AirSuite has announced that has been selected to receive a CDN100,000 grant from the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) R&D Partnership Fund as it develops a ground management system (GMS) in partnership with Wisk Air Helicopters. Funding adds to the CDN283,000 investment already committed by AirSuite and Wisk Air.
AirSuite is working with Wisk Air Helicopters, a Thunder Bay based helicopter operator with 40 years of experience supporting mining, forestry, emergency response, wildfire suppression, utility operations, and specialised aerial services throughout Northwestern Ontario and across Canada to add a GMS within the the company’s Cirro avaition software platform with he goal of ‘addressing one of the aviation industry’s most significant operational gaps: the lack of integrated digital coordination between all air and ground operations in one platform’.
While pilots and aircraft are supported by increasingly sophisticated operational software, many ground activities, including fueling, vehicle maintenance, staging area coordination, ground crew scheduling and certifications, fuel testing, movement of aircraft parts and equipment readiness, temporary worksite management, and safety reporting, all continue to rely on disconnected or manual processes. The new Ground Management Module will sync these activities within a single platform, improving operational visibility, regulatory compliance, efficiency, and, most importantly, communication between air and ground crews.
Wisk Air’s contribution to the project is the provision of provide operational expertise, testing environments, and real-world validation for the project, contributing to workflow testing and giving operational feedback to ensure the technology reflects the realities of day-to-day helicopter operations.
“One of the biggest gaps in aviation technology today is the disconnect between what happens in the air and what happens on the ground. Pilots and flight operations teams often have access to sophisticated operational data, while ground crews continue to rely on disconnected systems, paper documents, and radio communications. By bringing ground operations into the same digital environment as flight operations, we’re creating a shared operational picture that helps operators make faster, better-informed decisions.” said Michael Kleywegt, Chief Executive Officer at AirSuite
Meanwhile Wisk Air Helicopters President Mark Wiskemann added “Our partnership with AirSuite allows us to help develop a solution designed by operators in real work scenarios. Ground crews play a vital role in every flight, yet their work has historically been managed completely separately from flight operations. Having one view of all ops plans and positioning between air and ground within the same system will vastly improve overall operational awareness and safety.”
Image: Wisk Helicopters
