WINCOMM PROJECT Pilot Weather Advisor

ViGYAN, Inc.

Hampton, VA

ViGYAN, Inc. developed the Pilot Weather Advisor system using state of the art satellite technology to substantially increase the amount of weather information available to aircraft pilots in flight

• Technology has been demonstrated in Piper Saratoga and Learjet 36 aircraft during SBIR development
• Broadcast system is up and running 24/7 – graphical and text weather information updated every 5 minutes and covers the entire continental U.S. and border regions
• WSI InFlight AV200 System received FAA certification (7/03)
  
• The availability of strategic weather information while in flight will increase general aviation safety

• Phase III effort led to a spin-off company, WeatherStream, (4 FTE’s) which has since been acquired by WSI, Inc. (Service renamed WSI InFlight in Summer 2002)
  
• WSI InFlight Aircraft Weather Information Service (www.wsi.com/solutions/aviation/inflight/)
  
• Service is affordable, even to hobbyist pilots (as low as $480/year)
  
• Over 2000 WSI InFlight units installed in aircraft
  
• Over 1000 Weather Channel Marine units installed in watercraft (www.wsi.com/solutions/marine/)
  

• Phases I and II funded by NASA LaRC (NAS1-19250 and NAS1-19595) completed development and patent of the original system concept (Patent #5265024)
  
• Phase III of $200K funded by NASA GRC Aviation Safety Program (Contract # C-70699-N) to develop and demonstrate an affordable satellite data link system for the dissemination of weather information to make it commercially viable
  
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently ordered eighteen WSI InFlight AV300 ‘next generation’ systems for the purposes of equipping a portion of the Johnson Space Center (JSC) T-38N astronaut trainer/proficiency fleet
  

Return to NASA SBIR Success Listings