CALGARY, ALBERTA–( April 15, 2014) – FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:FLY) (the “Company” or “FLYHT”) is pleased to announce that its customer, First Air, is adding FLYHTStream’s™ automatically triggered, real-time data and live black box streaming capability to its current fleet of B737, ATR and B767 aircraft.
First Air operates throughout the Canadian Arctic in some of the harshest conditions on earth, and as a result is continually striving to find ways to improve the safety and operational efficiency of the airline. Enabling FLYHTStream raises the standard of tracking and automated alerting that is unsurpassed in the industry.
Brock Friesen, President and CEO of First Air said, “FLYHT’s Automated Flight Information System (AFIRS™) ensures we have 100% visibility on our aircraft at all times. We are proud to be industry leaders in adopting the FLYHTStream capability to ensure First Air has the highest level of operational awareness available on any aircraft flying today. It is another important step in our continual process of enhancing safety.”
Vic Charlebois, VP of Flight Operations at First Air added, “FLYHTStream will alert us when an aircraft needs assistance, without distracting the crew from the primary task of flying the aircraft safely. Financially, AFIRS has paid for itself by saving First Air tens of thousands of dollars in flight management expenses, and FLYHTStream is only an incremental cost that is incurred when triggered, making the solution very cost effective.”
Matt Bradley, President of FLYHT said, “FLYHT is proud to work with a team as passionate and committed to safety as First Air. It is exceptional to see an airline be proactive to act immediately in the interest of safety instead of waiting for a regulation. We are pleased our patent pending FLYHTStream technology will be enabled on the airline’s entire fleet.”
About First Air
It began with Canadian aviation pioneer, Russell (Russ) Bradley, who started his pilot training centre and flying school in Ottawa in 1946. From the outset, Russ proved an innovator. He and legendary pilot and partner, Weldy Phipps, revolutionized Arctic flying capability by developing the large balloon-like “tundra tires” in response to the Geological Survey of Canada contract awarded to Bradley Air Services in the late 1950s. Their growing number of clients were no longer limited to where and when they could land in the High Arctic.
In a few short decades, Bradley Air Services Ltd. has evolved to become Canada’s foremost Arctic and remote region air carrier, operating under the trademark name – FIRST AIR. Today, First Air, The Airline of the North, is owned by Makivik Corporation, the organization responsible for administering the land claim settlement of the Inuit of northern Quebec. Through a series of prudent acquisitions over the years (Ptarmigan Airways and NWT Air), First Air has expanded its fleet, its route system, and already extensive range of air carrier capability.
The First Air name is recognized in the aviation business with innovation and operational expertise for remote regions and unusual or especially taxing environments. Our service-based approach and extensive northern experience are two of the main reasons why First Air planes and crews are a natural ‘first choice’, when it comes to choosing an airline in Canada’s Arctic.
About FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.
FLYHT provides proprietary technological products and services designed to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in the airline industry. The Company has patented and commercialized three products and associated services currently marketed to airlines, manufacturers and maintenance organizations around the world. Its premier technology, AFIRS™ UpTime™, allows airlines to monitor and manage aircraft operations anywhere, anytime, in real time. If an aircraft encounters an emergency, FLYHT’s triggered data streaming mode, FLYHTStream™, automatically streams vital data, normally secured in the black box, to designated sites on the ground in real-time. The Dragon is FLYHT’s latest product, a revolutionary light weight portable satellite communications device that blends existing FLYHT technology with that of the iPad.
AFIRS, UpTime, the Dragon, FLYHTStream and AeroQ are trademarks of FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.
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Contact Information
FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.
Thomas R. French, CGA
Chief Financial Officer
403-291-7427
tfrench@flyht.com
Investor Relations
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Kin Communications Inc.
Fred Leigh
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