Precision Helicopters, a utility operator based in McMinnville, Oregon, has chosen to equip its Airbus Helicopters AS332 fleet with Foresight MX by GPMS International.

“While there are other HUMS providers, there's no question we made the right decision in selecting Foresight MX for our aircraft,” comments David Rath, group CEO of the Precision family of companies. “The advanced technology, ease of use and customer support provided by GPMS is second to none. We can't wait to demonstrate the system to other AS332 operators and assist them with their installations.”

“As one of our first certified installers, Precision's Part 145 repair station has been a great friend to us since our founding,” says Ronnie Ries, vice president of marketing at GPMS. “It has assisted us with customer installations, troubleshooting and feedback on how we can continue to improve our solutions and support for utility operators. We're proud to partner with it to deliver the STC to the AS332 platform and bring our industry leading Foresight MX all-in-one HUMS, RTB, FDM and engine monitoring solution to these operators.”

Today, 80 per cent of AS332 helicopters are being operated by military/government and offshore operators. As these operators are divesting of AS332s, many of them are finding new lives in the utility and firefighting market where they're uniquely differentiated as standard category in a field of restricted category helicopters. This allows operators like Precision to bring additional utility to disaster operations, as they can carry passengers in addition to cargo or external loads.

Ries continues: “New contracts like the USFS MATOC are requiring enhanced safety practices and technologies like HUMS. With Foresight MX, Precision is ahead of many of its competitors and is ready to meet these requirements from day one. We're honoured to be part of Precision's fleet as it supports customers worldwide.”