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EMS Sky Connect Provides Tracking and Telephone Services for ‘Round-the-World Record Flight

Dépèche transmise le 15 avril 2009 par Business Wire

EMS Sky Connect Provides Tracking and Telephone Services for ‘Round-the-World Record Flight

TAKOMA PARK, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Jules Verne tale, Around the World in Eighty Days, chronicles the adventures of a determined trip around the world. Two New Jersey-based pilots, flying a Cessna CJ2 light jet airplane, aim to match that number – but in hours, not days. Jared Isaacman and his co-pilot Doug Demko are confident they’ll break the previous light jet record of 84 hours, set in 1991. They also hope to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

EMS Sky Connect, a division of EMS Technologies, has equipped the CJ2 with an Iridium satellite telephone and tracking system. With Iridium’s seamless coverage around the globe, the CJ2’s flight will be tracked on the website, SpeedAroundTheWorld.com. Isaacman and Demko will rely on the Sky Connect telephone to obtain weather briefings, keep in touch with the support team in New Jersey, and ensure each fuel stop is ready for their arrival.

“It’s often difficult for people to imagine a telephone that can work anywhere on the globe, so we really enjoy supporting these kinds of flights, which prove that an Iridium-equipped airplane is never out-of-reach. In the global marketplace, having real-time, always-available communications is a true necessity,” explains Wiley Loughran, vice president for Sales and Marketing, EMS Sky Connect, himself a certified pilot.

Isaacman and Demko departed from Morristown Airport on Sunday, April 12, heading northeast for their first fueling stop. Their plan includes 14 stops along the route that takes them from North America to Europe, across the Middle East, then southward to the Philippines, up to Korea and Russia, and then back into North America via Alaska.

The essential ingredient for success is very fast refueling stops; Isaacman’s goal is to be on the ground for no more than 15 minutes per stop. A typical refueling stop for a small jet airplane takes 30-45 minutes. To make sure each fueling stop happens quickly requires real-time coordination through direct communications between the aircraft and the ground personnel. With the EMS Sky Connect telephone, the pilots can coordinate with each ground team, long before they are in radio range, to be sure the fuel trucks and personnel are ready for the airplane’s arrival. The pilots can also contact Customs officials to minimize passport delays.

EMS Sky Connect staff will follow the flight, hoping that wind, weather and fortune will all work in favor of a safe and successful flight – around the world in 80 hours!

About EMS Sky Connect

EMS Sky Connect, a division of EMS Technologies, is a leader in Iridium satellite technology and services for helicopter, fixed-wing, ground-based and marine applications. EMS Sky Connect offers a broad range of satellite-based tracking and voice systems in both commercial and government markets. Visit www.skyconnect.com or www.ems-t.com for more information.