Avionics
// PAUL E EDEN
Connections Testing
here are many reasons why people
choose to fly by business jet. Avoiding
busy international airports saves
time, helps preserve travelers’
anonymity and guarantees discretion. Passengers are not
tied to airline schedules and arrive relaxed and refreshed,
ready to work or play.
Cabin comfort, air quality and bespoke catering have
always been important to the business jet experience,
but for many regular fliers the cabin is also a place of
work. Since the dawning of the internet era, work for a
typical C-level executive has increasingly required
connectivity, to the point where today’s CEO can rarely
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afford to be offline for more than a few hours.
The market for business aviation connectivity is
tough. A handful of key players provide bandwidth
through their own satellite constellations and
infrastructure, or air-to-ground (ATG) towers. Valueadded
resellers package services based on those
networks, some creating their own software and apps to
fully exploit the work, entertainment, cockpit and safety
services broadband connectivity enables.
The industry has long claimed to deliver home- or
office-like connectivity in the sky, but business aviation
high-speed broadband has, until recently, seldom lived
up to that promise. With the advent of satellite Ka-band
// Honeywell’s veteran
Boeing 757 test bed is
configured for a variety of
avionics and engine trials
(Photo: Honeywell)
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