Pilot of a Bell 429 Chooses Blue Sky Network for Satellite Tracking

Blue Sky Network strives to deliver advanced tracking solutions using reliable Iridium satellites and cutting-edge technology hardware and software. Blue Sky Network’s HawkEye Portable Tracker (HEPT) offers an extensive array of alerts, two-way messaging, and position reporting and communication options. Here is what one of Blue Sky Network’s satisfied customers, Chris Hughes, is saying:

1) How did you use Blue Sky Network’s products in your operations? Which product did you use?

As the pilot of a Bell 429 operated by a large coal mining company, the helicopter supported a mission to fly executives to mines on a daily basis to review each mine’s progress.  Typically, we took off at 7am five days a week and visited three or four mines in a day, arriving home around 5pm.  While at each location, local management used the helicopter for aerial survey of their property.  Our Blue Sky Network product was the Hawk Eye Personal Tracker.

2) Did BSN products solve any obstacles or problems that you were having in your operations? How so?

The top management of the world’s second largest coal company would ride the helicopter into the mountainous terrain of Appalachia where there was little to no VHF or cellular reception.  This meant that during the flights, no one knew of the aircraft’s location or condition of the key management executives.  The HEPT solved this problem by allowing the Helicopter Dispatcher to monitor our exact real-time position.  Rapidly changing weather conditions in the mountains resulted in unplanned landings at sites unknown to any other company personal.  With the HEPT, the Dispatcher could pinpoint our location and even communicate with the helicopter to confirm status and amended plans.

3) Why did you choose Blue Sky Network over other options?

We selected the Blue Sky Network HEPT after researching similar available products for cost, capability and reliability.  Purchase price was low.  Monthly service cost was adjustable to suit our needs.  The extensive communication capability was a plus beyond the tracking function.  On the very rare occasion we needed to talk to Blue Sky Network, knowledgeable people were immediately available.

4) What do you think are the benefits of using these systems in aviation operations?

Safety was paramount.  Should an unplanned landing occur that put passengers or crew at risk, or in need, help could be dispatched immediately.  Secondarily, en-route changes could be tracked and the proper ground personal notified of these changes.  Better coordination and utilization of the aircraft resulted from company personnel regularly communicating with the Dispatcher for updated helicopter position and schedule.

5) What features do you like or use the most?

The HEPT device best suited our operation.  Purchase price was low.  Portability was useful.  Communication was critical.  At first, our executives did not like the idea of someone watching where they were going.  However, quickly they appreciated the fact that they were being protected at all times.

6) How do you feel about Blue Sky Network customer service and support?

Customer service and support were relatively unknown at the time we decided to use Blue Sky Network.  Only limited customer feedback was available at that time.  However, in talking with Blue Sky representatives, they had all of the right answers to our questions.  As it turned out, the service and support were excellent.

 7) Would you recommend our products? If so, why?

I would highly recommend Blue Sky Network.  Other helicopter operations in Appalachia were using different helicopter tracking solutions and most were not satisfied with the overall results.  It was a good decision for us.  All company personal from the CEO to the pilot were happy with the decision to use Blue Sky Network.

Erickson Air-Crane Utilizes Satellite Tracking Tools for Aerial Firefighting

Erickson Air-Crane Helicopters has quickly become a leading, and rapidly growing, global provider of aerial services to a diverse mix of end markets, including firefighting. The company also recently acquired Evergreen Helicopters, Inc., a diversified global provider of cargo and personnel air transport services to government and commercial customers.

The company has equipped its heavy-lift, high-tech S-64 air crane helicopters with Blue Sky Networks’ AFF-compliant D1000A Satellite Communication System Series with RS232 sensor interface. Erickson’s S-64 air crane helicopters leverage the benefits of an advanced communication solution that provides satellite tracking, allowing Erickson’s aircraft to respond efficiently to emergency fire situations while maintaining constant contact with command centers. With the integration of the D1000, Erickson’s aircraft for firefighting now has the capability to monitor information such as the amount of water and fire retardant dropped by the 2,650-gallon Helitankers in near real-time, providing critical information to improving a pilot’s situational awareness and drop pattern efficiency when it matters most.

“Blue Sky Network’s satellite tracking solution enables crucial communication with our pilots and aircraft in remote areas. Communication is constant and uninterrupted, an essential feature during firefighting operations. We selected Blue Sky Network because they provide superior reliability and coverage for our fleets and enable us to differentiate our operations during critical missions such as aerial firefighting.”

– Brian Carlson, Erickson’s Marketing Communications Manager

With Blue Sky Network, Erickson air cranes transport tracking is accomplished by harnessing the Iridium satellite communication network via a D1000 unit installed on the aircraft, which sends data to the interactive new SkyRouter web portal. The web portal provides detailed mapping, two-way messaging, alerts, reports, and seamless integration capabilities with Google Earth, allowing Erickson to track and efficiently manage their aerial firefighting operations anywhere in world – from Australia to Malaysia to South America.

Blue Sky Network’s D1000 Series provides a number of benefits to Erickson’s firefighting helicopters, including data collection on water/fire retardant delivery for more efficient planning, and two-way remote communication, fleet coordination, event logging and improved situational awareness. Each feature contributes to improved safety and efficiency during firefighting assignments and helps to ensure that fires are extinguished efficiently.

“Pilots of firefighting aircraft have a challenging job, but being equipped with Blue Sky Network’s D1000 gives us peace of mind. Knowing flight operations can track aircraft in real-time – plus having the ability to communicate with other assets, controlling agencies, and our operations department for support issues – is essential for safe and efficient operations. The communication feature additionally increases our availability for customers who rely on us as an aerial firefighting asset.”

– Dave Barnett, Erickson Air-Crane Chief Pilot

Satellite Communication Solutions Used During Hurricane Katrina Emergencies

October 21, 2005

Chairman Kevin Martin
Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554

Dear Chairman Martin:

As a captain with the Sulphur Fire Department in Louisiana, I can attest first-hand to the power of Iridium’s mobile satellite communications service in a large scale disaster. Sulphur, a paid professional fire dept, is located in South West Louisiana and was one of many fire departments that responded to the scene in New Orleans. The day after Katrina hit, we sent in 19 men, 2 supply trailers, and 7 boats. As we prepared to deploy, Blue Sky Network, an Iridium service provider, recommended we mount a D1000 tracking and messaging unit on one of our trucks. The D1000 unit utilized the Iridium network for tracking and email capabilities with planners and organizers of our response.

The Iridium-based unit enabled us to be in constant contact with our department over 200 miles away while standing in 12″ of water at the scene. And to exploit the service our responders were able to communicate with their families as well. To appreciate this, you have to understand that even the New Orleans Police Department couldn’t communicate with themselves a block away yet we were never without contact even though we were on the other side of the state.

After the incident, we were able to use our recorded route in conjunction with Google’s Maps to facilitate our post incident analysis. With this information, we were able to see, down to house level, when and were the rescues took place. It was inadvertent that we had this equipment in the first place, so procedures to use it were never established. In effect we over communicated a number of things that ended up causing issues back home. It was a real contrast to the significant lack of communications during the event that is so widely publicized. The notable fact was that this technology exists and is available but not in place to function in a theatre where it would be so appropriate.

There were a number of factors to why things went so bad in New Orleans but communications can be one that could be easily addressed with only a few key initiatives in emergency service methods. The frustrating factor is that we had a totally reliable system that enabled our small deployment to be as effective as we were. But the main agencies in place to coordinate the total response effort had little or no method to deliver instructions to the majority of responding deployments. Thousands of responders could have been as effective in their efforts as we were and that would have changed the tide of the entire response.

This system can be adapted to suit the needs of fire, police, and ems. It is the logical and responsible path to take given what this nation has seen. It will not fix the shortcomings of the decision makers and disaster planners but can remove the case for argument with regards to communications. Also Iridium can give those in the field the tools they need to do what they do.

Sincerely,
Captain Brandon Blalock
Sulphur, Louisiana Fire Department

To view the letter in its entirety click the link below.

Sulphur Fire Dept Testimonial