May 10 2012

Apps and Ops Posted 12 years 198 days ago ago by Admin

App & Ops
By Ryan Johnson and Lyn Burks

From managers to maintainers to pilots to crewmembers, tablets and smartphones are rapidly working their way into the hands of the helicopter industry. Although the devices themselves are cool, it’s the even cooler apps designed for them that make us carry our mobile devices with us everywhere we go……including the cockpit.

Here’s a shortlist of apps designed specifically with flying in mind and some of the operators who are using them.

ForeFlight + Appareo Stratus

ForeFlight Mobile is the critically acclaimed flight planning and flight support app for pilots. It features: Airport Facility Directory, Comprehensive Weather, Plates & Charts, SIDS/STARS, Fuel Prices, Moving Map.
 

• Appareo Stratus  - Sold separately Appareo has introduced the first completely wire-free weather receiver for the iPad--and it requires no monthly subscription. Stratus combines an ADS-B and GPS receiver into a single unit that wirelessly streams NEXRAD radar, text weather, TFRs and aircraft position to the popular ForeFlight Mobile app for iOS devices.
• Devices – Foreflight is Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later
• Available - Apple App Store and iTunes
• Who Uses – Guidance Aviation and Precision Helicopters use the Foreflight Mobile App in their flight ops.

Rotorcraft Pro Magazine

Description – This app allows readers to view the digital edition of Rotorcraft Pro Magazine on their portable electronic devices. Between the covers of Rotorcraft Pro Magazine you will see content related to helicopter industry news, events, jobs, career development, technology, maintenance, product features, accidents, training, aircraft specs & sales, operator profiles, military & civilian helicopter operations, and helicopter history.

• Devices – Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later. Android Devices in summer of 2012.
• Available - Apple App Store and iTunes. Google App Store in summer of 2012.

SkyRadar

Description - Leveraging off of the FAA's newly deployed ADS-B system and our custom designed advanced portable ADS-B receiver hardware, this is now possible. The SkyRadar application runs on the Apple iPad®, providing all of the above listed information through a beautiful and easy to use interface.  Gone are the days of archaic and difficult to use interfaces.  With the SkyRadar application all of this pertinent information is just a touch and a swipe away. SkyRadar System is comprised from seamlessly integrated hardware components and software applications - together they deliver to General Aviation pilots most of information needed to prepare, to safely carry out and to analyze their flights:

• Devices - Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 3.0 or later
• Available - Apple App Store and iTunes.
• Who Uses – Guidance Aviation

 

Metro Aviation Aircraft Familiarization App

Description - The Metro Aviation, Inc. iPad app was developed as a familiarization and training tool for customers. The app currently features 360-degree interior and exterior views, completion and installation videos, system descriptions, user manuals and product support for the EC135, EC145 and EC130. The EC155 will be added to the Metro Aviation, Inc. iPad app and available in the near future.

• Devices - Compatible with iPad.Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
• Available - Apple App Store and iTunes.
• Who Uses – Metro Aviation Inc customers & crews.

Latitude WebSentinel iOS

Description - Latitude WebSentinel subscription-based data management service offers a reliable and affordable solution for processing geo-positioning and telematics data, collected and distributed by SkyNode and GeoNode devices operating on-board aircraft, overland vehicles and marine craft.
 

• Devices - Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.3 or later.
• Available - Apple App Store and iTunes.

 

 

Find My Friends

Description - Find My Friends allows you to easily locate your friends and family from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Install this free app on your iOS 5 device and sign in with the Apple ID you use with iCloud. Adding a friend is easy – just send a request to see their location.
 

• Devices - Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later.
• Available - Apple App Store and iTunes.
• Who Uses – Longhorn Helicopters uses for tracking employees and customers in-flight.

 

Electronic Flight Bag

Description - EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) supports paperless operations, and give pilots access to charts, plates, weather, and other data.
 

• Devices – iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
• Available – Apple App Store and iTunes
• Who uses - Idaho Helicopters Inc. (Part 135 air carrier and Part 137- agriculture and 133- external load is using the EFB app on iPad 2’s and is in a 6 month proving period.

Aviation Weather Pro

Description - Both METAR and TAF reports are supported. Location sensing automatically displays airports nearby and distance to them. Create and manage lists of your favorite airports and see current weather conditions in all of them at once.
 

• Devices – Android and Windows Phone
• Where – Google Market Place and www.aviation-weather.info
• Who Uses -  Lyn Burks, Editor In Chief of Rotorcraft Pro uses this app on his Android Razr smartphone. “As a Corporate Pilot, I typically fly 80 – 100 nm legs passing a dozen airports. I love being able to do a quick glance at the app and see a VFR/IFR visual representation of the route.”

 

 

 

 

 

UPMC EMS Navigator

Description - With UPMC EMS Navigator, the 2011 protocols are interactive and at your fingertips — linking you instantly to medication information, drug calculators, and other relevant information. Also pinpoints the GPS coordinates of qualified users requesting medevac helicopters. Users may also transmit photos for increased readiness.
 

• Devices - Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
• Available - Apple App Store and iTunes.
• Who Uses –  Stat MedEvac

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appareo Mission Manager

Description – Mission Manager is a custom developed app tailored to individual operators. As a fleet management tool allows flight planners to quickly schedule and manage complex multi-leg flights, pushing that information to specific crews and locations. Flight crews also see immediate benefits from the Mission Manager, enjoying flexible routing, an intuitive weight and balance calculator and precise fuel planning assistance. Perhaps most significantly, the elimination of physical paperwork for recording flight information leads to a significantly decreased cockpit workload while increasing data accuracy.
 

• Devices - Compatible with iOS 5.0
• Available -  In development and will be available in the Apple App Store and iTunes.
• Who Uses –  CHC International