Flight Options Flight Guide System Enhances Efficiency, Reliability
Flight Options unveils notable improvements in its flight guide system during a press conference at the NBAA meeting and convention
Flight Options, the only fractional jet provider to equip its fleet with paperless cockpit technology, unveiled some notable improvements its made to its flight guide system during a press conference at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) taking place in Orlando. FL.
The updated system, called the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), serves as a central location for flight information such as flight planning and JeppView Approach Charts. First introduced in September, 1999, Flight Options has expanded the functionality of the system to include electronic weight & balance, aircraft performance calculation features, check lists and technical support documents.
As a result of equipping its jets with EFB’s, Flight Options has experienced improved fleet readiness, enhanced reliability and reduced pilot workload. According to James Miller, executive vice president of Flight Options, 85% of the current fleet is operating with EFB’s. “We expect 100% of our fleet to be equipped with EFB’s in the next sixty days,” he says.
“Previously, thousands of pages of printed material, sometimes adding up to more than 30 binders of information was needed on-board an aircraft, robbing us of valuable space and payload that should be available for passenger baggage,” states Miller. “Now, for example, charts are delivered to the aircraft on a single CD every two weeks, which eliminates the binders and assures us of having the most recent route information.”
Technical data, including maintenance and operation manuals, as well as aircraft wiring diagrams can be accessed through the EFB’s on-board each aircraft, instead of being located in Technical Services. This allows for convenient maintenance at multiple facilities, which is often the case for fractional jet providers. The added efficiency means shortened turn time between flights and shortened maintenance cycles.
Since each aircraft carries two monitors, both pilots can view an approach simultaneously, or one pilot can go through a checklist while the other prepares the approach information. In addition, aircraft dispatch and maintenance logs (Form 501) are also installed on the pen-based system. This electronic form allows a digital signature to be entered, which expedites the approval process.
Joe Salata, Flight Options’ chief pilot says the company’s pilots are thrilled to be assigned to an aircraft outfitted with EFB’s. “The new system allows more time for crews to devote to flying – instead of endless paperwork,” he says. “Chart update time is reduced to a mere five minute CD download, as opposed to the tedious process of manually updating paper charts.”
Founded in 1998, Flight Options pioneered the concept of offering shares in previously owned jets. This allowed the company to present a cost savings of 35% on comparable programs offered by their competitors, opening private jet travel to a broader audience. With the addition of new jets to its fleet, the company continues to be an innovator in the industry with its highly competitive Factory-Supported Pricing™ plan.
Flight Options offers fractional shares in its fleet of over 200 aircraft, which includes the world’s largest fleets of Beechjet 400A’s and Hawker 800’s. The fleet also includes the King Air B200, CitationJet, Citation V, Citation 650, Hawker 800XP, Falcon 50, Citation X, Challenger 601 and Gulfstream IV."
