Contributor

Harry Weisberger

Universal Weather and Aviation is unveiling several new services and tools here at NBAA’06 at Booth No. 209. Its 2007 UVTripPlanner software release is making its debut, along with an interactive CD-ROM version. Visitors also can see the prototype Web-based version of UVTripPlanner. Demonstrations of Universal’s suite of online trip information services include Trip Status, where clients can check the status of their trips; Trip Manager, which enables clients to create and file flight plans; and UVflightplanner.com, a Web-based flight-planning tool. It also is displaying FlightPak and UVdatalink air-to-ground communication services.

The 2007 UVTripPlanner&nbsp; comes in two versions–traditional paperback and CD-ROM. Universal compiles a vast collection of data into a hands-on, planning resource in UVTripPlanner. The print version has long set a standard for trip-planning guides, while the new CD-ROM offers features and information never before available in one compact tool, drawing from a massive database far larger than possible in a print reference. 

Listings cover more than 25,000 airport, heliport and seaplane base landing facilities, 8,600 FBOs and handlers, nearly 15,000 hotels near airports, 2,100 caterers, in excess of 5,000 transportation providers and more than 1,000 diagrams of the top worldwide business aviation airports. The tool’s search capabilities make it possible to compare thousands of trip possibilities and generate customized travel plans in minutes, as well as to find remote “unknown” airports within seconds with just a click of the mouse, said Randy Stephens, publisher of UVTripPlanner. 

Among the program’s new features is a “City Center Search” that allows clients to locate landing facilities of any size within a specified distance of a city center and gain critical information for short-notice, fast-turnaround trips such as medical evacuations. NBAA attendees are invited to a preview of the new planning tool at Universal’s booth and are encouraged to participate in a demonstration. 

Universal’s Trip Support Services are being showcased with a demonstration of products, including in-flight alerts and security services. The company is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its UVair Fueling Card program with demonstrations of the card’s benefits to both users and FBOs. 

The company announced that its recently acquired FBO Manager software is now able to accept the DESC Air Card on the ChevronTexaco and Air BP platforms. Since 1996, FBO Manager software has helped FBOs maximize profits and efficiencies, with more than 350 relying upon it daily. FBO Manager clients first began processing credit cards on the software system in May 2000. This August, Universal acquired Cornerstone Logic Inc., the company that created FBO Manager.&nbsp;