Upper Cumberland Regional Airport has completed upgrades on its Automated Weather Operating System and has installed the equipment for a present weather sensor.
Airport Manager Dean Selby said this will allow the airport to do more localized weather forecasting. He said they are now waiting for the National Weather Service to incorporate the sensor into its network.
“This will create a better overall picture of what is really happening with the weather in this area and it will definitely help pilots but it will also be advantageous to the local communities,” Selby said. “Because it will improve the ability of forecasting in the area when they’re actually looking at current, actual, meteorological data.”
Selby said until this system was installed, the closest official reporting systems were in Nashville, Smyrna, and Crossville. Selby said the upgrades cost the airport an estimated $23,000 but will be maintained by T-DOT Aeronautics.
Selby said he is working with the National Weather Service to finalize the steps on the system. He said they expect to reap the benefits of the system very shortly.
“That should improve the forecastability not just for the airport but for the whole surrounding area,” Selby said. “So it’s going to cost the airport a little bit of money to do the upgrade, but with T-DOT taking over the maintenance going forward then we won’t have any ongoing maintenance costs going forward. So I think this is a win not just for the airport but for the area.”
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