The FAA has granted a supplemental type certificate (STC) to SmartSky Networks for installation of the company’s Flagship air-to-ground connectivity system on a Dassault Falcon 2000EX. Installation partner West Star Aviation performed the work at its facility in Grand Junction, Colorado, and Liberty Partners provided engineering support starting on February 3. The aircraft arrived for service at West Star in March and the company completed the first-of-type installation and unrelated planned maintenance in just over a month, followed by a return to service in mid-April. The FAA granted the STC on April 28, meaning the project took three months.
“SmartSky was a great company to work with on this STC effort,” said West Star Aviation avionics sales manager Aaron Berg. “The coordination between West Star, SmartSky, and Liberty partners was excellent, and we are pleased to be part of enabling all Falcon 2000-series aircraft models to upgrade to SmartSky’s groundbreaking new technology.”
Berg added that the system’s high-bandwidth and low-latency performance allows continuous data transfer to and from the aircraft, powering inflight use for such activities as live streaming, videoconferencing, and gaming.
SmartSky’s two-way data flow went on display during the jet’s return-to-service flight from Colorado to the Bahamas, when passengers used seven gigabytes of data in just over three hours, downloading more than three gigabytes and uploading nearly four gigabytes.