Yellowhead Helicopters to Use SkyTrac's Satcom and Flight Following

Yellowhead Helicopters, a western Canadian company that provides commercial helicopter services, has chosen SkyTrac Systems to provide satcom (satellite communications) and flight following for its entire fleet.

SkyTrac's ISAT-100 satcom transmits SBD (short burst data) and voice telephony via Iridium satellites.  The system was designed to allow an operator to customize for functions such as position reporting and automatic flight following, as well as two-way text messaging and hands-free voice through the aircraft's audio panel.  It has been certified by Transport Canada, FAA, and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency), and has STCs (supplemental type certificates) and field approvals on multiple airframes, according to SkyTrac.

Additional SkyTrac STCs

SkyTrac says its system recently has been approved for installation on even more aircraft.  These include FAA STC approvals for all available derivatives of the Beech 1900D and the King Air 350, and EASA approval for the SA 365 Dauphin and EC155.  In addition, Transport Canada is currently in the process of certifying its system for the AS350 and the EC120 helicopters, for which the company will immediately follow with an application to the FAA.  An application to have its system FAA certified on the Bell 206 as already been submitted, according to SkyTrac.

A complete list of SkyTrac Systems STCs can be found at http://www.skytrac.ca/stc.htm.  04-13-2007.

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