SkyNet Aviation, the leading global specialist in mid-size fleet aviation technology solutions, has announced the latest technology development in its suite of world-leading aviation tracking and awareness solutions.  TEAM ADS-B (Transponder Emergency Alert Manager) enables SkyNet Aviation REACH™ and LASAW™ users to receive ADS-B transponder emergency alerts directly from an aircraft, as soon as the squawk code is transmitted, bypassing the delays of the current alerting system and for the first time, enabling an aircraft’s operators and relevant landing airport or heliport operators to have immediate notification of a potential emergency.

“Aircraft operators want to know as soon as possible that one of their fleet is in trouble and, crucially, airport and helipad operators need the earliest possible notification that an emergency landing might take place at their location”, explains Jon Davis, SkyNet Aviation’s CEO.

“To date, when an aircraft has encountered an issue and activates an emergency-coded squawk, the only people who receive it are the air traffic controllers (ATC) for the area. Notifying other parties and coordinating the response is entirely up to them: aircraft operators, airports and landing area managers are passive participants.”

The new TEAM capability enables SkyNet’s ADS-B system to immediately detect a signal anywhere across its vast network and alerts the relevant REACH™ and LASAW™ users – even if the aircraft broadcasting the code is not managed via a SkyNet Aviation solution.  In the initial release, TEAM will support the squawk codes for hijack, emergency and radio failure.

“TEAM is the quickest way to inform airport and helipad operators of a runway or landing zone that a possible emergency is unfolding that may involve them. Their response may involve the activation of an emergency response plan (ERP) that could include sending fire trucks, activating runway lighting, recalling all airfield staff and clearing the area. All of that takes time, which will be in short supply in an emergency situation,” comments Davis.

“For the aircraft’s own operations staff, TEAM enables for preparation and management of a potential emergency with an early warning that can increase the scope to de-escalate a situation and stop an emergency becoming an accident.”

As all squawk codes are broadcast on the same transmission protocols as regular ADS-B signals, they can only be picked up if an aircraft is within ADS-B coverage. This is either on the ATC service’s network, which may have large gaps at lower altitudes, or under a SkyNet Aviation commercial ADS-B wide area network solution, where coverage is implemented specifically for the operators and lower flight paths required. For many operators flying to remote areas, publicly available ADS-B coverage is non-existent; for example the 1.8 million square-kilometres of coverage SkyNet Aviation enables throughout outback Australia for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.