instance: the status of surface operations like runway plowing, the reported location of aircraft conducting landing/takeoff operations, and other airport activity information. Like LAA, RAIS is purely voluntary, but it is a highly recommended advisory service.
All RAIS airports are required to have weather reporting. At airports having AWOS/ASOS on an automated voice transmitter, pilots are encouraged to monitor the AWOS/ASOS weather prior to initiating contact.
This is how it works:
- Within 10 NM of the airport, the pilot will check the AWOS/ASOS, when available.
- Then, the pilot sets his/her radio frequency to 123.6 and establish communications. E.g. 'Louisville radio this is N12RG."
- After communications are established, the pilot advises the flight service specialist that he/she has the automated weather and request RAIS. E.g.,
"N12RG has the automated weather, 10 northwest landing London/Corbin Airport, request airport information.- The flight service specialist will provide all the known pertinent information.
Pilots must exercise caution; this program is voluntary, not all pilots will participate. If the pilot does not tell the specialist that he/she has the automated weather, the last reported weather will be provided as part of the service.
Operational dates, hours of operation, and changes in the test program will be announced by Notice to Airman (NOTAM) for each airport. The NOTAM's will be issued prior to the start of operations and as needed during the test period. The RAIS NOTAM's will ensure that pilot weather briefers advise pilots about the test program during all briefings that include operations at a test airport. Additionally, all pilot weather briefers can answer questions about the RAIS program. Pilots and other interested parties can provide feedback by contacting the sponsoring AFSS during the test period. Feedback is very important to help measure the success of this service.
Decisions to continue or expand this service and the final hours of operation will be determined by demand for the service and input from the users. If the test results indicate high acceptance by the users, the service will be made permanent. Low user demand and acceptance may result in the decision to discontinue RAIS services at those specified test airports.
Comments about RAIS will be consolidated and shared with airport management at the test airports or the sponsoring AFSS. The various methods available to contact the sponsoring AFSS may be posted at the Fixed Base Operator on field or can be obtained by contacting the sponsoring AFSS. Remember input is vital to the success and improvement of the service we provide.
Questions about this program may be directed to FAA Headquarters, Flight Service Division, FSS Procedures Branch, ATP?320, Attn: Bob Geranis at (202) 267?9326. (Email: [email protected])
Sincerely,
Jeff Griffith
Pro ram Director for Air Traffic
Planning and Procedures
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