There’s an old saying “it takes a village” and that certainly is true at Cameron Park Airport (O61) in California.
Volunteers with the non-profit Cameron Park Airport Foundation raised close to $70,000 over the past 18 months to pay for an upgrade to the airport’s Automated Weather Observing System.
Officially certified by the FAA and put into operation on March 21, 2025, the upgraded system offers comprehensive real-time weather data, making critical local weather information easily accessible to pilots based at O61 and flying into the airport.
Pilots pitching in to help is not new at the airport.
About a decade ago, the airport community rallied to raise funds for a basic AWOS system to provide essential data such as wind speed, direction, and temperature.
However, it became clear that an enhanced AWOS-3 system, capable of reporting ceiling height and visibility, was vital for improving pilot awareness and supporting safer operations — especially given the unique geographic and atmospheric conditions in Cameron Park, said Knud Kirkegaard, president of the Cameron Park Airport Foundation.
“Cameron Park Airport sits amongst rising terrain on all sides,” he explained. “Weather, specifically visibility-limiting clouds, fog, and wildfire smoke, will settle into the small valley and create very localized obscuration. Other airports in the vicinity have useful weather reporting, but it is not sufficient for making confident decisions about arriving at O61, an airport without any instrument approaches. The addition of visibility and ceiling outputs is a significant enabler for flight planning to the airport and surrounding area.”
The latest fundraising effort was truly a grassroots effort on the part of the Cameron Park Airport Foundation, he added.
“We did not have the bandwidth to hold events for this particular campaign,” he said. “Rather, it was a combination of phone tree, email tree, conversations on the ramp with airport enthusiasts, and participation by other locals that benefit from the airport.”
Foundation officials note that it only takes a few airport enthusiasts to make projects like this come to life.
It started years ago with a couple of comments from pilots who said they’d be willing to donate to upgrade the airport.
“The Cameron Park Airport Foundation was founded to test those comments,” Kirkegaard said. “True to their word, that original cohort of donors gave the project sufficient gravity to continue to raise funding. As the balance in the dedicated account increased, the enthusiasm also increased and the sprint to the finish almost took care of itself.”
The upgraded system uses a majority of the original AWOS equipment, which was installed by Mesotech International.
“The new sensors and infrastructure were added and the entire system was recertified by the FAA,” he said.
Volunteers also helped prepare the site for the equipment upgrade, including site clearing, leveling, pad preparation, and more.
“However, the Mesotech International team undertook the installation of their equipment as it requires specific training and licenses,” he said.
The new AWOS-3 system is now integrated into the FAA weather network.
“This is a landmark improvement for our airport,” said Cameron Park Airport District President Mark Eagar. “Thanks to the passion and generosity of our aviation community, we now offer capabilities typically found at larger airports. This upgrade enhances safety, supports better flight planning, and helps put Cameron Park on the map for more aviators.”
Airport officials note the upgraded AWOS is supplemented by real-time camera feeds that allow pilots to visually confirm field conditions before flight. Those cameras also were paid for and installed by foundation volunteers, officials noted.
“The foundation is incredibly proud to have played a role in bringing this vision to fruition,” added Kirkegaard. “This was a grassroots effort from start to finish — a testament to what a committed community can achieve when it rallies around a shared goal. The AWOS-3 is a legacy project for this airport and will serve pilots for years to come.”
The foundation also produced a safety video for pilots unfamiliar with the airport to review before they fly in:
For more information: CameronParkAirport.org, CPAirportFoundation.org, WeatherCams.FAA.gov
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