Major Utility Operator PJ Helicopters Deepens Relationship with GPMS
GPMS International announces that it has received a fleet order from PJ Helicopters for its Foresight MX, an all-in-one HUMS solution with predictive HUMS, engine monitoring, flight-data monitoring, and rotor track and balance capabilities. The order marks a major milestone in the integration of HUMS into the utility helicopter market.
“We continue to be very impressed with the advanced capabilities of Foresight MX,” says Justin Gunsauls, vice president and director of maintenance at PJ Helicopters. “Foresight’s predictive analytics, easy-to-use interface, and multi-OEM capability makes it the perfect solution for our mixed fleet operations.”
PJ Helicopters utilizes its fleet of MD 530Fs, Bell 407s, Bell 429s, UH-60s, and CH-47s to perform a variety of utility, power line, and firefighting operations throughout the United States. With Foresight MX’s cloud capability, PJ monitors the health of its remote aircraft and receives SMS and email notifications of any exceedances or negative trends after every flight.
Long promoted by leading safety organizations like the Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) and the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST), HUMS and FDM interest and integration into the utility space has been growing rapidly, driven by new contract requirements. In the new U.S. Forest Service MATOC, task order awards and preferences are given to “modern helicopter” operators, which includes HUMS as a minimum aircraft requirement.
For PJ, deciding on a HUMS provider was about more than just the technical capabilities. Gunsauls continues, “GPMS’s commitment to customer support has given us the confidence to grow our relationship. From working with them on the STC for the 407 Analog and the UH-60, to the monitoring of our aircraft, they’ve listened to us to understand the needs of our operations. With their unique HUMS-as-a-Service business model and their continuous investments in Foresight, we know they’re vested in our success.”
“We are honored by the trust a globally recognized operator like PJ Helicopters is placing on our product and our team,” says Ronnie Ries, vice president of Marketing at GPMS. “With PJ’s help, we continue to learn how to better serve utility operators, and as a member of our customer advisory board (CAB), they’re providing us key guidance into our product and services roadmap."
Ries continues, “Based on inputs from our CAB, we’re not only completing several STCs right now, but we’re also pursuing new integrations, improvements, and reporting capabilities. It’s an exciting time at GPMS, and we’re proud to be working with customers like PJ to bring these capabilities to the market.”
For more information, visit gpms-vt.com.