Story ID: 012AvionicsUpdateAINApr12
Bell Picks Blue Sky Hawkeye Communicator
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: 
Word Count: 139
Bell Helicopter is now using Blue Sky Network’s Hawkeye PT Iridium for tracking and communications during delivery flights of helicopters flying to customer sites from Bell’s Piney Flats, Tenn. service and support division. The Hawkeye PT weighs 6.5 ounces and runs on battery, ship or AC power. Iridium messaging is via short-burst data, allowing transmission of helicopter location and short messages over the narrowband Iridium network. According to Blue Sky sales representative Matt Cadwell, Bell selected the Hawkeye PT after one of its helicopters made a precautionary landing during a ferry flight, and the crew was unable to communicate due to limited cellphone coverage. “Dispatch could see the aircraft had stopped moving,” he said, “but could not communicate [with the crew]. They realized their current system was inadequate.” The Hawkeye PT works anywhere in the world.