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OPERATIONS  
November | December 2026      AirportImprovement.com
0B1 | PNN
Only two companies are FAA-certified to 
provide AWOS IIIPs: Mesotech International 
and DBT Transportation Services. Mesotech 
supplied systems for the program’s first two 
installations and is now contracted to provide 
systems for the next three locations as well. 
When visiting Maine to plan the system 
conversions, Mesotech Chief Strategy 
Officer Andrew Kuchel was surprised at how 
important flying is there. “I didn’t realize how central it is to the 
state,” he reflects. “There’s a large pilot community, and a lot of 
areas that are much more easily accessible by an aircraft than 
almost anything else.”
That is especially true of 15 islands that are part of the state 
and inhabited year-round. LifeFlight of Maine supports these 
unique communities with medevac response for emergencies, 
and ferry service provided by the state DOT connects them to the 
mainland for routine needs.  
The Start of a Statewide Effort
All nine of the initial sites approved by the FAA airport district office 
to receive AWOS IIIP are uncontrolled airports that serve rural 
communities. “There are population centers dispersed along the 
I-95 corridor going north to south in the state. But anybody who 
has visited Maine will realize very quickly it’s difficult to cross east 
and west,” says Rolfson. “So, having good weather reporting at 
those locations is key for the general aviation community and for 
safe medical evacuation operations.”
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LifeFlight of Maine Infrastructure Engineer John Rolfson 
and Mesotech Technician Zach Nelson mount and align the 
ultrasonic wind speed and direction sensor at Bethel Regional. 

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