TracPlus, a global leader in mission-critical intelligence for aerial operations, today announced a new enterprise partnership with Helicopter Express – the largest utility helicopter operator in the United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Helicopter Express has built a formidable reputation over nearly three decades for the quality of its people, equipment, and service, and is now leveraging TracPlus to bring that same standard of excellence to its digital operations.
The partnership, which commenced earlier this year following a successful trial period, sees TracPlus deployed across Helicopter Express’s fleet of 46 helicopters, spanning multiple aircraft types and operating bases. The deployment gives Helicopter Express a single, unified operating picture – something that had become increasingly critical as the company expanded through acquisitions and growth into new service areas and geographies.
A Legacy of Excellence, Built for Scale
Founded in 1995 by Scott Runyan with a single engagement with the United States Forest Service, Helicopter Express has grown steadily into one of the most trusted aerial services organisations in the world. Today, it operates a diverse fleet spanning Sikorsky S-64 Skycranes, Kaman K-Max K-1200s, Bell 412EPXs, Bell 205s, Bell 407s, Airbus AS-350s, and more – and holds active annual engagements in Greece, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Chile, and Italy.
Helicopter Express delivers a broad range of mission-critical services: heavy lift and crane operations, utility and electrical construction support, aerial firefighting and search and rescue, disaster relief and charter operations. Its philosophy of pairing the most technically skilled pilots with the highest quality equipment has earned it a global reputation for precision, safety, and reliability across the public and private sectors.
One Platform. Total Visibility.
As Helicopter Express continued to scale, managing disparate systems and hardware across a growing fleet made it increasingly difficult to track aircraft activity in real time, maintain consistent visibility across departments, and meet the reporting demands of a complex, multi-base operation. TracPlus was selected to address that challenge – providing a single, enterprise-grade platform that unifies operations across every aircraft, every base, and every team.
With TracPlus now live across its fleet, Helicopter Express benefits from:
- A Single Operating Picture: Real-time visibility across all aircraft, crews, and operational activity.
- Advanced Aerial Analytics: Purpose-built analytics to support firefighting operations, performance reporting, and client transparency.
- Automated Operational Reporting: Accurate, automated validation of flight and billing data, reducing manual processing and improving billing accuracy.
- Integrated Alerts & Notifications: Email and SMS alerts, geofencing, and Guardian safety features to keep crews connected and protected.
- Cross-Department Value: Operational insights that support teams across operations, finance, maintenance, and executive leadership – all from a single platform.
By replacing fragmented workflows with a unified, automated platform, TracPlus enables Helicopter Express to reduce administrative burden, strengthen client relationships, and scale its operations with greater confidence.
“We’re proud to be part of Helicopter Express’ next chapter,” said Todd O’Hara, TracPlus CEO. “A 46-aircraft fleet operating across multiple continents needs operational clarity that scales with it. That’s what we’re here to provide.”
“As Helicopter Express has grown, so has the complexity of running our fleet. TracPlus has given us the platform to manage that complexity without adding overhead. We can track every aircraft across every base, automate our reporting, and make faster, better-informed decisions – whether we’re fighting fires in California or managing lift operations overseas. For a growing company, that kind of operational clarity is invaluable,” said Scotty Runyan, Vice President, Government Services, Helicopter Express Inc.
About TracPlus
TracPlus provides the operational data layer for aerial firefighting. CAL FIRE, Australia’s national aerial firefighting program, and New Zealand’s FENZ run on TracPlus as their system of record, as do hundreds of agencies and operators across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. Around 2,500 wildfire suppression aircraft are managed on the platform, which holds more than a billion flight records and is growing by roughly a million data points every day. Learn more at www.tracplus.co.nz/
About Helicopter Express
Founded in 1995, Helicopter Express is the largest utility helicopter operator in the United States, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. With a diverse fleet of 46 aircraft and a team of highly skilled pilots and engineers, Helicopter Express delivers heavy lift construction, aerial firefighting, utility support, disaster relief, and charter services across the U.S. and internationally, including in Greece, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Chile, and Italy. Built on nearly 30 years of operational excellence, Helicopter Express is a trusted partner for government agencies and commercial clients around the world. Learn more at helicopterexpress.com
