Will Demonstrate System AirVenture

Send Solutions, the manufacturer of Airtext, a low cost aviation communication text messaging product, has announced the launch customer for its latest new program, Fleetlink - a fleet management and messaging tool. PlaneSense, Inc., manages the world’s largest civilian fleet of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft and a rapidly expanding jet program, serving the United States, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda and part of Canada. Send Solutions will be demonstrating Airtext and Fleetlink at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.

“We are pleased to integrate Airtext into the PlaneSense fleet. It is a valuable feature for our fractional owners, allowing them to communicate while in flight, which is essential for many of our business travelers,” said George Antoniadis, President and CEO, PlaneSense, Inc. “This technology will enable us to further improve our operational excellence and service. It is also an important tool for our flight operations, providing us the ability to track our flights with greater precision and make in-flight itinerary changes more quickly and efficiently.”

Fleetlink allows instant communication and status update for aircraft owners anywhere in the world at any altitude.

“In this day and age, it makes sense that you should be able communicate and have a sense of control of your key assets—people or vehicles— at a reasonable cost,” says David Gray, founder and president of Send Solutions. “With Airtext in your airplane and Fleetlink on your PC or phone, you can get location and navigation system data without interrupting your flight crew. When you need to coordinate a new destination, passenger request or itinerary change, you will no longer need to wait until the plane lands to initiate those changes. The savings that can be realized by making timely adjustments, such as an in-flight re-route to a more convenient or efficient location, can cover the cost of paying for Airtext and the Fleetlink software. The cycle cost, the fuel savings and passenger satisfaction will make it an even better investment.”

Some of the features of Fleetlink include automated take-off (T/O) and landing times, generation of cycles and flight hour reports, nav system ping from the ground, dispatch PC messaging anywhere in the world, at any altitude, removing the need to have specific cell sim cards for various countries. It also offers auto read receipt function, tracking of aircraft while VFR, cockpit annunciation of incoming Fleetlink messages for the flight crew, and ability to contact a passenger with emergency information.

“We have unique needs for our fleet,” said Ray Torres, VP Flight Operations at PlaneSense, Inc. “This is a significant upgrade in service to our owners and further enhances our ability to track our aircraft on the ground and in the air. Our partnership with Fleetlink provides a state-of-the-art enhancement for PlaneSense owners and our fleet operations. We have been very impressed with the customization from Airtext and Send Solutions.”

Historically, airlines, large fractional companies and package and freight hauling companies have relied on expensive programs that do not allow customization or integration to personal electronic devices (PEDs). With Fleetlink, flight operations interface capability is no longer a budget and labor intensive product only available to large companies with large budgets. Fleetlink, essentially means anyone desiring personal computer (PC) interface can now have similar capabilities to those larger operations at a fraction of the price,” he added.
    
 “Send Solutions has taken on every challenge we have given them and delivered in a quick and responsive manner,” added Torres. “Beyond all the features and functionality, it makes economic sense to use Airtext. We have been flying with it for over nine months and it has exceeded our expectations. Not only are we in contact with our pilots, but those in the PlaneSense fractional ownership program and their passengers can communicate via message as well. We are aware of the roadmap and future growth aspects of both Fleetlink and Airtext and look forward to additional enhancements as we expand the technology to our entire fleet.”
 
 (Source: PlaneSense news release)

FMI: planesense.com