Helipro Accelerates GPS programme

25 November 2005

Helipro Accelerates GPS programme

HELiPRO, One of New Zealand's largest helicopter operators has this week accelerated a programme to fit its entire fleet of 23 helicopters with a real time GPS tracking systems.

The company has been trailing the Navman based locate system in three of its Hughes 269 training helicopters for the past two years.

HELiPRO C.E.O Rick Lucas said the units provide instant latitude and longitude positioning information plus heading and speed data.

“This pin points aircraft location and enhances flight safety by giving a highly accurate location of where the helicopter was last flying.

“In the unlikely event of an emergency it means we will be able to go straight to the point where the helicopter last transmitted a position report,” he said.

The Navman GPS unit sends data via the Telecom cellular network back to Helipro’s own computer flight-following system.

All flights by Helipro helicopters are entered into the system and if an aircraft is just five minutes late arriving at its scheduled destination an alarm goes off on every computer screen across the company’s four bases.

Mr Lucas said when the Navman units are installed the GPS data from the helicopters will automatically update the position of all helicopters at all times.

If a helicopter goes out of cell phone range the GPS unit stores up to 500 data plots and downloads them as soon as the helicopter comes back into cell phone range.

Helipro operates out of bases in Rotorua, Palmerston North, Paraparaumu and Wellington

ENDS

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