Overview -- The 2008 presidential elections in Angola marked the first national election in the southwestern African country since 1992. 

 In planning for and making successful such a historic event the Angolan government took extra measures to ensure the voting process went as smoothly as possible.  Angola is a fairly large African country with people very dispersed within its boarders.  Not all regions of the country are accessible by road so the government utilized both helicopters and boats to ensure everyone was reachable. 

With Angola necessitating some very remote voting stations, the country's electoral commission even set up polling stations on oil rigs serving as mobile polling stations to where helicopters were deployed to collect ballot papers. The Angolan government contracted VIH Helicopters, which has equipped their entire fleet with Blue Sky Network tracking, to assist with transportation and logistics before and after the election. 

Challenges
Flying in Angola with extremely patchy VHF radio coverage and very little air traffic control, VIH was faced with several concerns to address.  Local operators in the region use high frequency radio, but unfortunately such communications are not reliable throughout all of Angola.  Having aircraft and pilots navigating the Angolan outback without knowledge of where they were at all times is something VIH simply didn't feel comfortable with.

In order to maintain the highest level of safety in these unfamiliar conditions, VIH needed to be able to monitor the whereabouts of their helicopters and uphold constant communication during the flight.

Solution
Fortunately, VIH helicopters are outfitted with the Blue Sky Network D1000C and ACH1000 kits. Installed on its aircraft fleet, the D1000C and ACH1000 provided two Sikorsky S-92s, two Sikorsky S-61s, a Bell 212 and a Eurocopter EC135 with communications support throughout the election process. The helicopters were used to help set up polling booths before the election, transport international observers throughout the country, and fly to remote communities and offshore oil rigs during the election, serving as mobile polling stations. Additionally, after the election the contracted helicopters served as a temporary national transit service given that many roads throughout the country are impassable.

Blue Sky Network's D1000C is a reliable and economic solution for near real-time fleet tracking with a built in GPS position reporting, an Iridium transceiver and telemetry data link. Combined with the ACH1000 control head, it also provides VIH helicopters with voice connectivity.  This secure and easily installed equipment brings reliable fleet reporting and remote tracking capabilities to all the VIH helicopters, regardless of location.

Both kits combine with SkyRouter, Blue Sky Network's web-based tracking software.  SkyRouter easily integrates with Google Earth for asset tracking, and interactive updates on all mobile assets.  The onboard unit transmits reports from the remote assets directly to the site for review by operations or dispatch, providing a real-time view of asset locations.

Results
All VIH helicopters assisting in the Angola elections successfully completed their mission and kept safe all parties involved.  Pilots of these crafts were able to communicate with one another and their managers throughout their efforts.  Furthermore, the entire time VIH crafts were in the air, management was aware of their location as they were always in range and being tracked.  With proven GPS tracking and position reporting, Blue Sky Network's equipment left VIH nothing to worry about.  Consequently, the Angolan government received the support they were looking for in making possible the country's first presidential election in 16 years.


Blue Sky Network is a leading global provider of voice and data services via the Iridium satellite network. Our aviation, marine and vehicle products for GPS tracking, real time flight tracking and fleet management provide reliable fleet tracking and communication services. Blue Sky Network's solutions serve the Aviation, Oil and Gas, Government, Forestry, Mining, Supply Chain Management and Intermodal Transportation markets. Founded in 2001, Blue Sky Network is headquartered in La Jolla, California with customers and distributors worldwide. For more information about our company and solutions, visit the Blue Sky Network website at www.blueskynetwork.com.