Argus International’s new Avmosys operations software has been selected by the Wheels Up aircraft access membership program “to manage customers’ flight-related activity,” according to Argus. First to sign up for Avmosys was charter/management firm ACP Jets, and charter broker Apollo Jets was the first company to implement the system fully, according to Andy Balser, Argus International’s Avmosys product manager.

Avmosys is designed for any size flight operation, from small single-airplane flight departments to large Part 91, charter and fractional-share operations. “Avmosys was not designed for user segments as much as it was designed to be used by aviation companies (including flight departments) that place a priority on using modern technology to support a complex business and operational model,” Balser told AIN. The software, which runs on any Web browser, can be used to manage an entire business and flight operation; users can manage safety, operational, service and financial objectives simultaneously, he explained, “without compromising one for the other.”

For operational data from the field, pilots can use the Flight Crew Support iPad app for various functions, including access to duty day briefings, check-in, submission of flight and crew log data, access to aircraft maintenance status and so on.

Avmosys customers pay a monthly per-aircraft fee. There is no extra cost to add users, and companies are not charged for “typical service and support,” according to Balser. Argus can host the system for Avmosys customers, thus eliminating the need for users to have their own IT department. “The data captured and maintained on a specific aircraft while on Avmosys will provide tremendous insight into the actual history of the aircraft that will be extremely valuable to that aircraft as it moves on to different owners throughout its lifetime,” he noted.

Avmosys can also integrate with customers’ existing financial and operations computer systems. “Avmosys places tremendous value on this aspect of the system to improve the overall customer experience,” according to Balser.

Argus purchased Avmosys (Aviation Management Operating Systems) in 2008 and hired the company’s founders, NetJets executives Mike Midkiff (former CIO) and Scott Liston (former executive vice president). Midkiff is now CIO and Liston executive v-p at Argus. Full-scale development of Avmosys began in 2010, and since then the development team has put nearly 40,000 hours into the system.

Certified Charter Broker Program

Argus also announced that its new certified charter broker program will roll out “no later than March 31.” The program isn’t a safety program, according to Argus, but “exists to provide consumers and participating charter operators with data and information that will allow them to make more informed decisions before engaging with a charter broker.”

The new program will offer two levels: registered charter broker and certified charter broker. In the former case, the participating broker has submitted required documents and information and pledges to comply with the program’s requirements; in the latter the broker meets the registered requirements and agrees to submit to an on-site audit at two-year maximum intervals. Argus will reveal pricing information for participation in the program when it is launched.

The certified charter broker program is designed “to bring factual, vetted and pertinent information to the surface, so applicable parties can make better and more informed decisions,” Argus executive v-p Scott Liston told AIN. “A major point of emphasis for our program is on establishing ‘legitimacy’ for each participating charter broker. We believe that the operators and retail consumers that work with charter brokers want to confirm, first and foremost, that they are working with a legitimate, professional charter broker.”