Flexjet is taking its flight operations quality assurance (FOQA) program to the next level by marrying GE’s flight safety analysis services with quick access recorders (QARs) with built-in cellular data services from GE joint-venture partner Avionica. The equipment will be used to monitor Flexjet’s U.S. fleet of 150 aircraft, which includes the Embraer Phenom 300 and Legacy 450; Bombardier Challenger 300/350 and Global Express; and Gulfstream G450 and G650. Flexjet expects to have its entire fleet equipped with Avionica mini-QARs by the fourth quarter of next year, it told AIN.
“Flexjet has been a customer of our C-FOQA product for many years,” said John Mansfield, chief digital officer for GE Aviation. “Since Flexjet has experienced considerable growth in its fleet, this agreement upgrades its safety solution to our eFOQA, the standard in large-operator FOQA programs worldwide.”
According to Flexjet chief safety officer Todd Anguish, the QAR firmware will be customized to include Flexjet-specific flight events by using the roughly 4.5 million data points collected during flight that are then automatically sent wirelessly via cell data immediately after landing. “The comprehensive data we can gather immediately allows us to ensure safer operation of our fleet with real-time flight data monitoring to address any potential flight safety concerns immediately," he said.
GE Aviation's Event Measurement System (EMS), which powers the company’s flight analytics services and FOQA systems, are currently being used on more than 9,000 aircraft. Its flight analytics service integrates data sources such as flight information, weather, navigation, flight plans, and other operational data to provide valuable insights for customers.