The flat-screen monitors glow all night at the new 24-hour operations center in Annapolis, Maryland, where a staff of veteran flight coordinators is getting to know its aviation customers. The incoming requests are mostly from corporate flight departments or-at this time of night-from pilots seeking a little weather advice or help with refueling.

The spacious dispatch center is the heart of ARINC Direct, the industry's newest offering of flight services for corporate aviation. ARINC Incorporated made news when it announced plans to enter the corporate aviation services business. ARINC Direct combines flight support services, communications, RVSM, and aircraft services.

Most of the staff has previous dispatching experience, and a few are pilots. All were specifically hired for their knowledge of flight operations, proficiency in handling mission-critical requests, and passion for customer service. "Everyone here has a personal interest in flying," says coordinator Scott Clifford. "We focus on giving a high level of response to all ground handling and concierge requests-the kind of service we would want if we were customers."

Customers contact the new operations center with a toll-free phone call, or over the Internet. Most applications are automated, but the flight coordinators are also available to handle requests personally. Requests for domestic trip planning and ground handling are coordinated by the ARINC staff, and international trips are handled through Air Routing International, an industry leader in international trip services.

The ARINC Direct suite includes a powerful flight planning tool, text and color graphic weather services, weather briefings, graphical flight-following, communications services, and more. Any convenient Internet computer gives customers 24-hour access for flight planning, 2-way air/ground messaging, destination weather reports, and more.

"ARINC Direct is designed to meet the needs of all corporate and private operators," says David Poltorak, ARINC's vice president of business aviation services. "Operators with data link already have what they need to use our full suite of services. Other operators like our superior information tools and global access on the ground and in the air."

ARINC Direct data link service is also suitable for selected ATC messaging, including pre-departure clearance (PDC), digital ATIS (D-ATIS), North Atlantic Oceanic clearance, and terminal weather information for pilots (TWIP). ARINC Direct supports voice and data communications on VHF, HF and satellite, for global coverage and highest reliability.

FMI: www.arinc.com