Connectivity: As Important As The Airplane Itself? A Gallery

Credit: Viasat

Forget airspeed, range, and rate of climb: the business jet performance metrics that matter most to executives now are the bandwidth, speed, and coverage area of the aircraft’s onboard connectivity equipment–wifi for passengers.

That’s the pitch from Viasat, which provides internet connectivity systems for business aircraft. And while internet access may not affect and aircraft’s speed and range, it certainly affects its usefulness as a business tool–the all-important productivity quotient.

“We’re elevating C-suite connectivity up to the 400th floor,” Viasat says.

Equipment is evolving, with its broadband speed and ease of use. Leeping the business aviation fleet up to date is an increasingly competitive endeavor.

Rendering of a Viasat-2 satellite shown here.

Credit: Duncan Aviation

Duncan Aviation technicians install a CMS/cabin management system including wifi hardware in a Gulfstream business jet. The equipment “ensures that business aircraft passengers can be productive in flight, meaning they can stay connected with what is happening on the ground.”

Nebraska-based Duncan says it’s an authorized dealer for suppliers including Astronics, Avionica, Cobham, Collins, Gogo, Honeywell, SatCom Direct, True North Avionics, and Thrane & Thrane.

Credit: Gulfstream

Gulfstream said this past summer that it’s surpassed 500 installations of Inmarsat Jet ConneX in-flight connectivity gear on large-cabin business aircraft.

“Owners expect a seamless transition from life on the ground to life on their aircraft, making connectivity essential,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns.

“This milestone illustrates our commitment,” he said, “allowing our aircraft to truly be offices in the skies.”

Jet ConneX systems are available on new Gulfstream aircraft, or as retrofit installations.

“The need and desire to be connected in flight is not bound by aircraft size or aircraft mission,” said Mark Sander, Gogo VP of OEM sales for Gogo. “Everyone who flies in their own aircraft deserves to have fast, reliable connectivity,” he said.

Gogo says that its OEM customer list “includes all nine of the largest manufacturers of business aviation aircraft in the world.”

Credit: Honeywell

September 2020 installation of a Honeywell JetWave Ka-band antenna system on the company’s Embraer E170 jet. JetWave provides wifi connectivity via Inmarsat’s Jet ConneX satellite network: “fast, reliable and available anytime, anywhere and at any altitude,” Honeywell says. The company’s GoDirect router works with other providers’ antennas as well.

Honeywell’s JetWave is certified for Airbus A319, A320, A330 and A340 jets (with the A318 pending), for Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767 and 777 jets (with the 787 pending), for Falcon 900, 2000 and 7X jets (with the 8X pending), and for Gulfstream GIII, GIV, GV/SP, G450, G500, G550,| G600 and G650 jets.

Credit: Honeywell

Honeywell is providing a rare glimpse of a customer’s use of a connectivity product, talking up a JetWave installation on actor Mark Wahlberg’s Bombardier Global Express Jet.

“Fast, reliable inflight wifi is a priority for Mark,” Honeywell says, “so his team chose Honeywell’s JetWave satellite communications system, which connects to the Inmarsat Jet ConneX Ka-band service for the best high-speed broadband in business aviation.”

The two-week aircraft upgrade, including a cockpit “facelift” with Honeywell Primus Elite avionics plus synthetic vision and weather radar, was performed in November 2020 at Standard Aero’s facility in Springfield, IL

Randy Parrott, chief pilot for Mark Wahlberg and maintenance director Paul Sloboda are able to monitor system health through a tablet. The Wahlberg team shot for a Honeywell MSP/maintenance service plan too.

Credit: Inmarsat/Airbus Defence and Space

Inmarsat satellites enable the broadband Jet Connex Ka-band service used in business jet cabins and SwiftBroadband L-band voice and data service for the cockpit and cabin. The London-based company has just announced an L-band network dubbed “Elera”–it will make higher data speeds and smaller, lower-cost terminals for aviation users, says CTO Peter Hadinger.

“For our bizav customer base,” Hadinger says, “this quadrupling of speed is a real boost because they don’t have the space or investment necessarily to upgrade those aircraft to GX” (Ka-band service).

The upgraded network is to begin operating with the entry into service of sixth-generation I-6 satellites by 2022.

Shown here is Inmarsat’s I-6F1 satellite entering thermal vacuum testing in Toulouse, France. It’s the first of Inmarsat’s new I-6 fleet for both L-band and Ka-band service.

Credit: Satcom Direct

Satcom Direct installed a Plane Simple antenna on its Dassault Falcon 2000LX in preparation for AEA Dallas 2021, the Aircraft Electronics Association gala this past June. As with SD’s initial trials on a Gulfstream G350, the second Plane Simple Ku-band antenna enables global high speed connectivity via the Intelsat FlexAir satellite network.

“The dual-testing on two very distinct aircraft platforms demonstrates our commitment to providing seamless end-to-end connectivity for a wider selection of aircraft types,” said Chris Moore, SD business aviation president. “Our mission is to analyze the performance and deliver a powerful, reliable, validated, connectivity solution to our early adopter customers.”

The Ku-band antenna is the first in a series of Plane Simple systems being developed in partnership with Germany-based QEST Quantenelektronische Systeme GmbH, SD says.

Credit: Flexjet

Satellite operator and connectivity provider Viasat has a partnership with fractional operator Flexjet for Viasat wifi to be offered on Bombardier Global, Gulfstream G450 and G650 (shown) jets and Embraer Praetor 600 aircraft.

The agreement covers Ku-band and Ka-band systems, depending on aircraft type.

Flexjet gains “better service economics, enhanced service flexibility gained through Viasat’s vertical integration strategy, and greater service accountability,” Viasat says.