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SATCOM Terminals for Iridium Certus by Rockwell Collins

February 28, 2015
Business Aviation News
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Rockwell Collins Agreement with Iridium Satellite CommunicationsIt has been announced that global communications giant, Rockwell Collins, has entered into an agreement with Iridium Communications Inc which will see them as a value-added manufacturer for Iridium CertusSM broadband terminals.

“Rockwell Collins is a true pioneer and leader in aviation communication solutions, continually pushing the envelope to provide innovative solutions for both aircraft operators and OEMs alike,” said Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Iridium, Bryan Hartin. “Additionally, their excellent global distribution channels support Iridium’s long-term strategy to offer best-in-class products and services while staying true to our wholesale distribution model.”

Rockwell Collins’ Vice President and GM of Air Transport Systems, Steve Timm said, “Through this agreement with Iridium, we’ll be able to deliver high-speed flight deck connectivity to meet the growing connectivity needs of our customers. We also see the potential to offer services through our ARINC information management services, giving customers a single source for their Iridium NEXT connectivity needs.”

Rockwell Collins will design and manufacture the broadband terminals for the new Iridium Certus – a voice and data service that will be enabled by the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation which will begin launch later this year.

Rockwell Collins & SITA Introduce New Tracking Aircraft Solutions

February 27, 2015
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Find Out More About Rockwell Collins' HFDL ServicesNew packages have been introduced by both Rockwell Collins and SITA, following high demand for cost-effective and reliable aircraft tracking and in readiness for the new global industry standards and rules – as much as the subject is still in debate to the extent of flight tracking capability.

Initial moves call for aircraft positioning data every 15 minutes, with a view to reviewing this figure and other requirements during potentially problematic situations or when flying over remote areas or vast oceanic expanses.

Tim Ryan, Director of Programs and Service Management for IMS at Rockwell Collins said, “What we have seen since the disappearance of Air France Flight 447 in 2009 is that there is always a desire to find a single ‘silver bullet’ solution. If we’ve learned anything over those years, we’ve learned that a single solution, while it can be fashioned, doesn’t meet the equally important facet of cost-effectiveness.”

Both companies can provide high-frequency surveillance data from equipped aircraft using Automatic Dependent Surveillance Contract (ADS-C), a part of FANS or ACARS using the Rockwell Collins’ ground-based high-frequency data link (HFDL) network, Inmarsat and Iridium satellite communications networks.

Rockwell Collins are currently working with five non-U.S. airlines on a new tracking services to be a part of their GLOBALink suite – to be officially launched next month.

Avionics for NextGen 2015 Conference

February 4, 2015
Business Aviation News
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More Information about CPDLC NextGen BenefitsThe FAA’s Bruce DeCleene will be a keynote speaker at the Avionics for NextGen 2015 conference later this year, opening the discussions about the modernisation of the National Airspace System.

The two-day conference, set for October 14 and 15 will open with Mr DeCleene’s discussion about the FAA’s progress with the implementation of major flight technology projects for the benefit of the aviation community as a whole.

Four initiatives are to be targeted over the next two to three years:

  • Datacomm
  • Performance Based Navigation (PBN)
  • Multiple runway operations
  • Surface & data sharing

Also open for discussion at the conference will be the ability of a range of different aircraft types to use existing infrastructure to implement next generation communications initiatives, such as CPDLC, and the ADS-B network in addition to discussions regarding Optimised Profile Descents (OPDs) and the wide area augmentation system.

The challenges associated with the provision of new procedural initiatives and the creation of increased peak throughput at the U.S.’ busiest airports, including re-categorisation of aircraft wake turbulence characteristics will be highlighted at the conference and attendees will hear from pilots and air traffic controllers about the advantages of Controller-Pilot Data Link Comms (CPDLC) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) in terms of the improvisation of the use of national airspace, fuel cost savings and operational efficiencies.

It is hoped that many questions will be answered at the conference and operators will be assisted with their decision-making regarding the right investments to make for onboard technology to meet the objectives of the NextGen air transportation system.

Aircraft Tracking Capabilities Becomes a Priority for Singapore Airlines

February 2, 2015
Business Aviation News
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Providers of Superior Aviation Messaging Services for Flight TrackingFollowing the tragic events of last year, and with a nudge from the UN civil aviation department for the industry as a whole to address the problem, Singapore Airlines is looking to enhance its aircraft tracking capabilities as a priority.

Aircraft and operational messaging systems need to provide seamlessly reliable messaging on a global scale and operate within a messaging architecture than is robust enough to handle real-time conversion, messaging switching and have tracing capability.

Although the capabilities exist, a handful of carriers are working together with communications providers to develop new systems that can recognise when an aircraft is experiencing difficulties or leaves its planned route, in addition to real-time tracking and monitoring.

Mr Nicholas Ionides, spokesman for Singapore Airlines gave confirmation of the carrier’s participation in ‘trials related to aircraft tracking’, but gave no further clue as to the extent of the trials.

Alaska GA Flight Services System & Flight Planning Contract Awarded

February 2, 2015
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Flight Planning via iPad - Leading Providers

It has been announced that Florida-based Harris Corporation has been awarded a contract by the FAA to upgrade and manage the Alaskan GA flight services system that delivers flight planning and real time weather capabilities.

The 10-year contract, made up of three base years and seven one-year options, is worth a projected $98 million and will involve the implementation of Harris’ OASIS II program.

Under the contract, flight planning and real-time weather updates and briefing will be supplied to FAA flight service specialists in addition to handling NOTAMs messages.

OASIS II – Operational and Supportability Implementation System – will utilise System Wide Information Management (SWIM) in the National Airspace System (NAS) and will be the first consumer.

Real-time Weather Reporting Could Improve Safety for AirAsia

January 20, 2015
Business Aviation News
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Providers of Reliable Aviation Messaging SystemsA recent report following the AirAsia tragedy of Flight QZ8501 revealed that officials did not pick up weather reports in person, which has been hailed as a ‘missed opportunity’ by experts.

This is not to say that AirAsia violated any aviation policies, but it has highlighted an issue that meteorologists and airline officials could have detailed potentially dangerous weather conditions in real-time.

If flight operations personnel typically receive weather reporting updates, then there is time for essential decision-making to take place, including re-routing if necessary. According to CNN, the occurrence of AirAsia flight operations staff not directly collecting weather documents is not uncommon, and weather updates are generally received by email, and not in person.

Although, according to AirAsia, there is no change in the method of receiving copies of weather information, the airline has made a change in how the information is processed by its personnel.

The tragic events of the crash are still being investigated and search efforts have been hampered by severe weather and storm conditions. Of the 162 people on board the aircraft when it downed in the Java Sea, 39 have been recovered and 16 officially identified.

Weather conditions are blamed for a high percentage of aircraft accidents and it is critical that real-time weather reporting is an advantage for airlines and operators for flight planning and enhanced decision-making. Industry messaging and support services providers realise the importance of reliable, timely delivery of aviation messaging in order to maximise efficiency throughout aircraft operations and allowing real-time decision making with the implementation of flight deck weather.

Nextant G90XT Takes to the Skies on Maiden Flight

January 16, 2015
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Maiden Flight for Remanufactured AircraftNathan Marker, Nextant Aerospace chief pilot and vice president of flight operations, flew the re-engined G90XT on its maiden flight on January 12th. A celebration of the marker event was held at Cuyahoga County Airport, the company’s Cleveland, Ohio headquarters.

The Nextant G90XT is a Beechcraft King Air C90A, equipped with GE H75-100 turboprop engines and follows the Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP as the second remanufactured aircraft in their program.

The first, 24-minute flight saw the G90XT reach a height of 8,000 ft. and around 230 knots groundspeed. The following day, a speed of 261 knots was reached out of the projected maximum capability of 280 knots with four passengers.

Sean McGeough, Nextant president and CEO, expects the flight-test program to take approximately six weeks to complete and certification to be processed during late spring. No performance figures have yet been released, but Mr Marker is said to be ‘thrilled with the performance so far.”

LATAM Group Upgrade Cabin Services for Enhanced Passenger Experience

January 12, 2015
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Cabin Services Solutions ProvidersLatin American LATAM Airlines Group has announced that it will invest $100 million on cabin services tech projects to help provide an enhanced passenger experience.

Plans include a Smartphone app for passengers to manage their travel arrangements, improvements to flight status systems that is aimed at giving passengers greater access to flight information and, through a deal signed with YouTube, passenger access to popular channels integrated into the in-flight entertainment system.

In addition, the launch of LAN & TAM Entertainment has been announced – a wireless IFE system that will allow passengers to watch TV, movies and video using their personal mobile devices on board.

Although WiFi connectivity is not yet part of the offering, LATAM Group have revealed that they have been exploring the possibility for a number of years and their eventual aim is to include WiFi in their free package.

SESAR Business Aircraft Demonstration Project Led by NetJets

January 10, 2015
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Inflight Connectivity Solutions for Business AircraftA two-year demonstration project to test new approach and landing technology is being led by NetJets Europe for the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research program.

The project, part-financed by the SESAR joint undertaking, incorporates 15 organisations who will take part in over 200 flight demonstrations at six European airports, including approaches to land (AAL) and 14 other projects throughout 2016 to highlight the benefits of the SESAR initiative.

Business aircraft utilisation of synthetic and enhanced vision for flights in inclement weather at small, regional airports will be examined during the projects, in addition to approach procedures for access to large hubs.

A statement issued by the SESAR joint undertaking said, “The aim of the project is to pave the way for the uptake of these technologies, which are needed to overcome the limitations of the current ILS equipment, which is costly to install and maintain, and which can only guide straightforward approaches.”

Business aviation communications services providers are helping to pave the way for the SES initiative, as operators aim to complete the retrofit upgrades in preparation to fulfil mandatory requirements for compliance.

Business Aviation Ahead with In-Flight Connectivity

January 7, 2015
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Passenger Communications & In-Flight Connectivity Solutions for the Business Jet Flight DeckAs an industry, aviation is awash with discussion about the benefits, both safety and operational, of in-flight connectivity through e-enablement.

The business aviation sector is ahead of the game in this and many other areas, as many BIZAV operators are already utilising WiFi and in-flight connectivity, not just for passenger communications, but also for keeping the flight deck up-to-date, using the latest solutions, such as connected Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) and increasing flight efficiency with real-time access to flight data and weather updates.

In the Middle East, cabin crew use the aircraft enhanced connectivity to save valuable time, one of the driving forces for business passengers. Using in-flight connectivity features enables cabin crew to send and receive updates, such as cabin maintenance requirements and aircraft status, which can lead to faster turnaround times, ultimately saving business aircraft operators time and money.

In-flight connectivity solutions providers for the business aviation sector make full use of the latest technology to ensure that operators around the world can streamline their operations. The commercial sector is sure to follow.