Aeronautical Data Systems’ Ergo resource-management iPad apps have all been upgraded and are now available with flexible pricing, allowing pilots and aircraft operators to pay for subscriptions weekly, monthly, or annually. The Ergo apps allow pilots to manage time-based aircraft systems such as fuel and oxygen, especially during emergency situations such as over-ocean diversions due to engine failure or decompression.
The Ergo apps are available in three versions—Ergo 180, Ergo 360, and Ergo Blue—with features optimized for operators of small to large business aircraft. All of the Ergo apps include ADS’s display of ship location, which shows real-time updates of ship positions and their tracks, based on automatic identification system (AIS) data. Information about each ship includes the time, vessel name, its lat/long position, track, speed, and distance from the aircraft. The ship information is intended to help pilots facing a possible ocean ditching emergency to find a nearby ship that can help with rescue operations. The ship location feature “will complement some of the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) [requirements] due to be implemented in 2023,” according to ADS.
As safety management systems (SMS) become more widespread and, as expected, mandatory for Part 135 operators, the Ergo apps can help with meeting SMS requirements, said ADS CEO Jim Stabile. “Unification—and standardization—through SMS will be facilitated by tools like the Ergo suite of resource mapping apps."
