GPMS to Bring its Comprehensive Performance and Condition Monitoring System to Airbus H135 Platform

Fort Worth, TX – October 31, 2021 – AMTC 2021 – GPMS, a leader in the field of helicopter health monitoring systems, announced today at the SHIFT Air Medical Transport Conference that it is pursuing a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for its industry-leading Foresight MX Health & Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) on the Airbus H135 platform. To achieve the STC, GPMS will work with Metro Aviation, an industry leader in air medical transportation services and helicopter completions in the United States.

GPMS’s Foresight MX system offers a comprehensive aircraft performance monitoring system that is much needed in the air medical transport industry. “In the Helicopter Air Ambulance (HAA) sector, where operational reliability and safety are especially important, the data and insights provided by Foresight MX are critical,” said GPMS President Jed Kalkstein. 

Kalkstein explains that the value of Foresight MX goes beyond parametric Flight Data Monitoring by integrating the engine awareness of a HUMS system with vibration management, performance monitoring, and comprehensive analysis for vital sub-components including gearboxes and rotor systems. This additional insight allows Foresight MX to also deliver early fault detection and estimates of remaining useful life. “This predictive capability allows HAA operators to more accurately order parts and schedule maintenance to help ensure aircraft availability and mitigate unscheduled maintenance and AOG events,” says Kalkstein.

Milton Geltz, managing director at Metro Aviation, said, “We’ve been actively looking for a next-generation Health and Usage Monitoring system on the H135 and the GPMS team has done an impressive job creating an integrated package that automatically collects, offloads, and analyzes critical safety and maintenance data in a way that is unlike current HUMS systems. GPMS and Metro partner, Outerlink Global Solutions, are also planning on integrating with the IRIS System providing inflight critical alerts to Operational ground support teams. This system puts the benefits of HUMS within reach for the medium helicopter segment.”

GPMS currently has STCs on a range of helicopter platforms including Bell 407 GX/GXP/GXi, Bell 429, Bell 412/212, and the Airbus H125/AS350 B3. Several of these platforms are used in HAA operations. The Airbus H135 is one of the leading, twin-engine helicopter platforms for the air medical and air ambulance services market, and the STC on the H135 will allow a large portion of HAA operators to implement and benefit from GPMS’s lightweight, modern, remote monitoring solution. The company anticipates the certification in Q1 2022.

To pursue the STC on the H135, Kalkstein said the opportunity to work with Metro Aviation was an easy decision. “We wanted to work with the team from Metro Aviation on the STC because they are both a global completions leader of the H135 in the HAA space and a top-notch operator. We hope to tap into that experience as we adapt Foresight MX to the platform and develop the STC.”