Avionics
“There are challenges in the
physics of the antenna, in how
it works near the equator”
to reconfigure. As it matured, so it became
more reliable and now GX is something we
can barely live without when we’re flying.
“There are challenges in the physics of the antenna,
in how it works near the equator, when you’re right
under the satellite, and when you’re at higher or lower
latitudes; the antenna traverses over quite an angle to
reach the satellite. Then there are blockages as the
aircraft turns and a wing or tail surface gets in the way,
or the angle is just too much for the antenna to manage,
and the system needs to recover from those situations.
We tested that it could.
“Within each satellite there are around 90 individual,
adjustable beams, and we checked all those out too,
around the world, ensuring the system worked and
was robust.
“As the system matured, we progressed to the point
where we all connected as many devices as we could and
started using them, to assess what the customer
experience would be. Now, it has essentially replaced our
FM telemetry system, which was restricted to line-ofsight,
providing worldwide real-time data streaming to
the ground.”
6
5
52 SEPTEMBER 2019 \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM
1,000
hours of testing
exceeded by
SmartSky’s Citation
and King Air
TEST PLANNING
As a larger platform, Honeywell’s 757
test bed retains a number of business-class
airline seats, boasts fully equipped engineer stations
and still has sufficient cabin space for crew luggage and
other items required for taking trials ‘on the road’; it also
carries a maintenance technician and a flyaway kit of
essential spares and lubricants.
The 757 remains common in airline service, with
airframe and engine components readily available, so
serviceability is seldom a problem. But gaining local
approvals for trials can be a little more taxing,
since airport authorities may struggle to
understand flight plans that begin and end at
the same airport. “In some areas the
regulators just aren’t used to people doing
what we do and have no provision for it. In
Macau, for example, they had no precedent
for a ‘test flight’ but they did understand
‘training flight’, which was similar.
“We worked it out to everyone’s satisfaction.
Sometimes it takes a little effort, but we’ve always
completed a flight without too much trouble, whether for
trials or demonstrations,” Duval says.
At SmartSky, Brooks says, “Individual tests are
planned and then flight profiles supporting engineering
or demonstration testing are developed. These could be
single or multiple sorties, depending on requirements.
We consider all flights data-gathering opportunities,
some more complex than others depending on mission
profile and test expectations, and we record several
parameters during each flight.”
SmartSky employs its test beds in support of its
business aviation and commercial offerings, which
Brooks describes as ‘virtually the same’. By early July
2019, the two aircraft had accumulated more than 1,000
hours of experimental flying, rendering them ‘critical to
our business’. In a sentiment echoed at Honeywell and
SD, it seems they’ll stay that way too: “A commercial
network is always being tested, verified and improved,
and seeing new equipment deployed, all of which
requires a level of flight testing and verification.”\\
2
aircraft in SmartSky
Network’s test fleet
5 // SmartSky’s Citation
performs a similar role to
SD’s Gulfstream, flying trials
and performing customer
demonstrations (Photo:
SmartSky Networks)
6 // The Citation’s interior is
close to that of a standard
business jet (Photo:
SmartSky Networks)
/AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM