Blackcomb Helicopters, a helicopter utility provider in western Canada, has chosen to equip its four Airbus EC135s and four Bell 212HPs with the GPMS health and usage monitoring system, Foresight MX.

Director of maintenance Aaron Trimble says: "When you have unscheduled maintenance, it doesn't just affect the downtime of the aircraft. When you're having to source parts AOG, your costs go up. You're having to fly the parts in. But if you're able to plan ahead, you're not having to go AOG and your customers, engineers and, of course, your management are all happier. Being able to be more proactive than reactive, while benefiting from the added safety, is what we're really looking forward to."

"Some of our contracts mandate the use of HUMS to ensure we're operating to the highest levels of safety," adds president Jonathan Burke. "When we evaluated various HUMS solutions to meet the requirement, Foresight MX stood out quickly for its simplicity, powerful predictive analytics, and the expertise and customer support from the GPMS team. The initial installation with GPMS has gone seamlessly, and we're looking forward to start using the system after certification has been completed."

"Blackcomb Helicopters choosing to equip its fleet with Foresight MX HUMS is a turning point for utility operators in Canada," adds John Byus, director of sales at GPMS. "With its investment, Blackcomb will benefit from Foresight's predictive maintenance capabilities for better control of its supply chain, reduction in AOGs and maximised aircraft availability. Additionally, it benefits from a unified solution over multiple OEMs and aircraft models to simplify its maintenance and operational HUMS experience.

"We're honoured to have Blackcomb as one of our customers and we look forward to learning more from it on how we can better support its utility, powerline and search and rescue operations. We know other EC135 operators are anxiously awaiting for the certification to be completed and see how Blackcomb is benefiting from it."