Contributor

Liz Moscrop

In the 15 years since the EBACE show came into being there have been far more changes inside the cabin of your typical business aircraft than outside–and this is reflected in the ever-increasing cluster of inflight entertainment (IFE) and connectivity players gracing the hall floors in Geneva. This year’s show sees more than 40 exhibitors jostling for space to promote cabin management systems (CMS), IFE and satellite communications (satcoms) services.


These are pinned together by the manufacturers themselves and the completions centers, who fuse the offerings together to meet the rising demand for constant communication in the back and in the front.


The recent Asian Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, held last month in Shanghai, also threw up some gems from companies also exhibiting here. Lufthansa Technik subsidiary BizJet International (Booth T089) signed for an Airbus ACJ319 cabin completion for an undisclosed customer from China, with a spring 2016 delivery. The bespoke interior (upholstered by Hermès, no less) will feature a state-of-the-art IFE and CMS, which can be controlled with tablet devices via cabin WiFi.


Amac Aerospace (Booth H115) will also have announcements aplenty, including the fact that the Basel-based outfitting specialist recently ordered CTT Systems’ Cair humidification system for an Airbus ACJ320 type. Cair is designed to increase passengers’ wellbeing by maintaining relative humidity above 20 percent, without causing condensation. Based on evaporative cooling technology the dual-purpose product also incorporates the Zonal Drying System to prevent condensation.


Jet Aviation (Booth A050) recently signed a new completions agreement with an undisclosed client in the Middle East for a VIP cabin interior on a Boeing BBJ3 at its Basel facility. The aircraft will be delivered to the company in the first quarter of 2016 and marks the company’s 27th Boeing completions contract. Intended for both private and commercial operation, it seats up to 45 passengers privately and 19 on commercial flights.


Designed by the company’s Basel design studio, the interior will feature a forward galley and crew area, a majlis, a master bedroom with a customized master bathroom and shower, a cinema lounge and a dining area for six. It will also be equipped with the latest generation of satellite communications and connectivity, including an Iridium satcom system and satellite TV.


Standard Aero/Associated Air Center (Booth N073) opted for Honeywell’s recently, marking the 100th delivery of an Ovation system, joining a fleet of nearly 2,000 business jets with Honeywell (Booth W089) cabin management systems flying around the world today. The CMS offers the latest advanced technology with all-digital capabilities and enables business jet passengers to control cabin environment, such as lighting and temperature; stream high-definition video and audio; connect to in-flight Wi-Fi; and integrate their consumer electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to the system. The company has also recently begun testing and integrating wearable technology, such as Google Glass, into Ovation.


Lufthansa Technik (LHT, Booth T089) always has interesting additions to its nice HD CMS/IFE system to display at the main trade shows. It is a key offering for Bombardier, which flies the product on its Challenger 650, Learjet 70/75 and Challenger 350 types. The Challenger 650’s multimedia system allows users to store and play their own music, movies or other media and features the segment’s only digital rights management (DRM) protected licensed media capability, allowing access to the latest in films and entertainment.


To date LHT has delivered more than 400 shipsets of the first iteration of nice, and its successor, nice HD, to Bombardier. The state-of-the-art CMS includes huge high definition monitors, 3-D maps, Audio &amp; Video on Demand, Bluetooth integration and media input capabilities among its many standard package provisions. Passengers can control most elements of the cabin via apps built for both Apple and Android devices.


Another major player in the CMS/IFE arena is Rockwell Collins (Booth I073), which will doubtless highlight enhancements to its Venue system at the show. It shared news at the end of last year that it had started system tests on the largest integration of the cabin management system to date, which will be flying on a VVIP Airbus ACJ340-600, operated as government transport for an undisclosed Eastern European country.


The complex installation includes both staterooms, a VVIP area and 89 seats at the back of the aircraft complete with seat-back monitors. Last December it announced that it is improving the quality of its sound on board alongside supplier Gilman Sound, which has an algorithm to remaster music files developed for music concerts in large stadiums. And on that note, for excellent noise cancelling technology, it’ll be worth swinging by Swiss headset manufacturers Phonak (Booth C030).


Other IFE offerings come from Flight Display Systems (Booth H101); Vision Systems (Booth I098) with its Visimedia product; and the Parrot Media Box (Booth C032), which streams content to both embedded displays and passengers’ own devices. Innovative Advantage (Booth E041), which manufactures a fiber optic backbone for IFE/CMS completions, is also on hand.


If you dig around you’ll find some 52 completions specialists at the show comprising the great names in the sector, all of which develop and/or deliver IFE/CMS offerings into luxury cabins. Others worth a visit are 328 Services (Booth C065), Comlux Aviation (Booth S124), Flying Colours (Booth G066), GDC Technics (Booth X089), Inairvation (Booth T089)–which is a collaboration between LHT and lighting and seating and design experts, List, Schott and Design Q–plus Sabena Technics (Booth T063).


Custom Control Concepts (Booth C017) announced recently that it has just completed a $1.6 million factory upgrade to its company headquarters near Seattle. The development adds 26,000 square feet to its factory floor, nearly doubling the company’s manufacturing footprint.


While large screens and great acoustics in the back make for a fabulous on board experience, big data pipes are essential for the whole connected cabin and Denmark’s Satcom1 (Booth B089) will be at the show with an announcement that it has increased bandwidth on Dassault Falcon 7X types. The firm teamed up with Ruag and Emteq to deliver what it calls “an affordable turnkey upgrade” to any current satcom installation on the 7X.


The upgrade comprises advanced IFE/CMS capabilities, as well as faster internet connection speeds for surfing, email, and video conferencing. Dubbed eConnect, the wireless IFE is a high-definition upgrade that allows passengers to stream content to their personal device or cabin monitors. There’s also cabin control of all systems, including lighting and window shades, as well as Blu-ray players and monitors via by passengers personal electronic devices (PEDs) with no apps to download, through the HTML5-based graphic user interface.


The Emteq high-speed Wi-Fi router features advanced compression and acceleration and is managed by Satcom1’s AvioIP router application suite. The system also includes a Voice over IP service for personal smartphone use, allowing each passenger the use of his or her personal mobile phone number–and Satcom1 also guarantees voice quality and offers flexible airtime plans, including one-year free airtime monitor and one number. The firm also offers 24/7 technical support, and an optional cockpit services plan including datalink, ITS, pilot services and more. According to the company, this “increases the Falcon 7X’s resale value”


Gogo Business Aviation (Booth M099) always brings something fun to the table, and its stand is always well worth a visit. Indeed, the firm is impressing those in high places. Fractional provider NetJets made a surprise announcement in April that it has opted for the provider’s IFE system Gogo Vision on its fleet. Capabilities include voice and texting (via passengers’ own smartphones and mobile numbers), Internet, e-mail, on demand movies, TV, news, moving maps, flight information and destination weather. Gogo is carving out a niche in pure call provision, too. Its new ATG (Air to Ground) 1000 Connectivity System enables in-flight e-mail and use of personal smartphones via its Gogo Biz network service.


Not to be outdone with the use of directly dialing personal smartphones, Florida’s Satcom Direct (Booth D051), has launched a new service that will allow business aircraft passengers to use their cellphones as if accessing an onboard mobile phone cell. All that is required to access the “Global VT” service is a Satcom Direct Router (SDR) installed in an aircraft and the latest software update. More than 75 business aircraft already have SDRs installed, a number the company is set to increase rapidly.


A small group of customers has been testing Global VT on their aircraft since late last year. Chris Moore, chief commercial officer explains that anyone can call at anytime. “It is all delivered on a personal device that people are comfortable using every day,” he said. The coverage is global and the service is available on a global basis. In the air it works through a smartphone app using the cabin Wi-Fi and the phone reads a normal cell tower.


The company has invested in ground-based infrastructure to enable phones to work as normal cellphones do, using roaming technology. Users will pay a one-time licensing and activation fee, and then pay a fee per minute “comparable to normal roaming fees.”


Honeywell is also upping the ante on its connectivity capabilities and announced at the recent Aircraft Interiors Show in Hamburg that it is partnering with Washington-based Kymeta to develop a compact antenna for the latest generation Inmarsat GX satellite system. Kymeta’s mTenna flat panel antenna is a higher-speed wireless antenna that works at Ka-Band frequencies. Its tighter design makes it ideal for smaller business aircraft.


Inmarsat (Booth F079) is gambling on Ka making further inroads into the international market, and has invested US$1.6 billion to build the Global Xpress network, which delivers fixed, narrow, steerable spot-beams offering higher data speeds. It is the first superfast network to operate in the Ka-band spectrum.


While it’s waiting for Ka to take off properly, its SwiftBroadband satcom solution has become a popular requirement–evidenced by announcements such as that which came from the 328 Group, which last year certified the world’s first four-channel SB system, aboard an Embraer Legacy 600. The modification included installing Emteq’s eConnect Wi-Fi Router and Satcom1 AvioIP communication software.

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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