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Aerospace Heavyweights Join Black Box Solutions Company

Thursday, 28 August 2014 09:00 AM

Technology Dispatch

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Barry Eccleston and John Belcher Joins FLYHT Aerospace Solutions

Vancouver, BC / Aug 28, 2014 / Senior Executives typically move laterally into board positions: Susan Decker, Black Rock Founder recently joined Apple’s board (AAPL-NASDAQ); Alan Mulally, former CEO of Ford (F-NYSE), joined the board at Google (GOOG-NASDAQ), and Susan Decker, former President of Yahoo (YHOO-NASDQ) joined Costco’s board (COST-NASDAQ).

So when Barry Eccleston, President of Airbus Americas, and John Belcher, former CEO of ARINC, joined the board of FLYHT Aerospace Solutions (FLY-TSX.V, FLYLF:OTCQX)) on August 19, 2014, it was big news. The Airbus Group (AIR-PA) has a market cap of around $46 billion. ARINC is a multi-billion dollar enterprise recently purchased by Rockwell Collins, FLY has a market cap of $59 million.

The former CEO of Rolls-Royce Canada and International Aero Engines, Eccleston currently oversees all efforts of Airbus in North America. He has a deep knowledge of the technological trends in the aviation industry. His involvement with FLY during the debates on an alternative to conventional “black box” technology – can be nothing but positive for FLY and the Industry. ARINC is the predominant player in the ACARS data transmission world and the knowledge and contacts both of these players bring to FLY’s board will shape the future of the company.

FLY’s FLYHTStream™ is an emergency data streaming mode that can be manually activated by the flight crew, ground support or automatically triggered by predefined emergency parameters. Real Time Data Streaming is expected to replace all black boxes in the next 10 years.

"The aviation industry needs to embrace beneficial new technologies and I believe that FLYHT's Automated Flight Information Reporting System ("AFIRS") and related products are at the forefront of this movement,” stated Eccleston, “I have been impressed with FLYHT's technology since I first saw it and I am convinced that AFIRS will help all facets of aviation by improving performance, enhancing efficiency and allowing an already extremely safe industry, to become even safer.”

As well as FLYHTStream™ FLY has developed AFIRSUpTime which allows aircraft operators to manage and monitor aircraft operations anywhere, anytime, in real time, and FLYHT Fuel Management System - a powerful interactive tool to achieve cost savings through identification of fuel consumption trends.

“FLYHT is entering a growth phase,” stated FLY CEO Bill Tempany, "We have worked for years to develop technologies to help the aviation industry improve its financial performance and - with the guidance of our new board members - we hope to increase the adoption rate of our technologies."

 Technology Dispatch, Thursday, August 28, 2014, Press release picture

Mr. Eccleston, a private pilot, holds a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Loughborough University.

There are about 5,000 planes in the air at any given time. That number is expected to double by 2030. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has recently stated that 50% of Chinese commercial transport aircraft must be equipped with Real Time Satellite Communications systems by 2015 - and 100% by the end of 2017. The Chinese who are still better at duplicating than innovating - are not expect to develop a competing technology.

This disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 over the South China Sea, along with 239 people – has intensified calls for better black box technology.

Although numerous “Phone-finder” apps exist that can track your cell phone reliably within 10 feet – five months after the plane disappeared, the combined brain-trust of the international aviation community has been unable to locate a 545,000 pound metal object.

The answers to the surviving family members’ questions are sitting inside the MH370′s Flight Data Recorder (FDR). There is an underwater locator beacon installed on the FDR that will ping for about 25 days. But its range is only two miles. The South China Sea is 1.4 million square miles. FLYHT’s AFIRS technology would’ve given an instantaneous mechanical report on the condition of the aircraft, and its location.

The synergies between The Airbus Group and FLYHT are plain to see. AiRTHM, Airbus’ Real-Time Health Monitoring provides real-time troubleshooting. By using ACARS (Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System), Airbus is able to analyze the system data from a remote location but the system does not have the full functionality of AFIRS which is certified for Airbus’s A320 aircraft. AFIRS allows authorized users to query data on the aircraft to refine the issues and create problem resolution recommendations while the aircraft is still enroute.

On July 15, 2014 – FLY announced that its partner L-3 Aviation Recorders received Airbus' formal notification of certification for the L-3 Automated Flight Information Reporting System ("AFIRS") 228S for the Airbus A320 family of aircraft.

L-3 and Airbus announced final certification of the solution during the Farnborough Air Show in July of 2014.

Airbus manufactures about 50 planes a month. Airbus production has increased for 12 consecutive years. It 2013 it delivered 626 aircraft, breaking the previous record of 588 in 2012.

A strict regulatory environment creates a barrier to entry for aviation technology. FLYHT holds patents or patent-pending on all its products. Installation of aftermarket electronic devices on aircraft must be authorized by government aviation regulators with a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). FLYHT currently holds 40 approved STCs and another 13 are pending or in progress.

“I joined the board to help FLYHT continue to drive utilization of its industry leading technologies,” stated Eccleston, “and to give back to an industry that has been good to me throughout my career."

FLY is currently trading at .35 with a market cap of $59.4 million.

 

SOURCE: [Technology Dispatch]

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