The Atis Wheel™ is a mechanical device designed to help the airplane pilot in recording all ATIS information while presenting the data as a graphic depiction.
The Atis Wheel™ is presented on a 4”x7” rectangular durable format with seven individual 1.5” wheels positioned about the perimeter of the device along with two, 3” concentric wheels positioned in the center. Each wheel’s topic coincides with the sequential information reported in the airport terminal area’s ATIS broadcast.
Once the information is entered onto the Atis Wheel™, this displayed information is now available to the pilot for continued reference without the possibility of transcription error or forgetting the pertinent ATIS data. (It is recommended that the pilot listen to the pre-recorded ATIS information twice to verify that the correct information has been entered on the Atis Wheel™.)
The Atis Wheel™ information coincides with the sequential layout of the Atis Wheel™, providing the pilot the following data:
The ATIS information phonetic letter identifying this specific ATIS report, named sequentially after a phonetic letter of the alphabet.
Example: This is Providence ATIS information ALPHA
The time the ATIS information was recorded - in ZULU (GMT) time.
In as much as all ATIS information should be current, there is no wheel on the Atis WheelTM to record the ZULU time - The DIRECTION from which the wind is blowing
The VELOCITY of the wind, and wind GUSTS, if any
The VISIBILITY and SKY condition
The CEILING of the sky (if any) and cloud height, if OVERCAST.
The TEMPERATURE and DEW POINT
The RUNWAY in use for LANDING and TAKEOFF
The instrument APPROACH in use for landing
The BAROMETRIC pressure, in order to calibrate the altimeter
Additional tower comments (i.e., notice of closed taxies, etc)
Additionally offered on the Atis Wheel™ (though not offered in the ATIS broadcast) is an input on a wheel to display the airport FIELD ELEVATION, critical for instrument approaches.
The Atis Wheel™ also displays clearly the visual relationship between the wind direction and the active runway, informing the pilot as to the pending cross wind takeoff and landing situation.
The Atis Wheel™ device has 7 punched wholes on its left side making it conveniently compatible with Jeppesen™ or similar flight binders.