Definition
WESCOM refers to a satellite-based air-to-ground communications system originally developed by Western Electric, used to provide radiotelephone service to aircraft in flight via satellite links rather than conventional ground-based radio relay.
Plain English
A system that lets aircraft talk to people on the ground through a satellite instead of through normal radio towers.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym, abbreviation, and notice-contraction material, especially when a notice must use a shortened form.
Derivation
The name is built from 'Western Electric' (the manufacturer) and 'Satellite Communications' (the function). Western Electric was the equipment-making arm of the old Bell System, which is why this system shows up in the early history of in-flight phone service.
Why Pilots Care
If WESCOM appears in a notice, the pilot needs to recognize it as a communications-related reference, not as an aircraft procedure, route, or weather term.
Intuition Check
Do not read WESCOM as a waypoint, flight procedure, or weather code. In this context, it is simply the abbreviation for Western Electric Satellite Communications.
Example Sentence 1
The acronym list in the back of the handbook includes WESCOM among older satellite-based aviation communication systems.
Example Sentence 2
Older aircraft logs sometimes reference WESCOM as the primary satellite link.