Gyronimo’s Performance Pad iPad app combines weight-and-balance and performance calculations to help pilots quickly and accurately plan flights without any tedious paperwork.
Gyronimo (Booth No. 1537) has developed Performance Pad apps for a variety of helicopter and fixed-wing airplanes, about 40 total, including popular models made by Airbus Helicopters, Bell Helicopter, Robinson Helicopter and MD Helicopters. Gyronimo also offers the Fleet Control online database, which allows crews to send data to company headquarters, such as crew status, risk-management information, flight numbers, maintenance information, etc., and then update the company with flight hours, position reports, fuel consumption and more. Most of the helicopter Performance Pad apps cost $29.99, although some models and Pro versions of the app sell for $39.99 (EC120B), $59.99 (R66 Pro) and $179.99 (EC155B and B1).
The Fleet Control system and the Performance Pad app can be customized to fit any operation. For example, Gyronimo developed a custom solution for the Maryland State Police AW139 fleet with weights and locations of medical and other equipment, so that pilots can quickly produce accurate weight-and-balance manifests. For ExecuJet Europe, Gyronimo added more than 30 computations for IFR CAT A flights into the Performance Pad app for the operator’s EC155B1.
The Performance Pad app is easy to use and presents the user with a clear loading diagram that includes longitudinal and lateral center of gravity (CG) limits graphs. Any element on the diagram such as seats, cargo, external load, fuel and custom fields can be adjusted with sliders, and the graphs instantly show whether the load is within weight and CG limits. The fuel load includes a max endurance number, and the user can adjust desired fuel remaining on landing. Once the load manifest is completed, the user can sign then email it.
Another useful feature in the app is an E6B section, where the user can evaluate the effect of winds on ground speed and flight time. The app also includes charts that show the performance available given the particular parameters on the load manifest. For example, if the payload or fuel is reduced, then the rate of climb chart automatically shows the new, higher rate of climb. Performance charts include power check, rate of climb, hover ceiling IGE and OGE, service ceiling, distance to clear a 50-foot obstacle and more.
The settings section allows the user to change defaults for the particular aircraft, such as fuel consumption, warning rate of climb, fuel reserve warning, threshold warnings and basic operating weight and moments (lateral and longitudinal).
