OMNIFLIGHT TO UTILIZE AWARD-WINNING ALERTS SYSTEM

Leader in Air Medical Services chooses Appareo Systems’ Helicopter Flight Data Monitoring (HFDM) System

ADDISON, TX and FARGO, ND (10/27/09) -- Omniflight Helicopters, Inc, a leading national provider of air medical services and Appareo Systems, LLC, a leader in lightweight Flight Data Monitoring/Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FDM/FOQA) tools and custom engineering services, announced today that Omniflight has committed to adding Appareo’s award-winning Aircraft Logging and Event Recording for Training and Safety (ALERTS FDM) system to a number of its aircraft.

Under the agreement, Omniflight will begin equipping 35 of its aircraft with the ALERTS system, a cutting-edge hardware and software package that captures all aspects of each flight using an innovative, lightweight inertial measurement device designed specifically for light and legacy aircraft. The system has received several important safety awards, including being named the “Product Breakthrough of the Year” by Aviation Week and Space Technology.

ALERTS combines flight data recording, monitoring and three-dimensional flight recreation to help aircraft operators minimize risks to their fleets. The system helps pilots maintain safe flying practices by tracking each flight in detail, then automatically analyzing it to be sure that all aspects of the flight were within acceptable limits.

Each of the 35 Omniflight aircraft will be outfitted with Appareo’s GAU 2000 flight data monitoring device which collects and stores flight information on both a removable SD memory card and an internal crash-hardened flash memory unit. After each shift, flight crews remove the SD card and transfer the information to Appareo’s servers using a specialized computer. This data is automatically parsed and compared against a set of standard operating procedures created by Omniflight. If any aspect of a flight falls outside of those criteria, a report is generated and sent to Omniflight’s safety analysts. After receiving the report, the analyst can download and watch the flight in a rich 3-D format to determine if the matter warrants further attention.

In addition to addressing immediate safety concerns, ALERTS also allows operators to perform long-term analysis of their operations, including the generation of comprehensive performance and trending reports. By using the powerful reporting features of the ALERTS software, operators can quickly identify potentially dangerous trends long before they result in an incident or accident.

“We believe that Appareo’s innovative ALERTS’ system will prove beneficial as we constantly strive to find ways to enhance our flights and ensure safety. The Appareo system was selected by Omniflight because of its superior technological capabilities and future systems enhancements,” said Ray Wall, vice president, flight operations, safety and corporate compliance at Omniflight. “In addition to the FOQA benefits of the ALERTS system, we can also use ALERTS as a training tool. For example, upon 2 completion of a training flight, our check airmen can debrief pilots while watching the actual flight playback. This allows our flight crews to gain a much clearer perspective on what was actually occurring while in the air. We believe the ALERTS system can enhance our already strong safety-first commitment, which we bring to all we do.”

Omniflight has always maintained a strong culture of safety, and has implemented a number of other industry-leading programs including equipping its aircraft and crews with night vision goggles, satellite flight following systems, helmets and enhanced continuing clinical and aviation training.

“Appareo Systems is proud to be working with Omniflight, one of the leaders in air medical transport,” said Ben Wright, Appareo’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Their commitment to safety has always been laudable, and this recent commitment to the ALERTS system reinforces this dedication.”

About Appareo Systems, LLC
Founded in 2001, Appareo Systems, LLC is a vibrant and growing company with significant experience in electronics design and engineering. Appareo creates high-value commercial products and custom engineering services through the innovative application of cutting-edge technology.

Appareo’s innovations have been lauded by industry associations, independent media outlets, university programs and private pilots alike – they have charted new territory in flight safety by bringing innovative products designed for light and legacy aircraft to a market where none have existed in the past.

About Omniflight
Omniflight Helicopters, Inc. is a leading provider of air medical services throughout the U.S. The company operates 100 aircraft nationally and operates from 72 bases in 18 states, with a strong presence across the Southwest, Midwest and Southeast regions as well as certain Mountain State areas. Its focus is primarily on inter-facility and on-site emergency scene response using both rotor and fixed-wing aircraft.

For more information contact:

Omniflight:
Susan J. Lewis
972-407-4245
susan.lewis@omniflight.com

Appareo Systems:
John Pedersen
Communications Coordinator
(701) 367-7008
jpedersen@appareo.com