About two years ago the FAA made final a long-anticipated rule affecting helicopter air ambulance (HAA) operators in the U.S. The rule requires HAA flights with medical personnel onboard to operate under Part 135 rules. HAA flights operating under Part 135 must meet a number of enhanced operational requirements and equipment parameters, including the use of radar altimeters, terrain awareness systems and flight data monitoring systems.

The final FAA rule reads: “After April 23, 2018, no person may operate a helicopter in air ambulance operations unless it is equipped with an approved Flight Data Monitoring System (FDMS) capable of recording flight performance data.” Why FDMS? Rulemakers realized that HAA operations could benefit from the ability to provide critical information to investigators in the event of an accident.

Skytrac (Booth 2300), based in British Columbia, recently introduced its Skytrac 2 solution. “Skytrac 2 is part of a new brand identity that reflects our evolution over the past three decades,” said Skytrac CEO Stephen Sorocky. “The aviation industry is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and clients are looking for more than simple GPS tracking. Data is about capturing previously hidden information and incorporating it into your overall operating procedures,” he said.

With business in oil and gas, firefighting and tourism, Sequoia Helicopters is working with Skytrac to stay ahead of the curve on the new rule. It announced recently that it selected Skytrac’s Helicopter Flight Data Monitoring (HFDM) for its Bell 212 fleet. Sequoia was looking for a solution that could assist the company with both proactive safety programs and cost-saving maintenance management.

“We have an extremely experienced crew working in complex environments that involve remote territories and, frequently, heavy workload cycles. Skytrac HFDM will help us monitor trends in engine parameters, inadvertent exceedances and other maintenance issues that could impact aircraft performance over time,” said Sequoia CEO Ralph Wagner. “For us, equipping now is about demonstrating to our clients that we are passionate about providing safe, reliable and high-quality services. Our clients need to know they’ll get the timely response they need because our aircraft are in top shape and ready to go at all times.”

Sorocky is emphatic in his portrayal of the importance of HFDM systems such as Skytrac. “Tapping into the onboard sensor systems, even of older aircraft, can offer a wealth of insight into everything from hard landings and unstable approaches to OOOI events and pilot duty hours. Skytrac has tools for reconciling bill-by-the-mile systems against high-resolution flight path GPS coordinates. Layered weather data and real-time exceedance alerts offer even more tracking and accountability.”

The Sequoia Skytrac HFDM program is scheduled to take place over three phases. The solution will harvest data from the fleet’s onboard sensor systems and log in-flight activity for post-flight analysis. Real-time notifications will be sent to maintenance support staff based on predetermined values, which will expedite any field-support requirements. All data for Sequoia will be retrievable through Skytrac’s SkyWeb software portal, with options for mobile alerts. The final phase of implementation will incorporate the aircraft’s onboard weight scale to capture and relay water-drop positions and volume data for wildfire management agencies.

Skytrac flight following, flight data and communications technology systems are certified on more than 900 airframes. The company serves as an online data management portal for more than 6,500 global users. It also provides on-site or Web-based training for dispatch and flight following operations, as well as hardware and third-party integration training.