Successful Fixed Wing And Helicopter Trials Of New Portable Tracking System

Marlink and IDG Europe have completed trials of the innovative new Smalltrack portable tracking system on a fixed wing aircraft operated by Scandinavian Air Ambulance and a helicopter operated by Scandinavian MediCopter in Sweden.

Marlink’s new generation location-based Iridium tracking device features a new, compact and lightweight design, Smalltrack is a highly mobile device with user-friendly operation and installation. Operating on the Iridium satellite network, the system can be used in any location without connecting to external power or antenna sources. It can be online in minutes, conveniently providing accurate tracking to support flight safety and logistics, in addition to manual and automatic emergency alerting.

The fixed wing aircraft Smalltrack testing took place on a Beech Super King Air 200 over a period of five days. Smalltrack was placed on the glare shield of the aircraft and position reports closely monitored. With no lost reports identified, the trial proves that convenient placement on the glare shield does not affect the ability to transmit or receive data. During the trial, tracking data was made available through IDG Europe online interface.

The helicopter testing was aboard an AS 365 Dauphin N2, with daily flights for 3 weeks. Throughout the testing no lost reports were identified and as with the fixed wing testing the device was set to start-up using the built in accelerometer, meaning Smalltrack doesn’t add any extra checklist items for the pilot.

“Working closely with Marlink, Scandinavian Air Ambulance and Scandinavian MediCopter we have demonstrated Smalltracks’ ability to deliver highly reliable asset tracking on small aircraft,” said Håkan Österhed, VP Aero Sales, IDG Europe. “The system itself is incredibly easy to install and because everything is built-in, it can operate faultlessly without any external connections.”

“Highly compact, mobile and reliable, Smalltrack is the ideal ‘carry-on’ tracking device for small fixed wing aircraft and helicopters,” said Danny Côté, President Enterprise, Marlink. “The trials with our partner IDG Europe demonstrate the convenience of the system for small aircraft pilots, who will benefit from the added layer of safety and security tracking provide, without having to add another item to pre-flight check lists.”

(Source: IDG news release. Image from file. Not test aircraft)

FMI: www.idg.aero