SkyTrac Systems has obtained a supplemental type certificate (STC) for the installation of its automated flight following and satellite communications equipment on the following airframe types: Eurocopter EC 145, Bell 204/205, Bell 210 and Bell 214. The EC 145 is a twin-engine, light utility helicopter that can carry up to nine passengers and two crew members depending on customer configuration. The aircraft is marketed for passenger transport, emergency medical services, search and rescue, parapublic and utility roles. The Bell series are all versions of the ubiquitous UH-1 Iroquois single-engine military helicopters. They are used in a wide variety of applications, including crop dusting, cargo lifting, and one of its most common uses, aerial firefighting.

SkyTrac Systems will also be exhibiting at the Aerial Firefighting Conference in Italy on November 5th and 6th at Booth #17. Wildfires are the only natural disaster that can be stopped in their tracks through swift ground firefighting response and robust aerial firefighting technologies. SkyTrac Systems recently joined with Absolute fire Solutions of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to launch a leading edge integration designed specifically for operators conducting Aerial Firefighting missions. The SkyTrac/Absolute Fire Solutions integration enables operators to view data from on board systems in real time. Data from operational systems such as water buckets, belly tanks, and remote hooks is collected by FAST Track and transmitted to SkyTrac’s data center via the Iridium Satellite Network in real time. This integration provides operators access to pick up/drop off information such as water volume, weight, drop pattern, and retardant mix ratios. Users view data on SkyWeb, SkyTrac’s web based ground station software.