Operators of MD 530F helicopters now have the option of installing the Foresight MX predictive health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) through a new partnership between GPMS International and MD Helicopters. Under an agreement announced at the Heli-Expo show on Wednesday, MD will fit the HUMS kit at its facility in Mesa, Arizona.
The supplemental type certificate covering the application of the Foresight MX technology on the MD 530F came in 2022 and the manufacturer already has installed three systems. The HUMS continuously monitors the helicopter’s engine and drivetrain, providing remaining useful life estimates on trending parts.
According to GPMS (Booth B3214), the system also guides operators on how to optimize rotor track and balance adjustments after each flight and provides flight data monitoring with exceedance alerting. It handles data acquisition and transfer automatically and, by accessing the cloud-based system from any device, operators can monitor their fleet anywhere in the world in real-time.
“The more data our operators can share on health and usage of their aircraft, the better we can support them and keep them flying,” said Ryan Weeks, MD Helicopters’ customer support vice president. “With Foresight MX, the generational leap in HUMS capabilities makes it easy for operators to share details on how the aircraft is performing, which allows MD to troubleshoot and resolve issues faster and improve our spares and repairs forecasting accuracy.”