New Capabilities For Flight Services Products
ARINC Direct announced Monday at NBAA 2008 it has expanded its
portfolio of flight services for business aviation with a new,
fully-integrated Weight & Balance and Performance (runway
analysis) application. Developed in cooperation with the Aircraft
Performance Group, the program will enable ARINC Direct customers
to perform Weight & Balance calculations on-line from any
standard Internet computer connection.
Customers can obtain takeoff and landing limiting weights for
specific airport and atmospheric conditions, as well as aircraft
configuration. The takeoff and landing analyses will provide
customers with V-speeds, takeoff distance required, runway length
available, landing distance required, landing distance available,
and the Safe Distance required per Federal Aviation Administration
guidance.
"This is a very flexible and powerful program, with the features
most corporate operators want," states Bob Hanley, ARINC Vice
President, Business Aviation Solutions. "Along with our Flight
Planning, Runway Analysis, and Weather offerings, this Weight &
Balance/Performance solution completes the whole package business
operators need for flight planning."
Pilots and dispatchers who currently depend on manual
calculations or stand-alone solutions will appreciate the Weight
& Balance/Performance program's full integration. They
will have the ability to generate a correct, revised W&B load
manifest that accounts for last-minute changes in flight plans,
payload, or fuel required, while ensuring that no performance limit
is exceeded.
The new program also provides a means for customers to define
fuel burn-off sequencing profiles if necessary. This allows
operators to fine-tune their weight and balance envelope, taking
both fuel economy and performance factors into account.
The new Weight & Balance/Performance application is
available immediately to ARINC Direct customers through the ARINC
Direct on-line portal. There is no additional charge for the
program, but users must submit complete Weight & Balance data
from their aircraft Flight Manual to start the service.
In addition to the on-line access now available, ARINC plans to
offer Weight & Balance/Performance access through standard
mobile devices and smartphones in the near future. An interface for
standard cockpit avionics is planned for a later time, and this
will allow Weight & Balance calculations to be run directly
from the cockpit.