Installations of a new weather observation system are increasing across Alaska, as well as migrating south to the Lower 48.
The Montis Weather Observation System (MWOS) debuted in Alaska in 2024 with the first installation in Rampart, a village about 100 miles northwest of Fairbanks along the Yukon River.
Since then 15 systems have been installed, with more on the way, according to Walter Combs, CEO of Montis Corporation.
Combs is well known by Alaska aviators as the “father of the Alaska region AWOS camera systems.” That’s because when he was with the FAA, he was in charge of installing some of the first AWOS units at airports across the state.
After his retirement, Combs joined with some other FAA retirees to create Montis and develop MWOS.
The systems consist of high-tech digital 360° panoramic cameras, real-time weather reporting, ADS-B tracking, and flight following. All of the information is available to pilots on the VisRoute App and the company’s website.
Developed as a subscription product, Montis uses a constellation of 66 satellites that provides Wi-Fi internet connections in remote places. That has positioned MWOS to serve as a backup for rural areas that lack infrastructure for FAA AWOS installations.
“The FAA is looking at us for backup to the existing AWOS system,” Combs explains, adding that using the satellites, cell phones, and Wi-Fi, “MWOS can operate every day, all day.”
MWOS is getting rave reviews from pilots in Alaska.
“This is great improvement for situational awareness of the conditions at the airports we service,” said Matt Atkinson, CEO of Wright Air & Warbelows Air Ventures in Fairbanks. “The cameras are great and in some of the villages Montis is installing Wi-Fi, which allows pilots to call from those airports for updates or to see the weather at their next destination.”
But the systems have proven their worth in other ways.
After the first MWOS unit was installed at Rampart Airport (PFMP), they discovered the camera captured not only the airport, but also the river and Aurora Borealis at night, as well as imagery of forest fires visible for dozens of miles from the airport, proving its value in many ways, Combs says.
Since the first installation in Rampart, the company has expanded across the state.
“We currently have 15 systems installed and operational in the state of Alaska and we’re installing another six systems over the next few months at Kaktovik, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Wainwright, Anaktuvuk Pass, and Dahl Creek,” he says.
But that’s just the beginning. The systems have spread to other states, with plans to install many more, he adds.
“We have plans for 100 installations in 2026 and have current MWOS units at installations across the U.S., including one in Port Angeles, Washington, one in Montana, one in Nevada, and two at Salt Lake International Airport in Utah,” he says.
According to Combs, the company is finalizing its Gen-2 Production Model, which boasts “dramatically improved imagery, simplified manufacturing, and easy single-plug-in installations that will enable large-scale system deployments.”
Manufacturing is in Palmer, Alaska, where the company also provides sales, remote monitoring, maintenance, cloud computing, data distribution, and more.
As the company goes into full production, optimism is high.
“We are targeting the installation of 500-plus MWOS systems by the end of 2028,” Combs says.
For more information: MontisCorp.com
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