Dennis Jankelow

When billionaire adventurer Steve Fossett went missing in September 2007 it left us wondering how such a tragedy could befall a man with so much experience? Steve was well known throughout the world as an adventurer and he achieved many great things in aviation. However, on that fateful day in September he neglected to submit a flightplan.

The absence of a flightplan resulted in a huge search area being established, somewhere in the direction that he departed. Hundreds of volunteers used the latest satellite imagery to scour vast areas of wilderness using their computers and Google Earth as they searched for signs of a recent aircraft crash. Despite finding dozens of long-missing aircraft wrecks in this way, Steve Fossett was not found and, many months on, he is still missing and was recently pronounced dead by a US court.

On 8th July 2005, a Chieftain crashed in bad weather at Mount Hotham in Victoria. The wreckage was not found for 3 days. So why didn’t the Emergency Locator Transmitters work? Steve Fossett was known to have been carrying a new 409 MHz ELT and the 2005 Chieftain was also known to be carrying an ELT. One can only speculate that the ELTs were destroyed by impact with the ground.

Primary radar does not cover an area more than a few hundred miles from major airports although, with the introduction of ADS-B (Automatic Dependant Surveillance Broadcast), ATC will have comprehensive coverage of Australian skies, making the last known position of an aircraft more accurately determinable. However, the complete transition and implementation of this technology is still some time away and in the event of an accident, this leaves ATC, SAR organisations and aircraft operators with nothing better than an educated guess as to the actual position of an aircraft given its speed, heading and altitude.

Indigo One

A new product is set to revolutionise aircraft tracking and position-reporting. The Indigo One, manufactured in Australia by IndigoSat Pty Ltd, is much more than just another satellite tracking device; it is also an invaluable management tool for the aircraft owner or operator, providing facilities such as flight logging, bidirectional communication, flight data analysis and event notification.

The advent of satellite tracking has brought a new dimension to owning or operating aircraft, whether single units or fleets. From the private flier to aerial work operators and major commercial fleets, satellite tracking adds incredible benefits and value.

How Does the Indigo One Work?

Utilising the latest Inmarsat D2 satellite array, the Indigo One transmits periodic messages containing time, longitude, latitude, speed, altitude, and heading. These can be customized to report at intervals of 1 minute or more. This gives operators a complete picture as to the whereabouts of their aircraft at any time.

In addition, the system provides large SMS message capability between the aircraft and the ground. The aircraft crew can build and send text messages from the aircraft using a simple "dial-and-click" interface to advise the Ops centre of information such as ETA, weather conditions and fuel requirements at intermediate destinations. Similarly, the Ops Centre can advise the crew of airfield conditions or changes, passenger requirements or additional routings. All messaging is recorded and can be reviewed at a later date, if necessary.

The Indigo One can be fitted to virtually any aircraft in accordance with STCs issued by CASA. If specific types do not yet have an STC (the list is growing daily), the Indigo One can be installed under an Engineering Order or Field Modification.

The Indigo One is an aviation-standard 6¼" unit that slips easily into the avionics stack or the centre console of any aircraft, and the antenna/transceiver module is crafted to unobtrusively fit onto the roof of most aircraft. The entire kit weighs less than 1.5kgs and the entire installation is completed in under 3 hours.

Indigo Track

There are 2 parts to the Indigo One system. The physical system itself that is installed into the aircraft –the Indigo One– and the tracking software – Indigo Track.

Indigo Track software provides a comprehensive solution for the real-time tracking of any aircraft efficiently, simply and cost-effectively, as well as assisting in the efficient management of an aircraft fleet.

Indigo Track has licensed Jeppesen Flite Star's aviation terrain maps. As Jeppesen is the leading provider of flight planning software globally, most aircraft owners and operators will be familiar with the aviation maps provided with Indigo Track.

Indigo Track has integrated satellite imagery from Google™ Maps, allowing the user to zoom right down to the actual bay the aircraft is parked in at an airport on the other side of the world! Switching the satellite mode to “hybrid” will overlay known locations and points on the satellite map, making it easier to identify landmarks whilst in flight.

Indigo Track provides a comprehensive Report Centre, where all operational information history can be retrieved at any time. Reports include Daily Flight Summary, Flight Summaries, Airtime Usage and Utilisation Reports; all reports can be scheduled to run on a regular basis using the Report Scheduler, which will automatically email the results to selected recipients.

Search & Rescue

Absolute knowledge of the whereabouts of an aircraft is essential for the safety of its passengers and crew. This is particularly true in the event of an accident, where the immediate evacuation of injured people is critical.

The Indigo One's position-reporting capability removes the "Search" from "Search and Rescue". The unit is equipped with an Alert Button, which, when deployed, will immediately send the aircraft position and emergency situation to pre-defined recipients.

Fully Customised

The Indigo One is fully-customisable to determine which functions are required by the operator. For example, there may be a need to operate on one coordinated picture in an ops room. No problem - details are securely managed by each operator/contractor, with each individual company dictating who can “see” which aircraft. Specific messages can be set up to only be sent to certain groups or individuals, as relevance dictates. This opens up a whole spectrum of aircraft management capabilities.

In addition, the Indigo One will send notification of events such as Master On, Engine On, Blocks Off, Takeoff, Landing, Blocks On, Engine Off, Master Off, Low Battery, Hard-Landing, Excess-G and Pilot-in- Command – all with real-time precision, making aircraft management independent of human intervention.

As a Training & Analysis Tool

The post-flight data analysis of the Indigo One data is an invaluable aid to flight school or training operations, as every aspect of the executed flight plan can be analysed with the pilot, feedback provided and any additional training requirements identified.

IFR patterns can be analysed in three dimensions, projected onto Google Earth, and a plug-in to Microsoft Flight Simulator even makes it possible to watch the entire flight again from various views!

Using the replay facility to drill-down into the flight data, quickly shows up possible causes of any in-flight incident that may have occurred. This facility can also be used to establish the exact pattern of a survey flown during an airborne geophysical survey or aerial application operations.

Maintain 2-Way Comms…Always

The Indigo One system allows full-time tracking and communication with an aircraft, even when it is outside of radar or radio coverage, and all through a user-friendly interface, with the only requirement being an Internet connection, whether dial-up or broadband.

The Indigo One and its associated Indigo Track software provide a complete solution to managing aircraft, ensuring that operators, owners and families always know the whereabouts of the aircraft, its pilots, crew and passengers.

To learn more, visit the IndigoSat website at:o:p>

www.indigosat.com