Tag Archives for " Press Releases "

AirSprint Private Aviation Expands Safety Commitment with Appareo Flight Data Monitoring Systems

AirSprint Private Aviation, a Canadian privately-held fractional aircraft ownership company based in Calgary, has selected the Appareo Vision 1000 Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) System for their Cessna Citation CJ fleet of aircraft. The agreement is for two systems initially, with options for 10 additional units.

AirSprint’s commitment to safety includes sophisticated Safety and Quality Management Systems, airline quality pilot procedures, in-house aircraft maintenance, and thorough pilot training that far exceeds regulatory requirements. AirSprint’s commitment to continuous improvement ensures they remain diligent, looking at each flight as an opportunity to forever improve the level of safety.

AirSprint is one of the first private jet operators to choose Vision 1000 for Flight Data Monitoring. “AirSprint introduced fractional ownership to the Canadian market in 2000 with a commitment to safety and service. We have been innovative on both fronts and look at the Vision 1000 FDM system as the next step and ideal solution for maximizing safety for our fractional owners. Once installation is complete on our CJ fleet in 2019, 100% of our more than 10,000 annual flights will be evaluated by FDM. I am excited to work with Appareo and look forward to the addition of the Vision 1000,” said AirSprint’s President and COO, James Elian.

“AirSprint has always been committed to safety,” said Appareo Aviation President Kris Garberg. “We’re pleased to advance our partnership with them as they work toward equipping their fleet with flight data monitoring systems. When it comes to flight safety, there’s nothing more valuable than accurate statistics, actionable trending data, and true visual representations of every moment during a flight,” Garberg said.

Flight Data Monitoring is a critical practice for any operation because the value of having flight performance metrics is very clear in reducing risk. The Vision 1000 is a stand-alone flight data recording solution that captures accurate flight data, plus cockpit audio and imagery. Supported by Appareo’s turnkey FDM analysis software, this information can be used to review and analyze flight operations, allowing operators to identify and mitigate risk. If the unthinkable were to occur, the recorded data is an invaluable investigation tool, providing insights into exactly what, when, why, and how it happened.

###

About AirSprint
AirSprint is a privately-held company based in Calgary, AB and maintains the largest fractional fleet of private aircraft in Canada, including the Cessna Citation CJ2+ and CJ3+ and the Embraer Legacy 450, serving Canadians from coast-to-coast including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and the Maritimes. AirSprint provides successful Canadians with a better choice for optimizing their time by enhancing the private jet ownership experience with industry-leading safety standards, exceptional turnkey service, and increased flexibility personalized for their individual travel needs. All at a fraction of the cost. For more information visit www.AirSprint.com

About Appareo
For more than 15 years Appareo has been building a reputation as innovators dedicated to delivering reliable products. With in-house engineering, manufacturing, technology, and testing capabilities, Appareo develops products from concept to completion. The company is certified by all the major aviation and manufacturing regulators. Appareo is privately held, with world headquarters in Fargo, N.D., and design offices in Tempe, Ariz. and Paris, France. All aviation products are designed, developed, built, and supported in the USA. The company currently has a network of 540 dealers and was voted 2017 AEA Association Member of the Year. Visit appareo.com/aviation.

https://www.appareo.com/2018/11/12/airsprint-private-aviation-expands-safety-commitment-with-appareo-flight-data-monitoring-systems/

Appareo Launches Stratus App with AHRS and ATC Radio Playback

FARGO, North Dakota (July 20, 2018) — Appareo today announced a software addition to the Stratus family of pilot-friendly affordable avionics. Stratus Horizon Pro is a free iOS application that displays a backup Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS), delivers firmware updates to Stratus receivers, offers Radio Playback, and will soon include Radio Transcription. The company will exhibit this app along with its full line of Stratus products next week at the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 fly-in and expo.

Stratus Horizon Pro displays supplemental attitude information driven by a Stratus receiver — essentially creating a “backup glass cockpit” on your iPad. The AHRS feature aligns itself automatically, so pilots can just turn it on and fly. Pilots will experience a very responsive pitch and bank instrument within the app, which becomes an excellent backup for emergency situations.

When paired with a Stratus Audio Cable, the Radio Playback feature captures Air Traffic Control (ATC) communications and saves them for easy one-touch playback. This gives pilots the ability to repeat radio communications without having to ask for a “say again.”

“Pilots are going to love the ability to tap their iPad for a quick audio playback, rather than ask controllers to repeat themselves,” said Appareo Aviation President Kris Garberg. “But we’re not stopping there. We have more exciting features in development for this app.”

Coming soon in the premium version will be a Radio Transcription feature. Similar to how visual voicemail works, the ATC communications will be converted into text and displayed directly above the audio playback line, providing a helpful visual assist for referencing previous audio clips.

“Receiving a clearance, ATIS or any other important ATC communication has never been easier when you don’t need to write it down,” Garberg said.

The speech recognition and language understanding technology that drives the Radio Transcription feature was custom-designed by the Artificial Intelligence (AI) division at Appareo. “Stratus Horizon Pro is an exciting first step toward AI-assisted technology for pilots,” said Appareo AI Systems Director Josh Gelinske. “We look forward to building on the core of this machine learning technology to reduce workload and increase safety in the cockpit. ”

At a global scale, speech recognition, translation, and transcription features are becoming increasingly more commonplace (e.g. Alexa and Siri). However, ATC communications present many unique challenges for these common speech recognition systems. The high rate of speech, noisy signal, narrow frequency band, and unique location identifiers are among those challenges. Appareo identified that shortfall in the existing technology and set out to develop a speech recognition system that would be customized for aviation.

“By using a custom-designed deep neural network trained on thousands of hours of speech and hundreds of hours of ATC data that we collected and transcribed, we’ve created a speech recognition system which can run on mobile devices without an Internet connection,” Gelinske explained. “Natural Language Processing is also used to interpret the output of the speech recognition system to present it in a more pilot-friendly format. For example, tail numbers, altitudes, runways, and frequencies are transcribed in a way that will be more helpful to pilots.”

Comparison example:


“This new AI technology is the baseline for exciting features we have in our app roadmap,” Garberg said. “The Appareo Aviation product roadmap is focused on creating a safer, more convenient way to fly. It centers around a beyond-glass strategy, which is the future of aviation.”

Stratus Horizon Pro was designed to work with an iPad’s Split View, as well as the new Multitasking or “slide over” feature, which allows users to work with two apps at the same time. This means pilots can have Stratus Horizon Pro displayed as a small overlay, while continuing to run their favorite EFB. The app can be viewed in day mode, night mode, or HUD mode for those that have a heads up display. The Stratus Audio Cable (available to purchase here) is necessary to enable the audio playback feature. No cellular service or internet connection is required to operate the app. Available only for iOS devices.

Stratus Horizon Pro is available for free download from the App Store. For more information about Stratus, visit www.appareo.com/stratus.

# # #

About Appareo

Appareo is a recognized leader in the custom design, development and manufacture of innovative electronic and software solutions for aerospace and agriculture. Through the creative application of cutting-edge technologies, Appareo creates complex end-to-end solutions that include both mobile and cloud-based components. The company is privately held, with world headquarters located in Fargo, N.D., and design offices in Tempe, Ariz. and Paris, France. All Stratus products are designed, developed, built and supported in the USA. The company currently has a network of 540 dealers and was voted 2017 AEA Association Member of the Year.

https://www.appareo.com/appareo-launches-stratus-app-with-ahrs-and-atc-radio-playback/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Appareo Offers Open Source on Fourth-Generation Stratus Receiver

Stratus 3 works with many electronic flight bag apps using GDL 90 protocol

FARGO, North Dakota (July 19, 2018) — Appareo released a new addition to its Stratus family of pilot-friendly affordable avionics this week. Stratus 3 is the latest model in the line of industry-leading ADS-B receivers first introduced in 2012. The company will exhibit Stratus 3 as part of its full line of Stratus products next week at the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 fly-in and expo.

Stratus 3 is the fourth generation of a receiver that has proven to be the ultimate accessory for pilots who use flight apps — offering subscription-free weather, dual band ADS-B traffic, built-in AHRS, WAAS GPS, a flight data recorder, and the patented weather replay feature that allows pilots to turn off the screen on their tablet without missing important weather information.

The company is announcing Stratus 3 with an introductory price of $699, and including an industry-leading 2-year warranty to reinforce its commitment to designing and manufacturing the most reliable portable receiver on the market.

“With Stratus 3, we set out to add more features without increasing the price,” says Appareo Aviation President Kris Garberg. “We also wanted to respond to the trend of openness in the industry. With the Open ADS-B Mode in Stratus 3, we are affirming our commitment to offering a no-compromise ADS-B portable receiver to more pilots than ever, without sacrificing performance.”

Since the first Stratus receiver was introduced, one of the hallmarks of the product has been the close integration with ForeFlight Mobile. Engineers at Appareo and ForeFlight have collaborated on the development of each Stratus receiver, with the intention of delivering an ADS-B solution that is seamlessly integrated for optimal performance and ease of use. With Stratus 3, Appareo continues working closely with ForeFlight to maintain the high performance standards that pilots have come to expect. However, something unique to Stratus 3 is that it’s equipped with Open ADS-B Mode, enabling it work with any electronic flight bag (EFB) app using GDL 90 protocol. The company has begun integration testing with some of the most well-known apps, including WingX, FltPlan Go, FlyQ, and iFly GPS.

This is what the EFB developers have to say regarding Appareo’s decision to open Stratus 3:

Dr. Hilton Goldstein, CEO of Hilton Software:

    “WingX was the first major EFB application to bring ADS-B weather and traffic as well as Synthetic Vision to an iPad and iPhone. WingX integration with the new Stratus 3 is an important step forward in the continued open standards movement within General Aviation. As a Department of Defense prime contractor for its mobile aviation suite, we are excited to augment the incredible functionality of our military software solutions with Appareo’s new Stratus 3.”

Sarah Wilson, Principal of FltPlan:

    “We are thrilled to add the Stratus 3 ADS-B receiver to our list of compatible products. FltPlan users have consistently asked us for Stratus connectivity and we are certain that this will be a popular addition to FltPlan Go. Appareo’s reputation for quality and reliability, combined with the features of the Stratus 3 make it a great option for FltPlan users looking to purchase a portable ADS-B receiver.”

John Rutter, President of Seattle Avionics Software:

    “We are very excited to have worked with Appareo to ensure compatibility between FlyQ EFB and Stratus 3. Pilots can now use FlyQ EFB, the #1 rated iPad aviation app, and Stratus, the #1 rated ADS-B receiver together!”

In addition to now working with many well-known flight apps, Stratus 3 also delivers new features of Auto Shut Off and Smart WiFi. With Auto Shut Off, Stratus will power down if it’s moving at less than 5 knots or has less than a 3D GPS lock, ultimately saving battery life when someone forgets to shut it off. With Smart WiFi, Stratus 3 allows pilots to use 3G/4G LTE internet on an iPad/iPhone while connected to Stratus 3. This means pilots no longer have to “forget this network” every time they want to connect to cellular service while also connected to Stratus 3.

Stratus 3 is enabled to receive the new ADS-B weather products that are coming soon from the FAA, which will include echo tops, lightning, icing forecast, turbulence forecast, Center Weather Advisories, and G-AIRMETs. Previous models of Stratus receivers will also be able to receive the new FIS-B products.

Appareo is offering a trade-in program to Stratus 2S customers who are interested in upgrading to Stratus 3. Details can be found on the company’s website.

Stratus 3 is now shipping. For more information, visit www.appareo.com/stratus.

# # #

About Appareo
Appareo is a recognized leader in the custom design, development and manufacture of innovative electronic and software solutions for aerospace and agriculture. Through the creative application of cutting-edge technologies, Appareo creates complex end-to-end solutions that include both mobile and cloud-based components. The company is privately held, with world headquarters located in Fargo, N.D., and design offices in Tempe, Ariz. and Paris, France. All Stratus products are designed, developed, built and supported in the USA. The company currently has a network of 540 dealers and was voted 2017 AEA Association Member of the Year.

https://www.appareo.com/appareo-offers-open-source-on-fourth-generation-stratus-receiver/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Appareo Expands AML-STC for Stratus ADS-B Transponders

FARGO, North Dakota (June 26, 2018) — Appareo has received FAA approval of an expanded Approved Model List (AML) for the company’s Stratus ADS-B “out” transponders. In addition to the previous STCs for popular Cessna, Piper and Mooney models, the AML-STC now includes Cirrus, Diamond, and AeroSedan. The company will exhibit its full line of Stratus products next month at the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 fly-in and expo.

Appareo provides cost-effective, easily-installed certified avionics for fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft, and has continued adding to the AML-STC since the initial certification of Stratus ESG in 2016, based on a continued increase of market demand.

Both Stratus ES and Stratus ESG are certified 1090 Extended Squitter (ES) ADS-B “out” transponders designed with the common 1.65” form factor to easily replace existing transponders. Stratus ESG includes built-in WAAS GPS for one-box 2020 compliance, while Stratus ES will make an aircraft rule-compliant when paired with popular navigators such as Garmin 430W, 530W, 6XX, 7XX, or Avidyne IFD440 or IFD540.

At $2,495 MSRP, Stratus ES is one of the most affordable 1090 ES options for ADS-B “out” compliance. With built-in WAAS GPS, Stratus ESG retails for $2,995.

Stratus ES and Stratus ESG can be connected to an ADS-B “in” receiver for the complete ADS-B “in/out” experience. They are the only transponders that can share an aircraft’s external antenna with a portable ADS-B receiver in the cockpit, which greatly enhances the signal strength of the receiver. This feature is compatible with many popular brands of ADS-B receivers; a variety of interface kits are available.

For more information or to locate a dealer, visit www.appareo.com/stratus.

# # #

About Appareo
Appareo is a recognized leader in the custom design, development and manufacture of innovative electronic and software solutions for aerospace and agriculture. Through the creative application of cutting-edge technologies, Appareo creates complex end-to-end solutions that include both mobile and cloud-based components. The company is privately held, with world headquarters located in Fargo, N.D., and design offices in Tempe, Ariz. and Paris, France. All Stratus products are designed, developed, built and supported in the USA. The company currently has a network of 540 dealers and was voted 2017 AEA Association Member of the Year.

https://www.appareo.com/appareo-expands-aml-stc-for-stratus-ads-b-transponders/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss