Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

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Aerospace engineering and technology company Send is providing free access to Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) ATIS and airport information via Send’s MyTIS FBOLink app.
Pilots can download the FBOLink app, sign up for an account, and obtain KOSH airport and weather information when connected to the internet or the cellphone network, without having to be within radio range of the airport. This is especially helpful for pilots flying to KOSH and not within radio range of the ATIS broadcast, according to Send founder David Gray. If something happens that temporarily closes the airport, pilots can get the information quickly using FBOLink and MyTIS, well before they can receive the ATIS broadcast. While some pilots have access to the internet using airborne connectivity systems such as Gogo air-to-ground or satcom services, low-flying pilots can often get a cellphone signal, according to Gray, and pick up the MyTIS information.
Giving pilots guidance on how to fly the KOSH arrival, the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh notam includes a link to the FBOLink app. The MyTIS information comes from an antenna and receiver installed at the Basler Flight Service FBO, and Send uses AI to transcribe the KOSH ATIS so that it can be retransmitted to FBOLink users.
MyTIS is somewhat similar to (digital) D-ATIS messages, which are available at more than 70 U.S. airports and airports around the world. D-ATIS information is also available on FBOLink, including from airports in Canada and Australia, and normally Send charges 25 cents for each D-ATIS or MyTIS message received. MyTIS is available, using a similar setup as the Basler configuration, at another 75 airports, with more added to the list every week. The free KOSH MyTIS service will be available until the end of AirVenture on July 27.
Although the benefits are clear, the FAA has not been adding to the number of D-ATIS-capable airports. The impetus to add more airports via the MyTIS service came from the Citation Jet Pilots safety committee, according to Gray. Certain airports are located in areas where hills or mountains block ATIS reception, even at fairly close distances. For example, receiving ATIS from popular business aviation airports near Denver is difficult when approaching from the west, due to the Rocky Mountains. Deer Valley Airport in Phoenix sits in a bowl that blocks radio transmissions. FBOs at these airports are helping by installing the Send setup to retransmit ATIS information, which Send distributes using FBOLink and MyTIS.
Gray hopes that the FAA will expand the number of airports where D-ATIS is available, because it is such a useful service. While D-ATIS can be accessed through EFB apps and directly from the internet when connectivity is available, the FBOLink app also provides quick links to metars, TAFs, and ASOS information. “Canada made all that information available, and so did Australia,” Gray said. “I would hope the FAA could make it available; it’s just sitting there on a recording.”&nbsp;

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