Honeywell and Air Methods Sign Agreement for Sky Connect Tracker
PHOENIX, Dec. 13, 2016 – Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced it has entered into an agreement with Air Methods, America’s largest emergency air medical provider and helicopter operator, to provide its fleet with Honeywell’s Sky Connect Tracker III satellite communications and helicopter tracking system. This will give Air Methods helicopter operators and fleet managers a full suite of products in one box to keep their fleet coordinated, in communication and safe around the world.
Under the agreement, Honeywell will upgrade Air Methods’ existing Sky Connect Tracker II system to the Sky Connect Tracker III system, providing new units as required and supporting Air Methods with monthly services. The new system will enable phone and text services while in the sky through the Iridium satellite network, giving pilots the ability to stay in touch in remote places with no available cell reception. In addition, the new system will enable fleet managers to track the location of their helicopters anywhere in the world while providing functionality for flight data monitoring.
“Air Methods’ helicopter fleet operates to provide critical care access to people in need. Because of this, its aircraft have a real need for enhanced safety products and better operational efficiency to effectively perform their job,” said Tom Hart, vice president, Defense and Space, Honeywell Aerospace. “Honeywell is providing a connected, and more importantly safer, experience for Air Methods’ helicopter fleet with Sky Connect Tracker III. In one product, operators get a robust solution that provides access to talk, text, data and flight data monitoring services, making sure that a helicopter can be tracked and can communicate with home anywhere in the world.”
Honeywell’s solution will allow Air Methods to stay in touch with pilots through voice and text and also to gain access to critical flight data monitoring information they must have under a required mandate from the Federal Aviation Administration for all emergency medical service operators.
Air Methods will also have the ability to collect data from onboard systems to record and communicate aircraft performance and potential maintenance needs, enabling a safer and more efficient fleet.
