CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. (TSX-V:
FLY) (OTCQX: FLYLF) (the “Company” or “FLYHT”) today announced positive results from the flight-test program of its Automated
Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS™) on the Boeing ecoDemonstrator aircraft. In conjunction with partners Boeing and
Embraer, FLYHT presented the results of the tests to the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC) Global Aircraft Tracking
(GAT) Working Group meeting in Kelowna, Canada. The reported analysis and resulting conclusions are receiving a positive response.
This is the first time the data from an aircraft’s Flight Data Recorder (FDR) has been streamed over a satellite
network for the duration of a flight, thereby validating the Black-Box-in-the-Cloud use case. Additional first-time milestones
included cockpit audio steaming, and the concurrent transmission of historical FDR and cockpit audio data and real-time data and
audio.
Following the trials, the three partners concluded that “Existing, commercially available equipment and network
services (FLYHT’s AFIRS and Inmarsat SwiftBroadband) are suitable for providing distress flight data and audio streaming
capabilities that support ICAO objectives.” Additional, core findings include:
- Current equipment supports ICAO 10054 (International Civil Aviation Association) FDR and CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder)
streaming recommendations.
- Inmarsat SwiftBroadband capabilities exceed bandwidth requirements to stream real-time and historical FDR and CVR data.
- Limited bandwidth options such as the Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) services used in these tests can provide a useful
flight-data-streaming capability.
“We are extremely proud to have the opportunity to collaborate with Boeing and Embraer on the ecoDemonstrator
program,” said Thomas R. Schmutz, FLYHT CEO. “These test flights are highly valuable and the results are positive. This is another
example of how we continue to demonstrate the value of FLYHT’s patented real-time aircraft data streaming. In this instance we
validated its usefulness for distressed flight situations and support of the ICAO objectives for the Global Aeronautical Distress
and Safety System mandate, or GADSS.”
The flight tests took place over 80 flight hours and the findings entitled “Analysis of Flight Data Streaming
Trials on the Boeing 2018 ecoDemonstrator,” developed in cooperation with Boeing and Embraer, will be available on the AEEC
website.
“These tests highlight important findings for FLYHT, Boeing, Embraer and the ecoDemonstrator program,” said
Derek Graham, FLYHT CTO. “Timely access to flight data and autonomous distress tracking are key capabilities for achieving
compliance with the GADSS requirement, and we are gratified to see the tests validating the solution.”
More About GADSS and the ecoDemonstrator Flight Tests
Following the unfortunate accidents of flights AF447 and MH370, and in its search to find a solution that
supports ICAO’s new GADSS—a system to track and report on aircraft location and status—the aviation industry has been testing
technology applicable to the recovery of FDR data and locating aircraft in distress. The standards and practices, which start to
take effect as early as 2018, specify new capabilities for commercial aircraft operators, which may require newly installed
equipment to comply with the ICAO GADSS mandate.
Anticipating these emerging standards, Boeing, FLYHT, and Embraer tested real-time data streaming technology
installed on the Boeing 777 Freighter ecoDemonstrator aircraft. Tests were designed to demonstrate the technology’s potential to
support the Timely Recovery of Flight Recorder Data. The trial activities used FLYHT’s AFIRS data streaming solution and both
Iridium SBD, and Inmarsat SwiftBroadband satellite networks to stream—in real-time—data that is traditionally captured by the
flight data recorder. The goal was to evaluate the system’s ability to deliver functionality required for certain aspects of the
ICAO standards. The data was captured in FLYHT’s UpTime™ Cloud server and also displayed as a 3D animation. This allowed operators
on the ground to view a Virtual Cockpit Display of the pilots’ Primary Flight Display (PFD), crucial engine gauges, and flight
controls in near real-time.
Based on the solution’s proof-of-concept testing during the trials, it became evident that a Satcom-based
solution combined with real-time, data streaming technology could be leveraged and developed to address the near-term requirements
for Aircraft Tracking and Autonomous Distress Tracking. In addition, testing established the potential to address future Post
Flight Localization and Data Recovery requirements. Even in cases where the physical aircraft data cannot be immediately located,
the data streamed off the airplane can provide a head start in accident investigation and perhaps even accident mitigation and
recovery.
To learn more about GADSS visit: https://www.icao.int/safety/globaltracking/Pages/GADSS-Update.aspx
FLYHT will make the findings and its AEEC GAT working group presentation available on its website for those
interested to read and review.
About FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.
2018 marks FLYHT’s 20th anniversary as a leader in real-time aircraft data
streaming. FLYHT’s mission is to improve aviation safety, efficiency and profitability (located in Calgary, Canada; publicly
traded as: FLY:TSX.V; FLYLF:OTCQX). Airlines, leasing companies, fractional owners and original equipment manufacturers have
installed the Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS™) on their aircraft. The solution is used to capture,
process and stream aircraft data providing real-time alerts. AFIRS sends this information through satellite networks to FLYHT’s
UpTime™ Cloud data center, which gives aircraft operators direct insight into the operational status and health of their
aircraft, which in turn enables them to take corrective action to maintain the highest standard of operational control. For more
information visit www.flyht.com
Join us on social media!
www.facebook.com/flyht
www.twitter.com/flyhtcorp
www.slideshare.net/flyhtcorp
www.youtube.com/flyhtcorp
www.flyht.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies
of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
