While many commercial carriers have come to value flight tracking and data analysis technologies over the years, SKYTRAC Systems maintains many fixed- and rotary-wing operators are still missing out on untapped efficiencies offered through an increasingly digital environment.
“Many operators work under challenging conditions with unscheduled flights in and out of demanding locations,” said chief executive officer, Stephen Sorocky. “This operational variability, combined with tight budgets, competitive bidding situations and requirements for robust safety programs makes automated, quantitative systems analysis all the more important.”
Having roots that go back nearly three decades, SKYTRAC initially solved communications and tracking problems encountered by fleets operating in remote and often dangerous environments such as firefighting, oil-and-gas and Arctic exploration.
“We became experts in real-time communication hardware and software that could be relied upon in some of the most challenging environments,” said Sorocky. “Over time, we realized that the data captured by these systems could be used to increase safety, profitability and efficiency for operators of all types.”
Last year, the company introduced SKYTRAC 2, reflecting its evolution from communications and tracking innovator to one-stop, full service data management and analytics hub. Today, the company has systems certified on more than 700 airframes and an online data management portal accessible by more than 6,500 customers worldwide.
Offering end-to-end fleet analysis from a single provider, SKYTRAC 2 combines three powerful services. SKYTRAC Onboard captures reliable information from fixed- and rotary-wing fleets, including those still using analog technologies; SKYTRAC Inflight turns captured data into intelligent real-time alerts and assists with truly global fleet situational awareness around the clock; and SKYTRAC Insight translates fleet information into tailored business dashboards and performance reports for the operations, maintenance and executive team.
“SKYTRAC 2 is about approaching aviation operations with a big-data mindset. That can lead to big savings for operators of all sizes,” said Sorocky, citing in-house analysis which found that automated detection of previously unreported or misreported hard landings can reduce operational costs by up to $7.5 million over the course of just three incidents.
“These cost savings come into play when factoring in reductions in aircraft wear-and-tear and service disruption. Additional savings are introduced as flight crews benefit from performance trending and focused training programs that lower the probability of repeat incidents over time.”
As the international helicopter community gathers for its annual exposition, it is a timely topic, said Sorocky. Changes in regulatory environments and cost pressures are forcing many helicopter operators to re-evaluate how they approach flight data management. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ruling is set to require flight data monitoring on helicopter air ambulances by 2018.
Within the oil-and-gas sector, companies are auditing flight data monitoring programs while at the same time operators are looking to manage efficiencies within an increasingly price-sensitive, competitive market.
“Often operators are losing efficiency in ways that they cannot imagine until an objective data management tool is in place. Comprehensive and objective flight data reports can also provide a record of superior safety and maintenance standards that helps operators in a bidding situation,” said Sorocky.
SKYTRAC products promise insight into operations through a combination of real-time alerting and historical trending. Iridium satellite-based technologies are used to send regular position reports at intervals required by the customer. Onboard analytics monitor the flight and automated alerts are triggered when an event occurs that is outside of pre-defined parameters. Rich data are logged throughout each flight and transferred to SKYTRAC for automated post-flight analysis.
“We aim to optimize the data pipeline to give customers the information they need, within an effective timeframe, and in a cost-effective way,” Sorocky explained. “We spend time with the customer to balance their requirements. Consider the number of parameters that can be captured every partial second that any aircraft is operational. SKYTRAC’s expertise is in translating this volume of data into meaningful, actionable intelligence.”
Looking to the future, Sorocky sees the market for data analytics only growing. Within commercial aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s implementation of its Global Awareness and Distress Safety System (GADSS) for automatic data transmission over oceanic areas is raising the profile of intelligent real-time analytics.
“It’s only a matter of time before intelligent, satellite-based tracking is on every aircraft,” he predicted. “This will stimulate the desire for sophisticated flight data management tools to enhance safety, business analysis and management.”
He said SKYTRAC 2 is well positioned to capitalize on the growing market. “We take pride in our ability to understand data management from beginning to end–from hardware install to software implementation, enterprise integration and ongoing maintenance. Our vision is to give operators more insight into their organization and enabling better decision making from top-level management to maintenance staff, pilots and dispatchers.”
www.skytrac.ca
+1 250-765-2393
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