GPMS health monitoring system certified for Bell 429

GPMS’s system offers advanced Flight Data Monitoring and Health and Usage Monitoring in one integrated package making it ideal for safety-conscious operators. Duke Energy served as the STC partner on the Bell 429, which is used for both executive transport and utility patrol.

Eric Bechhoefer, CEO of GPMS, said: “We began working with Duke Energy in 2019 when they were looking for a solution for their 407 fleet. This expansion to Duke’s new 429 aircraft represents a vote of confidence in Foresight MX and demonstrates Duke’s commitment and investment in safety.”  

Foresight MX provides continuous Engine and Drivetrain Monitoring on over 100 Bell 429 components. Additionally, the system offers Rotor Track and Balance with optimized adjustment solutions at the end of every flight and Flight Data Monitoring with exceedance alerting. Data acquisition and transfer are automatic, and the cloud-based system provides ‘anywhere, anytime’ application access.

Fitting weight and financial requirements of operators

Foresight MX breaks from legacy solutions by fitting the weight and financial requirements of today’s operators. On the Bell 429, Foresight’s onboard kit has an STC weight and balance of 7.29 pounds and cable weight of only seven pounds. The system is sold on a service model that lowers upfront cost. In the case of Duke Energy’s Bell 407s, GPMS and the consultancy Conklin & deDecker calculated their annual return-on-investment for Foresight MX to be US$45,920.  

“For the last year, we’ve heard from corporate, air medical, and utility customers that they wanted Foresight MX certified on the Bell 429,” said Jed Kalkstein, President of GPMS. “We are excited to complete this work, especially given current STCs on the 407, 212/412, and AS-350 and line of sight on the H135 and MD500 series.”