AirCell, a provider of in-flight and ground wireless communications, and Jeppesen, have announced the creation of a new alliance. The two companies will bring weather information to the cockpit of general aviation aircraft, using data transmitted through AirCell's airborne cellular system in concert with Jeppesen's FlightMap moving map navigation software.

A company spokesman for AirCell said: "The combination of these technologies means the latest high-resolution weather graphics can now be made available, inflight, to aircraft where traditional onboard weather radar is expensive or impractical."

The new programme can be accessed using AirCell's standard airborne cellular phone system. Pilots subscribing to Jeppesen's weather information services and equipped with FlightMap software, can now use their AirCell phone to obtain current weather data (including radar maps) and overlay that information onto a moving map display in the cockpit in near real time, says AirCell.

Text weather information and NOTAMs provided by Jeppesen can also be accessed. The information can be viewed on cockpit displays such as the Northstar CT-1000 and the ADR FlightGuide 3000, or a laptop computer.