Honeywell Sky Connect Tracker III taps Iridium satellite network to deliver in-flight maintenance alerts, talk, text, and tracking to helicopter fleets
LAS VEGAS, 5 March 2013. Honeywell (NYSE:HON) announced the availability and certification of Sky Connect Tracker III, an all-in-one system providing helicopter operators with concurrent voice, text, and tracking of their fleet in a single box.
Sky Connect Tracker III uses the Iridium satellite network for the communications function; as a result, Sky Connect Tracker III can be used across the globe, wherever the Iridium satellite network can be accessed.
Sky Connect Tracker III is reportedly the first connectivity product for helicopter operators that integrates with Honeywell’s Zing Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) to enable real-time vehicle health status and maintenance alerts. This integration enables ground maintenance and operations personnel to see when a HUMS maintenance alert is flagged, so maintenance personnel can schedule maintenance when the aircraft lands. The system is also first to provide a power-down message without the use of a battery.
“Sky Connect Tracker III provides helicopter operators with the crucial information to keep their fleet safe and efficient. And, when integrated with Honeywell’s HUMS product, data can be transmitted in real time to the ground and operations crew while flight operations are underway, increasing aircraft safety and availability while reducing maintenance man-hours and parts costs,” says Brian Sill, vice president, Defense and Space Americas Aftermarket, Honeywell.
Features of Sky Connect Tracker III include:
Easy interface with a flight management system (FMS) by eliminating the need for additional converters
Simultaneous texting and tracking capabilities, even during lengthy voice calls
Uninterrupted reporting capabilities with the new Last Position Vector PowerBank, which enables the helicopter to send final position reports after the pilot powers down the aircraft or if any incident interrupts aircraft power
Integration with Zing HUMS that enables near real-time reporting of HUMS status to the ground and operations crew, from simple alerts to more discrete messaging of HUMS faults
Comprehensive aircraft health status tracking that collects and reports information such as fuel status, aircraft system status, limit alarms and other aircraft telemetry
Zing HUMS is permanently installed on the helicopter to perform these functions:
Provide full-time vibration monitoring of all critical rotating components during flight
Eliminate the need for portable rotor track and balance system
Enhance safety through early detection of mechanical faults to prevent component failures
Reduce maintenance hours and test flights to do rotor, track and balance
Monitor parameters to calculate operational and engine usage and exceedance
Monitor flight data parameters used in operational procedures such as Helicopter Flight Data Monitoring
