A grant from the Recreational Aviation Foundation is funding a remote solar powered weather station at Saline Valley Warm Springs Airfield, commonly known as the Chicken Strip, in Death Valley National Park’s remote Saline Valley.
RAF California Liaison Katerina Barilov was concerned that the closest weather currently available comes from Tonopah, Nevada, 82 nm away from the gravel airstrip.
In the interest of providing pilots accurate information to make better-informed decisions, Barilov was awarded a grant from the foundation to install a Remote Solar-Powered APRS radio weather station at Chicken Strip.
“This experimental weather station will not rely on cell phone, satellite, or wi-fi connectivity to transmit real-time dewpoint, wind velocity and direction, barometric pressure and temperature data via VHF radio to the internet,” Barilov said.
Barilov reports that the area’s extreme geology, with its 12,000-foot peaks to the west towering over the field elevation of 1,360 feet, creates significant weather that can be severe. Extreme temperature fluctuations caused by daytime heat can stir up over 25-knot gusts, she adds.
Having received approval from Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds, Barilov and RAF California Liaison Rick Lach will begin installation of the weather station the first week of June with the assistance of the camp host.
Allowing time for testing and permitting, Barilov expects the system to be permanently operational by the end of 2024.
For more information on Chicken Strip, see the RAF’s Airfield Guide.