Louisville, Colo., Nov. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaisala, a world leader in comprehensive aviation weather data that aids airport and airline decision-makers daily, announced today a broad rollout of its CheckTime platform, a system to automate airline de-icing/anti-icing calculations for a greater level of accuracy and efficiency.
CheckTime is a tool to calculate holdover times — the estimated time for which an anti-icing fluid will prevent the formation of frost or ice and the accumulation of snow on the protected surfaces of an airplane, under specified weather conditions. Pilots currently use a manual check of storm conditions and the specific anti-icing chemical used to calculate how long their holdover time must be. The slightest weather change could change the holdover time, but because the manual calculations assume the current weather conditions will remain the same in the future, the plane may be unnecessarily anti-iced again, which can have a significant impact on departure times and increase harsh anti-icing chemical usage and costs. By simply using an app on a connected device, CheckTime automatically updates holdover times for pilots based on real-time weather data.
“Weather can have a huge impact on the busy holiday travel season,” Kevin Petty, chief science officer at Vaisala said. “Ice and snow can delay airport operations, including aircraft departures, significantly. Using advances in technology, like CheckTime, can help the entire process run more smoothly while maintaining the highest level of safety.”
Vaisala produces both the software and the weather sensors for CheckTime, which means pilots and airlines receive the most accurate information to make the best decisions in winter weather conditions because the technology works in sync. Since weather conditions can change quickly, CheckTime updates once per minute to provide pilots with the most accurate updates of the state of anti-icing fluids on the aircraft.
“With more than 40 years of providing aviation weather solutions to the FAA and the ICAO, Vaisala is pleased to offer CheckTime technology directly to airlines and pilots,” Nick Demetriades, head of aviation information services at Vaisala said. “By automating the manual process for calculating holdover times, CheckTime technology takes the guesswork out of this process and drives decision-making with reliable, real-time weather data.”
For more information on CheckTime, go to vaisala.com.
About Vaisala:
Vaisala is a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement. Building on 80 years of experience, Vaisala provides observations for a better world. We are a reliable partner for customers around the world, offering a comprehensive range of innovative observation and measurement products and services. Headquartered in Finland, Vaisala employs approximately 1,600 professionals worldwide and is listed on the NASDAQ Helsinki stock exchange. For additional company information please go to www.vaisala.com.
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