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course, occurred because the evaporation of the water on the sock cooled that thermometer more than the adjacent one. This high-tech data was then compared to what the AWOS was showing and matched almost dead on. This also was dutifully recorded by the FAA inspector. Our next test was to measure the accuracy of the wind speed impellor and vane at the top of the tower. For this test, our more athletic member climbed the tower, removed the impellors from the wind speed measurer, and connected it to a battery-driven drill motor that ran at a very specific speed. Providing the computer on the AWOS showed a wind speed that matched the known number for that RPM, that test also passed. The wind vane was much simpler. It only needed to be determined if it rotated freely and if its direction was accu- rate. We determined direction by hauling out our cell phones, going to the APP that shows compass direction, then making sure what the vane was pointing at reflected the number on our phones. A careful inspection of all the wiring followed, and it was noted there was some corrosion on the endpoint of one of the co-ax cables. The FAA inspector looked at this closely and said it would need to be replaced, but the system would remain approved until this was done. During our testing, several airplanes arrived whose pilots had no doubt checked the airport’s weather before taking off. And based upon what this equipment in the middle of a field was showing, filed the flight from halfway across the country.; the pilots oblivious to the magic of it all. Next time you see a small antenna farm out in the middle of the grass somewhere on your airport, don’t just wonder why some bureaucratic dingbat allowed those obstacles to be installed there. They serve a purpose that benefits us all, and we often take the system for granted, and the people that maintain them. From anywhere in the world, we can know exactly what the weather is at our home airport just by looking at our cell phone. Times have indeed changed from a decade ago, and what we have now is, by comparison, just plain magic. Kevin Ware is an ATP who also holds CFI, MEII and helicopter ratings, has more than 10,000 hours and is typed in several different business jets. He has been flying for a living on and off since he was 20, and currently works as a contract pilot for various corpo- rations in the Seattle area. When not working as a pilot he is employed part time as an emer- gency and urgent care physician. He can be reached at kevin.ware2@aol.com. Jet Shades Arizona Type Rating 34 • TWIN & TURBINE / October 2019