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Good news. The hemorrhaging that triggered the great used business aircraft fire of the last few years appears to be over with inventories rationalizing, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the market is in for a smooth ride. Used aircraft prices have yet fully to recover and are being hampered, in part, by new aircraft deep discounting, notes JetNet IQ founder Rollie Vincent.
“The OEMs need to firm up their own [new aircraft] pricing policies—Bombardier and Textron in particular,” Vincent said. “They continue to be the leaders in discounting, [and] they’ve been doing it for some time. There’re still really aggressive deals from those manufacturers,” he said.
Cabin connectivity transforms business jets into airborne offices and home theaters through onboard Wi-Fi, cabin management systems (CMS) and in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems. Today business aviation offers more connectivity options than ever, and here at LABACE 2017, you can see next-generation products and services and meet the experts from leading providers who can craft solutions customized to your exact needs.
Rockwell Collins (Stand 2016), manufacturer of onboard connectivity, CMS and IFE hardware, has moved to the forefront of connected-cabin solution providers since acquiring data and services provider ArincDirect. Here in São Paulo Rockwell Collins is spotlighting Stage, its new wireless streaming media server and content service, which can store some two terabytes of content, quickly uploadable via USB or Wi-Fi.
Also new: Rockwell Collins’s Airborne Data Router line of smart cabin routers, enabling cabin and flight deck connectivity to multiple communications networks including GSM, Inmarsat SwiftBroadband, Ka-/Ku-band, ViaSat and Iridium.
Meanwhile, integrating Rockwell Collins’s Venue CMS with ArincDirect’s airborne connectivity services enables licensed Hollywood content, live TV, video conferencing capability and seamless use of personal and smart devices, along with high-speed internet and social media access throughout the cabin.
Satcom Direct (Stand 1004) distributes satellite services for Inmarsat, Iridium, ViaSat and Panasonic, enhancing the connectivity through its private network and feature-laden service apps. The Florida-based company added hardware products to its portfolio with the launch of its SD Router (SDR) in 2013, now complemented by the WiFi Hub, which can serve as a stand-alone router with more limited features than SDR, or a hub for an SDR installation on an executive airliner. SDR now incorporates next-generation acceleration and compression technologies, significantly increasing data speed, said Chris Moore, the company’s CCO.
Satcom Direct has also partnered with Lufthansa Technik in a new cabin entertainment service, offering business jet operators a wide selection of DRM-secured and licensed movies and TV shows. The service is available for all IFE/CMS platforms via LHT’s nicemedia Smartbox, powered by SD, enabling passengers to view content on cabin monitors or via streaming on personal electronic devices.
At Honeywell Aerospace (Stand TBD), the impending arrival of high-speed broadband via its JetWave hardware is the cabin connectivity headline, but another major story, illustrated by its new GoDirect suite of connectivity services, is the shift “from a transportation company into more of a software and services” company, said Curt Gray, senior director of connectivity support. The GoDirect portal gives operators tools to manage and control onboard data usage, maximizing efficiency and reducing data costs.
Meanwhile JetWave is expected to receive initial aircraft installation certification early next year for both forward-fit and retrofit options. Embraer will join Bombardier and Gulfstream in providing factory installations of Honeywell’s system for Wi-Fi service aboard its flagship Lineage 1000E. Embraer has also selected Ovation 2s, the new version of Honeywell’s Ovation Select CMS and IFE systems, as the baseline offering on its Legacy 450, 500, 600 and the Lineage 1000E.
Operators of business aircraft that travel to or within North America can get briefed on Gogo Business Aviation’s (Stand 4003) new Gogo Biz 4G ATG (air-to-ground) system, promising speeds up to 100 Mbps, slated to go live in the second half of 2018. More than half a dozen MROs are developing supplemental type certificates (STCs) for the installations on models from every major business aircraft manufacturer, and U.S. charter operators Delta Private Jets and XOJet will equip fleet aircraft for the 4G service, said Sergio Aguirre, Gogo’s senior v-p and general manager.
Gogo is also displaying its new Smart Cabin Systems (SCS)—SCS Elite and SCS Media—voice and IFE services. The SCS Elite router can be installed on virtually any size business aircraft, and works across ATG and satellite systems. SCS Media is a wireless infotainment system geared to light jet and turboprop operators, providing affordable stand-alone inflight maps and entertainment.
Duncan Aviation (Stand 1003) holds STCs for onboard Wi-Fi installations for more than two dozen models of Bombardier Challengers, Globals and Learjets, Cessna Citations, Embraer Phenoms and Legacies, Falcon Jets, Gulfstreams, and Hawkers. Duncan has installed more than 600 Gogo ATG Broadband & WLAN systems, and is currently working closely with Gogo Business Aviation to develop STCs for Gogo’s new 4G service and Wi-Fi equipment. Duncan is also the exclusive distributor in the U.S. for Inairvation’s Integrated Smart Cabin Upgrade (ISCU) for the Gulfstream G450 and G550. The modular ISCU features a Lufthansa Technik (LHT) nice HD CMS package that replaces the aircraft’s out-of-production factory-installed CMS.
U.S. maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider StandardAero (Stand 3010) provides connectivity, CMS and IFE system upgrades and installations for the full spectrum of satellite and ATG networks on midsize and large-cabin Learjets, Falcon Jets, Gulfstreams, Bombardiers, Embraers and Hawkers. Here at the show, regional reps can explain how StandardAero provides service to customers in Latin America. The company is factory authorized by the majority of OEMs, holds organizational designation authorization (ODA), and has FAA Class 4 repair station and EASA Part 145 approved repair station authorizations.
Meanwhile, if you’re waiting for the pace of innovation to slow before deciding which solution to pursue, remember “technology never stands still,” said Don Milun, StandardAero’s director of technical sales for avionics and completions. “Don’t hold yourself and your organization back waiting. Those that keep up with technology have a better user experience, and reap the rewards of early adopters, including incentives from manufacturers and installers.”