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| AS350 B3 helicopter. Photo: Universal Helicopters |
[Avionics Today 08-09-2016] Universal Helicopters (UHNL) has selected Skytrac systems to automate crew position and flight reports, and to track airframe maintenance metrics for the company’s AS350, Bell 206 and Bell 407 aircraft. With services extending into Canada’s High Arctic, UHNL requires a solution that can transmit timely and accurate flight data back to a centrally located operations team when operating in some of the world’s most remote locations. Skytrac provides a combined software and hardware system that stores digital versions of UHNL reports on its ISAT-200A hardware, satellite transceiver, data acquisition unit, and Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) Aircraft Interface Device (AID).
With Skytrac, the crew can retrieve and review forms pre-populated with flight and maintenance metrics before submitting electronic reports back to corporate headquarters via an Iridium Satellite connection. Once submitted, Skytrac’s Automated Programming Interface (API) will securely transfer data to third-party maintenance planning and accounting software where parameters, including engine cycle times, can be used to manage part life, maintenance scheduling and billing.