Teledyne Controls and aerospace software provider PACE have signed a new partnership deal that will enable airlines and individual flight crews to actively improve their flying efficiency and fuel consumption, and pilots to receive live weather updates direct to an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) while in flight. Interfaced with the Teledyne GroundLink Comm+ system and its new integrated Aircraft Interface Device (AID) function AID+, PACE’s Pacelab Flight Profile Optimizer software can draw live data from the aircraft’s avionics buses to determine the most cost-efficient flight trajectory. Using real-time operational and meteorological data and a holistic optimization approach for the remaining route to destination, the companies say Pacelab Flight Profile Optimizer provides pilots with reliable information on how to minimize trip cost. The resulting reduction of fuel burn is significant averaging up to 2 percent per year.
The addition of inflight weather updates direct to the crews’ tablet devices via Teledyne’s GroundLink AID+ ACARS proxy interface gives crews a more complete picture of their ongoing flight, and any changes in profile that may be required through a change in circumstances to achieve greater operational and fuel efficiencies.
An ACARS proxy allows multiple EFBs to send and receive ACARS messages, supporting pilots with ground and air Flight Operations communications, the distribution of flight documents, and load sheets. Crucially, the companies say airlines do not need to install a separate AID unit to benefit from the PACE/Teledyne partnership. With more than 8,000 Teledyne GroundLink units already flying, it is an easy transition for those with the technology already installed, protecting their legacy investment.
“By a simple interface with our AID+ unit and the PACE application, we can deliver all of the key flight data, and external data such as weather updates direct to a tablet to enable pilots to make informed decisions about their flight, and proactively find ways of maximizing their fuel efficiency,” Murray Skelton, director of Business Development at Teledyne Controls, says.