During a recent stint as a pilot flying a Twin Otter turboprop across the Drake passage to Antarctica, captain Paul C. used Aeronautical Data Systems’ Ergo Blue app to monitor the position of ships in case of an emergency requiring ditching in the ocean.

The Ergo Blue app provides ship position using automatic identification system data from Orbcomm. When the Apple iPad is connected to a GPS source, Ergo Blue shows the aircraft position relative to the ships, and the user can select a ship as a waypoint and view the bearing and distance to the ship. The Ergo Blue information can also be connected to ForeFlight and added as a layer on the ForeFlight moving map, enabling pilots to plot “direct-to” navigation guidance to a ship.

By clicking on a ship, the user can view contact information for the ship and the ship’s bearing and speed to help anticipate its future location. When connected to the internet via satcom, the Ergo Blue information is kept current. Without a satcom connection, the user can download the latest information before takeoff and view estimates of the ship’s positions.

In an emergency, the user can push an “SOS” button in the Ergo Blue app, and when the iPad is connected to a portable marine radio, the app automatically transmits a mayday distress call to all ships within VHF range on a continuous 2.5-minute loop, including the aircraft’s location. 

“Crossing the Drake Passage between the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most challenging flights any professional pilot can undertake,” Paul C. explained. “The Drake’s notoriously adverse weather conditions, combined with over 700 miles of some of the coldest open water on the planet, make for a daunting task. Should a ditching be required, survival rests on expeditiously locating and contacting marine traffic for rescue. Ergo Blue is an app that assists in both preflight route planning and real-time data. Knowing where ships are along one's flight path, combined with survival equipment and underwater egress training, gives pilots a fighting chance for survival should the unthinkable happen. Any pilot operating over water should make Ergo Blue a part of their EFB.”