WSI (Weather Services International), the most trusted name in aviation decision support, today announced that it has launched an iPad app for its industry-leading WSI Pilotbrief Optima™ service, the new, dramatically enhanced, on-line version of WSI Pilotbrief®.

WSI Pilotbrief Optima delivers the most relevant preflight briefing experience directly to the iPad. With it, a pilot can quickly retrieve the weather and NOTAM information needed for the next flight.

Captain Robert McCauley, Standards Officer for JM Family Enterprises, Inc., a $9.3 billion corporation based in Fort Lauderdale, praises the new WSI iPad App.

“WSI’s new online Pilotbrief Optima service works very well on the iPad and is very user friendly. The program’s new integration features — like the graphical route layout and station information — are excellent and easy to use on the iPad. Additionally, the route briefing information is laid out very well. With the technology constantly changing, I look forward to WSI’s continuous updating of this service with additional, advanced, user-driven improvements.”

To learn more about the Pilotbrief Optima iPad App from Captain McCauley, visit WSI’s Booth # C9213 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at NBAA 2011, in Las Vegas, October 10-12.

Pilotbrief Optima & the iPad – A Powerful Combination

It has been noted by many industry sources that the iPad is attractive to pilots for a number of reasons. The display is large and easily readable. The device has a long battery life. The operating system is extremely stable. It is easy to use and the storage capacity is sufficient to store a full complement of IFR charts. By coupling these iPad features with Pilotbrief Optima’s powerful, comprehensive, up-to-the-minute, flight-planning weather information, aviation professionals have a strategic, air-routing tool at their fingertips anytime — and anyplace — they need it.

“Our new iPad App for Pilotbrief Optima gives pilots and other aviation professionals access to the industry’s leading disruptive weather information from wherever they are,” said Paul Devlin WSI’s Product Manager, Aviation Decision Support. “Pilotbrief Optima delivers the most relevant preflight briefing experience directly to the iPad and provides quick retrieval of the weather and NOTAM information needed for upcoming flights.”

The WSI Pilotbrief Optima iPad App offers mobile access to:

• High definition weather layers, Radar, Satellite IR, VIL and EchoTop mosaics
• Route Specific Weather and NOTAM Briefings
• Recently FAA cleared flight routes
• Tropical Storm Tracks
• Textual Aviation Weather Reports and Forecast
• Ten day planning forecasts

Please Note: Users must have a valid WSI Pilotbrief Optima account credentials in order to access the weather data. New account credentials are activated within 24 hours of purchase.

About WSI Aviation
WSI, the most trusted weather decision support provider in the aviation industry, provides a proactive, aviation operation management suite ensuring common situational awareness and continuity in decisions through every phase of flight. WSI FusionTM is an integral component of this flight support solution, which includes WSI PilotbriefTM preflight planning and InFlightTM data link for pilots, as well as WSI HubcastTM terminal forecasts and alerting for airport stakeholders. WSI also operates a Global Forecast Center staffed by experienced aviation meteorologists who produce operational terminal and enroute forecasts globally.

About WSI
WSI (Weather Services International) is the world’s leading provider of weather-driven business solutions for professionals in the aviation, energy and media markets, as well as multiple federal and state government agencies. WSI is a member of The Weather Channel Companies and is headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts with offices in Birmingham, England. The Weather Channel Companies are owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital.