Ramco (Booth C7932) continues to expand its portfolio of large helicopter fleet operations as it looks to build an ecosystem of data collection and sharing. At the same time, though, the aviation maintenance and support software specialist is eying the “long tail” of smaller operations with plans to roll out a new push into that arena.
The latest large fleet operator to select the Ramco system is Papillon Group. Papillon’s Grand Canyon Helicopters and Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines installed the Ramco Aviation Suite V5.8 system, which will integrate the manual systems of both operators into a single platform and automate maintenance, engineering, compliance, quality assurance, and crew scheduling functions. In addition, the system will provide electronic flight bag tools and automated flight operations information.
“Embracing digitization with Ramco will bring a new edge to our business,” said Geoff Edlund, president of Papillon Grand Helicopters, adding the service will streamline its operations and ensure real-time data availability.
Papillon, which operates 80 rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, flying 600,000 passengers annually on sightseeing tours, joins a Ramco client list that includes seven of the top 10 U.S. fleet operators (in terms of fleet size). These clients—including Air Methods, PHI, Air Evac and Era Helicopters, among others—are engaged in a range of operations, from medical evacuation to oil-and-gas support and air tourism.
This range of operations has helped evolve the Ramco product suite since it entered the helicopter market in 1999, said Manoj Singh, senior v-p, North America for Ramco. The company initially provided software to Columbia Helicopters, which was flying in a range of environments and needed a flexible system that could be used remotely. Ramco tailored a system that would work for those operations.
At the time, Ramco was primarily enmeshed in the airline industry. But a short-lived arrangement with Boeing that limited its ability to independently market its software to airlines led Ramco to look at other opportunities, including the helicopter market, Sing said.
Tailored Offerings for Rotor-industry Clients
Ramco had noted that most operators tracked only a portion of their maintenance, but needed access to a range of information, from parts management to flight operations, he said. Bringing on board PHI and Era, Ramco rolled out an electronic flight bag capability and provided software that took a more holistic approach to maintenance tracking. The EFB function provided an interface for the flight crew to manage their tasks on board. In addition, Ramco integrated operational information, with other process such as maintenance and billing, to provide a holistic approach for the operator.
Ramco developed the software taking into account the numerous unique factors that need to be reflected in maintenance tracking. Maintenance tracking is not just a matter of how many hours or flight cycles, Singh said, but also must reflect the nature of operation, including the loads, environments, and any special equipment installed on the helicopter. Ramco developed a “huge list of parameters” for operators to capture, he said.
Ramco then moved into the air medical field with companies such as Air Methods and Air Medical Group Holdings (AMGH), which have several individual bases that may be staffed by a pilot and perhaps a mechanic. Ramco tailored its products to facilitate used of the system at these smaller bases, while still providing a complete picture to the parent company.
Also some air medical clients have separate companies throughout the country feeding into a central corporation, Singh said. “These are very independent companies. When it came to integrating a group level, it was a nightmare.”
Ramco developed multi-organization unit capability, which involved a single installation that all the different organizations can access with separate logins and individually manage their information. But the installation also can pool information from these organizations that is required at that corporate level.
Now with a full portfolio of clients, Ramco is looking at the next stages of evolution for its products, including building an ecosystem that can directly connect information to the supply chain and the OEM. Singh noted that the company’s clients not only are the largest fleet operators, but they also are operators that have the largest collection of a given helicopter types.
This provides opportunities in the areas of data sharing with the OEM. Providing clear channels of operational and maintenance data to the OEM enables the manufacturer to track trends to offer better support, as well as engineering improvements. Also, from the supply side, data sharing will enable the supplier to better plan and prepare for the parts needs of the operator, Singh said. “We are trying to improve the visibility,” Singh said, and the large fleet operators provide statistical significance. Ramco already has a client on board with this initiative, and is in discussions with others over the possibility.
“We have gained the scale in the industry to bring value in connecting organizations and operators and build an ecosystem,” Singh said. “From the technology perspective, we are trying to make a big leap.”
While the software specialist expands its opportunities with large fleet operators, it is also turning its attention to smaller operators. Ramco has built a suite on the cloud that can be used by small operators. The operator can input information such as helicopter configuration, weight, balance, operational details, and inventory, via the cloud-based system and have the ability to track and manage operations similar to the system used by the large fleet operations. Singh estimates that the cloud-based system will provide at least 80 percent of the functionality of the large-fleet operator system.
He is hoping for a quick ramp up of the customer base in this area, and plans to highlight the system during Heli-Expo this week.