Gogo Conducts First Successful Test Flight on its Next Generation ATG Network

Gogo, the leading global provider of broadband connectivity products and services for aviation, announced it has conducted its first successful test flight and has begun the nationwide rollout of its new regional Air-to-Ground (ATG) inflight network.

The next generation ATG network combined with Gogo’s proprietary aero antenna, in-cabin network and software platform will bring up to 30 times more bandwidth to an aircraft than our original ATG solution.  Once the network upgrades are complete, Gogo will have a North American ATG solution that will deliver performance on the aircraft that is comparable to Gogo’s 2Ku global satellite solution.

Gogo’s next generation ATG network will have peak network capacity of more than 100 Gbps.  When combined with Gogo’s global satellite network, Gogo will have the highest capacity network ever built that’s dedicated to serving aviation.

“Our networks and inflight connectivity solutions are dedicated to serving aviation and today we are delivering more bandwidth to deliver a better passenger experience and support our aviation partners’ operations,” said Michael Small, Gogo’s president and CEO.

Our next generation ATG network utilizes unlicensed spectrum in the 2.4GHz spectrum band as well as the licensed spectrum from Gogo’s original ATG network to provide greater bandwidth and reliability.  It also leverages Gogo’s existing ATG network backhaul and infrastructure of more than 250 cell towers.  On the aircraft, Gogo has developed a proprietary new antenna and modem that will produce peak speeds of more than 100 Mbps per aircraft.

The solution will be ideal for business aviation aircraft, commercial regional jets and select mainline aircraft operating in the U.S. For business aviation aircraft, this service will be available as an upgrade to aircraft already equipped with Gogo’s Avance L5 connectivity solution.  For commercial aviation, any aircraft outfitted with equipment designed to leverage Gogo’s first generation ATG network will simply need to be outfitted with a new modem and blade antenna to take advantage of the new service.  The network will be available in 2018.

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Panasonic News from APEX:

During APEX in September Panasonic (PAC) announced a multi aircraft deal with Interjet for IFEC; a partnership with Tascent to co-develop biometric solutions in airports and on planes; a 15-channel TV lineup for US routes; and a new Vice President of Operations: Adri Ruiter. On top of these announcements the company for the first time ever, announced a review/forecast of their financial performance for 2017: $2.5 billion. They stated that they have over three years of backlog and that their business is healthy and tracking in line with the IFEC industry in general. David Bruner during the press briefing stated that since the April 2017 AIX press review they have  achieved the following:  IFE – 626 (397 linefit); IFC – 185 (85 linefit); PTS – 50+ active customers with 65% on a total care package. David Bruner continued by saying that eX3 and eX1 represent 60% of their total IFE sales, and that roughly 70+% of connected aircraft are forecast to include television. “The number of linefit aircraft is important,” said David Bruner. “Panasonic is on every single aircraft program, on every OEM.” Panasonic’s objective is to build a long term sustainable business, and linefit is of paramount importance to this goal.  They have a focus on the IFC market space and firmly believe that, at the time of the presentation, they are the only IFEC company with global regulatory approval. In conjunction with their global business scale, a commitment to growing their order book, and a focus on symbiotic relationships that are beneficial to both the airline and PAC, Panasonic states that they are in a position to, not only sustain, but grow their business.  They also presented their industry fleet forecast through 2025 and they are predicting: 11,218 narrow body aircraft from Boeing and Airbus; 2,959 wide bodies from Boeing and Airbus, and 2,154  from Bombardier and Embraer. Interestingly, PAC is forecasting that by 2023 90% of all wide bodies will be equipped withh IFC; as will 65% of narrow bodies. They also stated that PAC anticipates 10,000 aircraft to be committed to Panasonic by 2025! Why so confident? Perhaps a good portion of their confidence comes from their plans and dedication to network upgrades, as well as, the flexible/scale-able approach of the nEXT IFEC system. “There will always be a frequency shortage and we will be adaptive,” said Bruner. The company is growing their capacity to 8Ghz in 2018, with availability on 99.8% of airline routes. They are deploying XTS to meet airline needs and growth; as well as, rolling out new modem technology to dramatically improve performance. The new modem will be rolled out in North America in 2017, featuring 3 teleports, 4 satellites, and 12 transponders. Globally, the target roll out date is January 1, 2018 with 12 teleports and 16 satellites. PAC will be adding a large amount of High Throughput Satellites in March/April of 2018 – both over the Pacific and North America.  These factors, in conjunction with their dedication to improve their network and support infrastructure may well keep Panasonic in the cat-bird seat moving forward.

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Astronics Acquires Telefonix Inc.

Astronics Corporation, a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace and defense industries, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Telefonix Inc. and a related company, Product Development Technologies, LLC, (together as “Telefonix PDT”) for approximately $104 million in cash, funded with Astronics’ senior revolving credit facility. The acquisition is expected to close by year end, and is subject to typical closing conditions, including a review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

Telefonix PDT, located in Waukegan and Lake Zurich, Illinois, designs and manufactures advanced in-flight entertainment and connectivity equipment, as well as providing industry leading design consultancy services for the global aerospace industry. The company’s products include wireless access points, file servers, content loaders, passenger control units and cord reels, as well as engineering services for its customers.

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Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom demonstrate European Aviation Network satellite and ground integration in flight 

 Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, and Deutsche Telekom, the leading integrated telecommunications company, have successfully completed the first flight trials to test both the satellite and complementary ground network for their European Aviation Network (EAN) service.

EAN is the world’s first dedicated aviation solution to combine space and ground based components to deliver robust, ultra-lightweight, high-speed inflight broadband to airlines. The recent flights demonstrated that EAN meets its design performance in practice; a significant milestone for the project consortium, as well as European airlines and their passengers.

Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom conducted the evaluation with partners Cobham, Thales and Nokia using a CESSNA 550 Citation II provided by Dutch company NLR. The aircraft was flown across Germany, Belgium, France and Spain, covering approximately 5,000 km of European airspace, to test integration of the Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) and Complementary Ground Component (CGC) terminals. Further flight trials are scheduled over the coming weeks.

Inmarsat’s EAN satellite, which completed its in-orbit tests last month after being launched by Arianespace, works seamlessly with a complementary network of around 300 LTE-based ground stations, operated by Deutsche Telekom, using an Advanced Integrated Services Manager (AISM) platform. International Airlines Group (IAG), which includes world-renowned airline brands such as British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, is the launch customer for the new service.

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First A320neo assembled in Tianjin delivered to Air Asia

AirAsia has taken delivery of the first A320neo assembled at the Airbus Final Assembly Line Asia (FALA) at a dedicated ceremony in Tianjin, China. The aircraft, powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, seats comfortably 186 passengers and is equipped with the innovative Space-Flex cabin.

AirAsia is the largest airline customer of the A320 Family with orders for 578 aircraft. These include 404 A320neo Family aircraft.

Aireen Omar, AirAsia Berhad Chief Executive Officer said: “We are very proud to receive the first Airbus A320neo fully assembled in Tianjin, China and we would like to congratulate Airbus for achieving yet another milestone. This is also a milestone for us at AirAsia; we connect 19 cities with 59 routes into Greater China and have flown over 40 million passengers in and out of China since April 2005, making us China’s largest foreign airline by capacity. We are certainly proud to have this historic aircraft as part of our fleet. “

The FALA in Tianjin, inaugurated in 2008 became the third single-aisle aircraft final assembly line location of Airbus worldwide, following Toulouse and Hamburg. It was also the first Airbus Final Assembly Line outside Europe. Today, some 340 aircraft have been assembled and delivered from Tianjin, China.

The A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver at least 15 percent fuel savings at delivery and 20 percent by 2020. With more than 5,200 orders received from 95 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent share of the market.

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Boeing Reports Third-Quarter Results; Raises Cash Flow and EPS Guidance

• Revenue of $24.3 billion, including a record 202 commercial aircraft deliveries
• GAAP EPS of $3.06 and core EPS (non-GAAP)* of $2.72 on solid execution
• Strong operating cash flow of $3.4 billion; repurchased 11 million shares for $2.5 billion
• Backlog remains robust at $474 billion, including nearly 5,700 aircraft in commercial airplane orders
• Cash flow and EPS guidance raised; segment guidance updated

Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines celebrated the delivery of the carrier’s first Boeing 787-9. Ethiopian is leasing the Dreamliner through an agreement with AerCap.

Ethiopian’s newest 787 touched down in Addis Ababa following a non-stop 8,354 mile (13,444 km) delivery flight from Boeing’s Everett, Wash., facility. Ethiopian becomes the first carrier in Africa to operate the 787-9 and extends a tradition of setting aviation milestones. Ethiopian became Africa’s first carrier to fly the 787-8 in 2012, and similarly introduced the 777-200LR (Longer Ran

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More:

• Need to give a presentation?
• IATA is partnering with ACI on an initiative called NEXTT—new experience in travel and technologies. The airline and airport trade organizations hope to enact innovations that will help manage an ex- pected doubling of worldwide air traffic by 2036.
• If you love great artistic aircraft paint jobs, check this out: The best Boeing jet paint jobs, from Seahawks to Star Wars and Pokemon (Photos) – Puget Sound Business Journal

Chicago | October 31, 2017–Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO), the leading global provider of broadband connectivity products and services for aviation, announced it has conducted its first successful test flight and has begun the nationwide rollout of its new regional Air-to-Ground (ATG) inflight network.

The next generation ATG network combined with Gogo’s proprietary aero antenna, in-cabin network and software platform will bring up to 30 times more bandwidth to an aircraft than our original ATG solution.  Once the network upgrades are complete, Gogo will have a North American ATG solution that will deliver performance on the aircraft that is comparable to Gogo’s 2Ku global satellite solution.

Gogo’s next generation ATG network will have peak network capacity of more than 100 Gbps.  When combined with Gogo’s global satellite network, Gogo will have the highest capacity network ever built that’s dedicated to serving aviation.

“Our networks and inflight connectivity solutions are dedicated to serving aviation and today we are delivering more bandwidth to deliver a better passenger experience and support our aviation partners’ operations,” said Michael Small, Gogo’s president and CEO.

Our next generation ATG network utilizes unlicensed spectrum in the 2.4GHz spectrum band as well as the licensed spectrum from Gogo’s original ATG network to provide greater bandwidth and reliability.  It also leverages Gogo’s existing ATG network backhaul and infrastructure of more than 250 cell towers.  On the aircraft, Gogo has developed a proprietary new antenna and modem that will produce peak speeds of more than 100 Mbps per aircraft.

The solution will be ideal for business aviation aircraft, commercial regional jets and select mainline aircraft operating in the U.S. For business aviation aircraft, this service will be available as an upgrade to aircraft already equipped with Gogo’s Avance L5 connectivity solution.  For commercial aviation, any aircraft outfitted with equipment designed to leverage Gogo’s first generation ATG network will simply need to be outfitted with a new modem and blade antenna to take advantage of the new service.  The network will be available in 2018.

Last week we noted a few IFEC related products/services at this year’s NBAA in Las Vegas, thus, this week we will continue the dialog, specifically, those folks we normally visit at APEX and AIX… and a few that you might not see. Lets start with one you will see.

Aircraft Cabin Systems

One of the video display companies at the show was Aircraft Cabin Systems and this year we saw a few surprises in their booth. First, the retractable displays were shown available in the standard and new HD (1080P) models and because they retract, they present a new solution to more headroom in already cramped biz jet cabins . We asked ACS Sales Manager, Ken Muse, about the hardware – Attached are spec sheets for the 9.7″ and 12.1″ Retract.

Both of these units are designed as a drop-in replacement for Airbus. ACS is currently working on a Boeing drop-in replacement as well. As you can imagine, the design priority comes from our customers priorities.

The screen images of the new mounted HD video display units we also saw were stunning. Ken also noted: “The larger bulkhead mounted displays were all HD LCD Monitors displaying 1080p content with 32”, 42” and 65” models on exhibit. The 24” bulkhead mounted display was our Network HD LCD Monitor which is capable of displaying preloaded content and/or being controlled from an iPad or Android hand-held device.” Stay Tuned!

Panasonic and AeroSat (Astronics)

We visited Panasonic and their team at NBAA and were surprised at their involvement with Business jets as this a new market for them. David Bruner noted that the new partnership was formed to deliver high speed connectivity and global live television programming to the business jet community. Astronics will deliver the incredibly small Ku Band antenna (AeroSat) intended for tail mounted installation and Panasonic will deliver the “network”. By that we mean, the code and control of the system that handles the connectivity – all the while, the antenna and receivers are designed and built for others. Panasonic has a wealth of experience in the delivery of Ku Band satcom solution from satellites around the world. Basically, Panasonic has global coverage and massive download capacity, the biz jet market was a natural. David told IFExpress, “teaming with AeroSat allows us to enter the market immediately as the service provider. Looking at it another way,” noted Bruner, “when you get phone service from a company like AT&T, you don’t have to buy the phone from them – that’s how we look at this solution.” He mentioned that Panasonic has been looking for the right opportunity to get into this market. We should also note that a typical tail mounted antenna, because of size at Ku Band, doesn’t deliver the best gain characteristics, but when Panasonic saw the testing and performance data of the AeroSat model, they signed on. “From a performance point of view, Panasonic will be offering 3 levels of service,” noted Bruner, “So we are offering three different bandwidth levels that guarantees minimums – 1.5 Mbps, 2 Mbps or 4 Mbps that is guaranteed, most of the time we deliver more.”

SmartSky

Perhaps, SmartSky’s news release said it all: “SmartSky Networks, a next-generation aviation communications provider, is pleased to announce the launch of the nation’s first airborne 4G LTE-based network, SmartSky 4G. SmartSky’s technology will provide more than 10 times the typical speed and capacity of networks currently in the market by using 60 MHz of spectrum for its Air-To-Ground (ATG) data communications. SmartSky 4G will serve both business aviation and the airlines beginning with an exclusive beta-customer trial launch in the continental United States in late 2015. The rollout of nationwide commercial service will follow in 2016. Because the system hardware design can work at multiple frequencies, SmartSky is positioned to expand internationally in the future and provide coverage in locations where different frequency bands might be required. SmartSky is partnering with a leading group of airframe manufacturers, maintenance companies, and equipment and service providers to distribute SmartSky 4G to the business aviation community and will revealed these launch partners at NBAA2014. Similarly, the company is approaching the airline market through established distribution channels, including incumbent connectivity providers.” SmartSky President, Ryan Stone, said: “Last year the company filmed a live flight demonstration with multiple users on-board engaged in video conferences, streaming movies, sending and receiving large files, and other bandwidth-intensive activities all at the same time. SmartSky 4G provides an experience that exceeds the current gold standard of network performance – it enables live, two-way, high-definition video conferencing. SmartSky 4G’s robust performance means that we can also support communications needs beyond cabin Wi-Fi, including many emerging operational applications,” said SmartSky President Ryan Stone. We note the company would not talk about frequencies or beam patterns but as we learn more we will clue you in. From their limited tech hints, it looks like they plan their ground-based US solution to include towers that project an upward antenna pattern is a rough conical shape. Oh yes, and by the way, Mary Rogozinski (847 903-45540 has joined the Smarty Sky team – Avionics Magazine :: SmartSky Receptive to Partnering ATG with Satellite

Astronics

As we noted earlier, Astronics and Panasonic are teaming for biz jet delivery of inflight internet connectivity and global live TV, and AeroSat designs and builds the tail mounted antenna. Their booth features also their other antenna and antenna installation products (including the adapter plate from the Astronics Armstrong division) and, of course, their WebFB product that delivers wireless connectivity to aviation handheld devices. WebFB (or web flight bag) is a clever device that connects to almost any device and is secure.

Astronautics

Presently, we are waiting for a presentation abut their NEXIS and PaTIO Security devices that look interesting if there is concern over inflight security – Stay Tuned!

F+S+B Aviation

The folks at FSB caught our eye when they showed us a free iPhone app (Android too) that you can download (Look up FSB Aviation in the iTunes store) and it gives a bit of info on virtually every commercial, regional, business and (US) military aircraft. You get dimensions (FBS is in the hangar space business) and, perhaps, next year, they will include a pix of each plane model and a bit of data on the average seating?

PlaneGard

Of course you have been paying attention to the Lithium battery issues but while at NBAA, we saw something that you might see on a future flight as the folks at PlaneGard promote a personal device fire containment unit. “Hydrogen does not appear to be a problem when there is a thermal runaway in a single device in the cabin or cockpit, based on Tech Center testing. Those are more of a nuisance type of fire,” says Hill. “The probability of it getting out of control in the cabin is next to nil, but you have to know what to do.” Standard procedures call for dousing the device in water or other liquids to cool the cells. Other uses in the cabin could be of concern, particularly for airlines that may want to use tablets or iPads in lieu of inflight entertainment systems. “If you put 50 of them in a closet and start charging, that could create a fire that could bring down an aircraft,” says Aviation Week’s John Croft. Perhaps, the PlaneGard product we saw might be in order for Pad-based flights?

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More News

Airbus provides dedicated iPad mount capability for A320 Family pilots: “Certified in May 2015, the iPad ‘mount’ is now available for our A320 Family customers. The mount, which consists of a mechanical support installed on each window frame and a power supply connection (USB), can be used with an iPad (models 2, 3 or 4) and iPad Air (models 1 and 2). This solution enables the use of the iPad as an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) during all flight phases. The first Service Bulletin (SB) is expected shortly with an entry-into service in 2016. The solution which can be embodied during a night shift has been developed following a strong customer demand for an Airbus solution.” Check out the Airbus release and image.

Additionally, according to a report from 9to5Mac, Apple is considering dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack from future iPhones in favor of its proprietary Lightning connector or Bluetooth-enabled earpieces. The report states that the next iPhone would come bundled with a pair of the new Lightning connector headphones that plug into the phone’s charging port. Looks like the potential for a lot of Bluetooth radiation could be in your inflight future, but don’t worry, there is a lot of testing at your back:
Aircraft_Safety_Report_for_Bluetooth-6.pdf.

Of course you have heard about the LED modulation (Li-Fi) as being a future potential for data transmission, but the jury is still out for in-aircraft usage. Much like a parallel, multi-visible light communications solution emanating from LED’s. Here is a good way of looking at it – “Using a digital modulation technique called Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiplexing (OFDM), researchers enabled micro-LED light bulbs to handle millions of changes in light intensity per second, effectively behaving like an extremely fast on/off switch.” Speeds of up to 1 – 1.5 Gb/sec have been achieved, however, it is unknown if, or how, this transmission effect would affect passengers, airplane equipment or personal devices that have light sensitive/controlled equipment. Further, it is known that lighting and microwaves can cause issues with Wi-Fi. Perhaps the folks at Lumexis might prefer a fiber optic cable output at each seat so your devices could “talk” to the network?

This may be a new “data and money-saver” feature for web-based satcom connectivity.

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Lastly, we wanted to let you know what we have been planning something for a few months now and you might find it interesting. As you know, we talk to a lot of engineers and technical folks and our goal has been to develop a better understanding of some of the technology that is inherent in this business. As time advances, we are seeing even more need for this kind of subject matter, whether it be a hacking security issue or the use of previously overlooked technologies like Bluetooth, the times are getting more technical and IFExpress is developing a weekly feature to frame it. Stay Tuned!

• New ruggedized Push-To-Talk system provides always-on communications, enabling seamless cellular-to-satellite handover of voice calls, when terrestrial connections are Lost

Lyngby, Denmark & Carlsbad, California | November 23, 2015– Cobham SATCOM (LSE: COB), a leading satcom terminal manufacturer, and ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global broadband services and technology company, has announced a strategic agreement to introduce new and innovative product and service offerings to the Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) market.

The first satellite terminal product from the Cobham/ViaSat collaboration is the EXPLORER 122, a compact, vehicle mount real-time IP satellite terminal, which will complement the EXPLORER PTT-II system for mission-critical voice and data communications. The proprietary Cobham PTT technology allows for the seamless handover of voice calls from cellular-to-satellite, when the terrestrial connection is lost, without interrupting the conversation.

The new EXPLORER 122, operating over the all-IP ViaSat L-band Managed Service network, features a ruggedized terminal design in a small form-factor with omni-directional antenna architecture and no moving parts, thus increasing the reliability and reducing the structure-borne noise heard from inside the vehicle. The PTT satellite service utilizes ViaSat’s new L-band waveform that offers true IP multicast voice over LightSquared’s Skyterra-1 satellite, allowing for flat rate service plans while protecting the users’ information with the most advanced commercial encryption available.

“The EXPLORER 122 operating on the ViaSat Managed Service network meets a critical demand from our customers for a lower profile, ruggedized and cost-effective satellite terminal,” said Henrik Nørrelykke, vice president, Land Business, Cobham SATCOM. “The ViaSat Managed Service network’s low latency, encrypted and IP multicast architecture provides an ideal fit for the Cobham PTT solution.”

“Cobham SATCOM is a recognized leader in the L-band terminal market and brings a well-established worldwide distribution network,” said Phil Berry, vice president and general manager, Mobile Satellite Services, ViaSat. “This strategic relationship allows us to combine the complementary strengths of our companies to better serve current and future customers.”

Availability
The combined PTT products and service have been specifically designed for Public Safety, Utilities, Transportation and Fleet Management markets. The EXPLORER products will continue to be sold exclusively by Cobham while the PTT satellite service will be offered by ViaSat. The EXPLORER 122 satellite terminal will start shipping early Q1 2016.

In the last issue we noted Gogo, the inflight connectivity company, recently provided IFExpress a glimpse of the technology they plan to implement within a broad spectrum of aircraft connectivity options in the future, worldwide. (You might also check out a total airline connectivity market review article by Ed Perkins in AirFareWatchdog a few days ago.)

As we noted last time, Gogo, on an installation basis, is far and away the world leader of in-air connectivity with over 6000 (commercial and business) aircraft equipped with the company’s services across its ATG and satellite technology platforms, and located over mostly North American soil today. This number includes business jets; however, both Panasonic (“2000 committed aircraft with just over 460 installations”) and Row44 (“more than 550” installations worldwide), OnAir, Thales, and others are working diligently to get their gear installed as well.

With some 900 airlines (reference: Boeing Current Market Outlook) and over 20,000 jet airplanes in service, there is more work to do and as we previously mentioned, there is a future 20-year projected demand for 35,280 new jet airplanes. Needless to say, the market will grow based on numbers alone. But inside the plane, as bandwidth goes up and more users sign on, the services will have to simply provide more bandwidth if airlines and service providers are to grow their service business and appease customers appetite for faster connections and lower prices. We should point out that bandwidth availability is roughly a function of the transmitted frequency of the sources used for connectivity. Yes, multiple antennas and multiple transmitters can, of course, increase the received data on each plane. But, in general, providers like Gogo are reaching for transmitted frequency increases like those used in satellite communication. Not only are they the solution for over-water connectivity, they use microwave frequencies that are higher, and thus contain more data bandwidth. This rough relationship explains why UHF (cell tower frequencies around 850 MHz which are today’s Gogo service frequencies) is less favored today, and thus explains the shift to Ku and Ka bands that operate at much higher frequencies. Ku band operates at  12 to 18 GHz, with a factor of 20 times the bandwidth, or more; and Ka band frequencies operates at  26.5 to 40 GHz, with a factor of roughly 50 times more bandwidth, or more. Information increase can actually be way better than that, but we won’t go into modulation schemes here. We also note that frequency interference is also a big deal and will not be covered either… but it is a daunting problem! Currently, Ka band might be a limit in the upper frequencies for radio transmission that go to the ground as weather (moisture droplets) in clouds and such limit signal paths and cause attenuation.

Back to the Gogo future: If you refer to the rectangular image in our masthead, sometimes called the “Gogo Ecosystem”, it shows the complete frequency future for Gogo’s planned bandwidth growth and that should tell you what the company is planning in the way of service increases. Don’t forget, Gogo is a service/system provider and much of their advanced hardware like antennas and receivers are made by other, independent manufacturers like ThinKom and AeroSat – check below. Additionally, some of the following service offerings cover North America (ground-to-air primarily) and much of the rest of the world use satcom-based service offerings.

SBB – Swift Broadband/L Band
The signal will be detected by an antenna on the top of the hull and will be a low speed, vertical L-Band antenna mounted on the top of the airplane (Biz Aviation).

Air-to-Ground (ATG)
With a proven track record of performance, reliability, and scalability, Gogo’s ATG-based service will continue to provide a rich user experience for connected travelers by featuring 3G wireless utilizing EV-DO Rev. A. Service is via an aircraft-to-ground, bottom mounted, standard VHF band blade antenna.

ATG-4
Gogo’s ATG-4 service will significantly enhance the existing ATG network and improve per aircraft capacity through the addition of a Directional Antenna, Dual Modem and EV-DO Rev. B technologies. This new platform is backward-compatible and allows for upgrades to existing ATG systems through low-cost retrofits. The antenna is a Modified VHF Band Blade Antenna mounted on the bottom of the hull and is larger than standard VHF antenna.

Ku-band Satellite
Gogo announced in May 2012, that it will partner with satellite equipment provider, AeroSat, to bring a Ku-satellite solution to commercial airlines. A Ku-satellite solution will allow Gogo to offer airlines connectivity services that extend beyond the United States, including transoceanic routes, and will serve the needs of some of our airlines partners in the near-term until Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-satellite service becomes available. Honeywell supplies the antenna and uses a new AeroSat Ka band “small” tracking antenna.

Ka-band Satellite
Gogo was named a service provider for Inmarsat’s Global XpressTM satellite service in November 2011. Inmarsat has also selected Gogo’s business aviation subsidiary, Aircell (Biz Aviation), as a distribution partner for the business and government aviation markets.

Gogo Ground to Orbit (GTO)
Ground to Orbit is a proprietary hybrid technology that combines the best aspects of existing satellite technologies with Gogo’s Air to Ground network. This technology uses a satellite for receive, only, and Gogo’s Air-to-Ground network for the return link to the ground. Gogo GTO offers peak speeds of 60 Mbps or more to aircraft flying throughout North America and will be available in 2014. This requires an ATG-4 antenna on the hull bottom for land reception and a low profile Thinkom phased array antenna on the top of the fuselage. Think of GTO as the same performance as 2Ku, it’s just set up for North American operations and leverages ATG-4 for the return link to the ground instead of the second phased array satcom antenna. There are several operational benefits to using ATG-4 for the return link – namely a little bit of weight savings and delay (latency). Because satcom connections suffer from latency of some 800 milliseconds a ground return is much faster, while aircraft-to-ground data usage is about one tenth of that (or less) going the other way. GTO IMAGE

2Ku
Gogo’s newest service relies on new low profile, high efficiency Ku-band satellite antennas. 2Ku will offer peak speeds of 70 Mbps or more to aircraft flying around the globe and will be available in mid-2015. This new technology will utilize the same low-profile antennas as Gogo’s Ground to Orbit (GTO) technology, which will be deployed for aircraft flying in North America; however, instead of utilizing Gogo’s Air to Ground solution for the return link to the ground, 2Ku will have two low-profile, high efficiency, ThinKom Ku band satellite antennas. The new technology will deliver peak speeds to the aircraft of more than 70 Mbps.

Lastly, we should note two additional items – Gogo now has Text & Talk features available via an Android and iOS App but we should mention that as of today, the airlines have not chosen the “Talk” part… but that’s probably coming. Secondly, the headquarters are moving from Itasca, Illinois to downtown Chicago… on or near the Chicago River where every St. Patrick’s Day the river is dyed green, the color of money!

More News…
Here are some images of that Montana train derailment of Boeing B737 fuselages that will bring tears to your aviation loving eyes! You may not have seen a few of these and it sure makes an argument for manufacturing them in Washington.

Say goodbye to Karin Pellmann, one of the best Communication/PR person in the business, who moves on from Global Eagle to bigger and better things with a new account! Good Luck Karin!

Wanna see something cool? Here’s a cockpit mockup from Rockwell Collins of a B757/767 with new 15.1 inch displays – designed for fleet commonality with B787 and B737NEO’s.

Condolences – Gary Vanyek, Thales, passed away recently – Service Information Visitation, Saturday, July 12, 2014 11:00am – 2:00pm. Peek Funeral Home, 7801 Bolsa Ave, Westminster, CA 92683 (714 893-3525).

• Expects New Technology to Outperform Other Connectivity Solutions in the Global Commercial Aviation Market

Itasca, IL | April 8, 2014– Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO), a leading aircraft communications service provider to the global aviation industry, announces the next step in its technology roadmap for global connectivity – 2Ku. Gogo expects this new technology to outperform other global connectivity solutions currently available in the market. Japan Airlines is expected to be among the first to trial this advanced technology.

This new technology will utilize the same low-profile antennas as Gogo’s Ground to Orbit (GTO) technology, which will be deployed for aircraft flying in North America; however, instead of utilizing Gogo’s Air to Ground solution for the return link to the ground, 2Ku will have two low-profile, high efficiency Ku-band satellite antennas. The new technology will deliver peak speeds to the aircraft of more than 70 Mbps.

“Gogo has proven time and again that it’s the leader in developing and operationalizing new technologies for the aero market. 2Ku is the next step in our technological evolution and is a ground breaking new technology for the global commercial aviation market,” said Gogo’s president and CEO, Michael Small. “When we launched our in-flight Internet service five years ago, we were able to deliver peak speeds to the aircraft of 3.1 Mbps through our ATG network. About a year ago, we began deployment of our next generation ATG-4 service, which took peak speeds to 9.8 Mbps. Our GTO solution takes the peak speed to 70 Mbps in the U.S. and 2Ku brings 70 Mbps to the rest of the world.”

The advantages of the 2Ku antenna are significant. The antenna is approximately two times more spectrally efficient than other antennas in the commercial aviation market, which means it will produce more bandwidth at less cost. The spectral efficiency also makes it the most TV friendly solution in the market. The antenna itself is only 4.5 inches tall, which reduces drag on the aircraft compared to other satellite solutions. 2Ku’s performance benefits will be even more dramatic in the tropical regions of the globe where other satellite solutions degrade significantly due to restrictions associated with operating at high skew angles.

The 2Ku antenna and its increased spectral efficiency are compatible with today’s Ku satellites and future Ku satellites, including future spot beam satellites. Because the antenna can be used with any Ku-satellite, it avoids the single point of failure that comes with reliance on a single satellite for connectivity in a given region, and offers airlines much desired redundancy and reliability.

“We anticipate that this technology will deliver peak speeds of 70 Mbps to the plane when initially launched and more than 100 Mbps when new spot beam satellite technologies become available,” added Gogo’s chief technology officer, Anand Chari.

Gogo expects the new service to be available for the commercial aviation market in mid-2015.

– Panacea ATG’s electromechanical shades integrated with IAS’s electronic dimmable window (EDW) technology and Tranquility, ATG’s standalone EDW shade system, offer ideal solutions for complete control of natural light, glare, heat and noise in aircraft cabins

Boca Raton, FL | June 18, 2013– Aerospace Technologies Group Inc. (ATG) in conjunction with InspecTech Aero Service Inc. (IAS), announced today that the companies have significantly improved the performance of the EDW portion of the Panacea and Tranquility Shade Systems. The newly enhanced systems offer approximately 50 percent less haze; increased optical clarity; broadened transparency range; and reduced cycle time compared with competing systems.

Through research and development, the electronics and manufacturing processes have been significantly upgraded. The results have reduced the haze in the electronic dimmable window lens by 50 percent compared with competing products; increased optical clarity by achieving haze levels lower than perceived levels; broadened the transparency range from 50 percent (clear) to 99.96 percent (dark), thereby offering a virtual blackout; and reduced cycle time – transitioning from fully dark to fully clear in less than three seconds.

“With a decade of EDW experience, we developed a propriety electronics package with the primary objectives of increasing visible light transmittance, lowering haze and lowering reflectance. All three objectives were met and the resulting increase in viewing clarity exceeded customer expectations,” says James Lang, CEO of IAS.

“The introduction of these improvements further sets Panacea and Tranquility far apart from the competition. With the increasing level of interest in both products, ATG is pleased to be able to offer exclusively the very best electronic dimmable window technology available,” says Simon Kay, CEO of ATG.

– Tranquility: ATG’s new electronic dimmable window 9EDW) cabin window shade system, featuring InspecTech’s SPD and APD technologies – offers the optimum EDW solution for control of natural light, glare, heat and noise in aircraft cabins

Boca Raton, FL | June 17, 2013– Aerospace Technologies Group Inc. has launched the Tranquility Shade System – a standalone EDW. Capable of blocking up to 99.96 percent of incoming light, Tranquility offers the latest InspecTech SPD and optional APD technologies: faster switching speeds; the selection of an infinite number of light-transmission states; and superior light-blocking ability over existing electrochromic (EC) devices with the added bonus of virtually no maintenance required due to an ultra low parts count.

Aesthetically pleasing, Tranquility’s clean design and customizable options offer the ability to create the perfect complement to the aircraft interior. Tranquility allows virtually instant transition to any level of tint from clear to very dark, thereby eliminating glare while still being able to enjoy the view of the world outside. Tranquility also features automated light control; passengers set the desired level of light and the system maintains it by automatically adjusting to changing outside light conditions.

Tranquility also offers two key eco-friendly benefits: firstly, Tranquility helps reduce carbon emissions while on the ramp. When parked, Tranquility’s EDW automatically switches to the maximum heat-blocking state, blocking UV radiation and rejecting IR rays and requiring much less cabin cooling in hot climates. This significantly reduces APU and/or engine CO2 emissions. Further, passengers entering a cabin equipped with Tranquility will experience a cooler, more comfortable cabin. Secondly, the design of the system helps decrease cabin noise levels by dampening external noise; this is particularly effective as aircraft windows are a primary source of noise transmitted into the cabin.

ATG is offering two variants of Tranquility: Tranquility 1, featuring the InspecTech eShade SPD EDW technology; and Tranquility 2, featuring InspecTech’s iShade technology which couples the SPD variable dimming technology with a privacy APD film, creating a virtual blackout capability. Other key benefits include the largest contrast ratio and the largest range of light transmission of any EDW currently available.

Aircraft Interiors Expo – Hamburg, Germany | April 9, 2013– Thales, a leader in In-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) systems and Gogo, the world’s leading provider of in- flight connectivity, are delighted to announce a new partnership. The relationship will enable airlines to select a highly integrated, powerful IFEC product that combines Gogo’s connectivity solutions with the Thales TopConnectTM cabin system.

Thales and Gogo first partnered to deliver an IFEC solution for a major U.S. airline and are now teaming up to offer line-fit solutions for the global market. The solution will be based on the Thales TopSeries AVANT® platform and will utilize Gogo’s connectivity solutions. Gogo currently offers solutions based on Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-band satellite service, Ku-satellite and Air-to-Ground (ATG) technologies.

The partnership will combine Gogo’s capabilities as an independent service provider and the leader in in-flight connectivity with Thales’ excellence in systems design, architecture, integration and support to bring a unique IFEC experience to airlines and their passengers.

“Gogo has both an excellent track record and a technology that harmonizes extremely well with the Thales IFEC platform. It brings two best of breed capabilities together and will give airlines exclusive passenger experiences with an economical and global connection. This gives us the benefit of accessing satellite based connectivity services through Gogo’s reseller agreements with its satellite partners as well as Gogo’s ATG network where available,” said Alan Pellegrini, President and CEO, Thales USA.

“Gogo is focused on delivering the best experience for airlines and passengers and is looking forward to integrating Gogo connectivity services with Thales’ leading cabin systems,” said Gogo’s president and CEO, Michael Small. “As Gogo continues to expand its global footprint and as we get closer to launch with Inmarsat’s Global Xpress, we see this as a great opportunity to leverage Thales’ international leadership in IFEC platforms.”