Automatic Terminal Information Service
The ATIS ( Automatic Terminal Information Service ) is an automatic information announcement for air traffic at airports with instrument traffic. It was set up to relieve radio stations at the airfield.
functionality
The ATIS is automatic in an endless loop (recorded message) on a particular flight radio - frequency and provides information on weather conditions and other relevant for departure and arrival information (eg active runway, air pressure. QNH and Others..) At an airfield. It is either spoken on tape or generated using text-to-speech software ( speech synthesis ).
The ATIS announcement for German airfields is re-issued every 30 minutes (always 20 minutes after and 10 minutes before the full hour). In the event of short-term weather changes or other important changes, the ATIS announcement may also be updated in the meantime. Each new announcement receives the next letter of the alphabet as a "version identifier", which is pronounced according to the rules of the ICAO alphabet .
Relief of radio traffic
Pilots who fly under IFR (instrument flight) and want to take off or land are instructed to first listen to the ATIS. When contacting the responsible authorities at the airport, the pilot gives the code letter of the ATIS message available to him to ensure that he knows the current version. The remote station then confirms the correctness of the ATIS letter or, if necessary, draws his attention to the fact that a new report has been published in the meantime.
VFR pilots (visual flight), on the other hand, are not obliged to eavesdrop on the ATIS.
The pilot does not have to get the landing information from ATIS. He could also get it directly from the air traffic controller. The air traffic controller would have to re-transmit the same information for each pilot. ATIS thus significantly relieves the air traffic controller's radio frequency.
ATIS mostly takes place on its own frequency in the radio area, but can also be broadcast by a rotary radio beacon (VOR) on its frequency. In this case, the name of the VOR is announced for unambiguous identification for navigation purposes.
Structure of an ATIS message
- Name of the airfield
- ATIS letter
- Time of observation of the airfield weather
- Active runway
- current special features (e.g. construction work)
- Transition surface
- Wind direction and speed
- Flight views
- special weather conditions (e.g. rain)
- Main cloud base
- Temperature and dew point
- QNH
- Change trend
Examples of ATIS messages
| This is Mönchengladbach Airport - Information Alpha - Met Report Time 1620 - expect ILS-approach runway 13 - transition level 60 - wind 140 degrees, 5 knots - visibility 9 kilometers - light rain - clouds scattered 3000 feet - temperature 24, dewpoint 18 - QNH 1018 - NOSIG - (Information Alpha out). |
|---|
In plain language this message means:
- Published by Mönchengladbach Airfield
- Code letter A (the previous message was called Z, the following one will be called B)
- Time of the weather report (not that of ATIS): 16:20 UTC
- Expected runway for instrument approach: 13
- Transition area FL 60
- Wind from 140 degrees with 5 knots
- Visibility: 9 kilometers
- light rain
- Light cloud cover (⅜ to ½ cover of the sky) with a cloud base of 3000 feet ( above ground )
- Temperature 24 degrees Celsius
- Dew point 18 degrees Celsius
- QNH 1018 hPa (i.e. an altimeter set to 1018 hPa shows the altitude above sea level at the station)
- NOSIG = No Sig expected nificant Change = No significant change
| Grenchen Information Oscar - Runway in use 25 25 left and right - Met Report 1550 - wind 060 degrees, 3 knots - visibility 10 kilometers or more - clouds broken 5400 scattered 7000 feet - temperature 22, dewpoint 16 - QNH 1018 - NOSIG - Transition level 70 - Glider operation in sector !!! Bravo !!! Bravo up to 5000 feet, entering prohibited - Para activity overhead - Ground Frequency not active - Grenchen Information Oscar. |
|---|
In plain language this message means:
- Published by Grenchen Airfield
- Code letter O (the previous message was called N, the following one will be called P)
- Estimated runway: 25 (concrete) 25L (grass for glider in sector Bravo Bravo) 25R (grass for VFR)
- Time of the weather report (not that of the ATIS): 15:50 UTC
- Wind from 60 degrees with 3 knots
- Visibility more than 10 kilometers
- Clouds: ⅝ to ⅞ coverage at 5400 feet; ⅜ to ½ coverage at 7000 feet (above ground)
- Temperature 22 ° C
- Dew point 16 ° C
- QNH 1018 hPa (i.e. an altimeter set to 1018 hPa shows the altitude above sea level at the station)
- No significant change expected
- Transition surface FL 70
- Gliders in the Bravo Bravo sector, into which it is forbidden to fly with powered aircraft
- Parachutists directly above the airfield
- Roll control frequency is not busy, i. H. the tower must also be contacted for ground operations
- End: Replay of Grenchen Information Oscar
Audio sample
| text | Explanation |
|---|---|
| This is Schiphol arrival information Kilo | Issued by Schiphol Airport for aircraft approaching, code letter K. |
| Main landing runway 18 Right | The main runway in operation is runway 18R |
| Transition level 50 | Transition area is FL50. |
| 200 degrees, 11 knots | Wind from 200 degrees with 11 knots |
| Visibility 10 kilometers | Visibility 10 kilometers or more |
| Few 1300 feet, scattered 1800 feet, broken 2200 feet | Cloud cover at the specified heights above the airfield |
| Temperature 15, dewpoint 13 | Temperature 15 ° C and dew point 13 ° C. |
| QNH 995 hectopascals | QNH 995 hPa. |
| No significant change | No significant weather change expected. |
| Contact approach and arrival callsign only | When contacting approach control, only your own call sign is to be given (to shorten the radio communication without additional information such as altitude, approach route, etc.) |
| End of information kilos | End of the message, again with the letter K. |