Text Flight Service Station

• US 20110160940A1
• Filed: 11/11/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Robert M. Schapiro
• Original Assignee: Robert M. Schapiro
• Inventors: SCHAPIRO, ROBERT M.
• Application Number:
  US12/944,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20110160940A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station

Abstract

A method and system (i.e. Text Flight Service Station) to provide up to date weather information, pilot information and flight plan information for small aircraft pilots, particularly, those flying at lower altitudes where radio information is limited or unavailable.

Claims

1. A Text Flight Service Station system and method comprising:

receiving a short form message comprising a relevant flight information request from an aircraft operator;

conveying the relevant flight information request to a flight information database;

retrieving relevant flight information answer from the flight information database; and

sending the flight information answer to the aircraft operator, wherein real-time flight information is exchanged.

2. The system and method according to claim 1, wherein the relevant flight information request comprises weather information.

3. The system and method according to claim 1, wherein the flight information database comprises the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather information database or Lockheed Martin Flight Service Station weather information database.

4. The system and method according to claim 1, further comprises placing the flight information answer in an outgoing queue, then processing the response to convey the flight information answer as the text to the aircraft operator.

5. The method and system according to claim 1, wherein the flight information request comprising search-and-rescue flight-plan information;

the information can be filed, opened and closed by a pilot.

6. The method and system according to claim 1, wherein User Access Terminal (DUATS) or Lockheed Martin Flight Service Station'"'"'s flight plan system is used to process flight plan information.

7. The method and system according to claim 1, wherein a confirmation of receipt of the flight information request is sent using a test message to the aircraft operator.

8. The method in claim 1 further comprising receiving a text-message request from the pilot or another user on an aircraft requesting information from an information server via two-way text-messages wherein each request is placed in a queue, which is an incoming queue when the program checks the information server for requests, and an outgoing queue that is processed to send response to appropriate text message to a pilot or another user on an aircraft.

9. The method and system according to claim 1, wherein the exchange of relevant flight information comprises email exchange of text messages.

10. The method and system according to claim 1, wherein the flight information request is placed in an incoming queue.

11. The method and system according to claim 8, further comprises processing the flight information request and creating an outgoing queue of flight information answers.

12. The method and system according to claim 1, wherein an error check for errors in weather or flight-plan requests and determines whether the requests are good or bad before further processing.

13. The method and system according to claim 1, wherein the flight information request includes the filing of any selected from the group consisting of:

filing a new pilot report (PIREP);

requesting a posted PIREP;

a routine weather report (METARs);

a terminal aerodrome forecast (TAFs);

an area forecast (FAs);

filing of a search and rescue flight plan;

opening of a search and rescue flight plan;

closing of a search and rescue flight plan an;

or any combination thereof.

14. The method and system according to claim 1, wherein the flight information request includes filing, opening and closing the search-and-rescue flight plans via text-messaging.

15. The method and system according to claim when wherein the flight information request and/or the flight information answer is encoding using aviation weather teletype nomenclature described in the Aeronautical Information Manual.