CarlisleIT’s OAE Offerings

Many of you are familiar with Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (CarlisleIT) but for those of you in the industry who are not, they design, build, test and certify numerous types of interconnect structural items such as trays, racks, and satellite adaptor plates. When we last had the opportunity to talk with Kris Samuelson, Director Sales IFEC & Interiors of Carlisle IT, he provided us with an update on their FlightGear product line. First, let’s review their FlightGear ARINC 791 Universal Installation offering. In partnership with Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, they offer multiple ARINC 791 solutions for Ka, Ku and Ka/Ku band Satcom installations. The ARINC 791 adapter plate is available for a wide range of commercial aircraft types and more than meets the need for standardized installation, with easier maintenance inspections, ultimately reducing the cost of ownership for the aircraft operator. Other existing satcom antenna products can be easily accommodated as well, saving the airline both time and money, while being adaptable for future ESA antenna technology upgrades. Presently, the FlightGear ARINC 791 is available over 14 airframes and five system configurations. Carlisle holds retrofit STC’s for A319, A320, A321, A330, B757, B777 and fully line-fit offerable for all Airbus platforms. Overall, the company says that the complete ARINC 791 package (adapter plate, provisions for outside airframe equipment (OAE) and intercostal kits) improves their customers speed-to-market.

Carlisle’s FlightGear ARINC  792 was debuted last September at APEX. This adaptor plate also fulfills the re equipment for a standardized installation, easier maintenance inspections and a lower cost of ownership. It may be easily customized based on the Ka, Ku, or Tri-band antenna selected by the end user customer. “The ARINC 792 solution supports a wide range of available antennas currently on offer in today’s marketplace,” said Kris Samuelson, “And the adapter plate design can accommodate additional OAE equipment and antenna cooling provisions under the Radome. It also provides an easy upgrade path for future proofing.” We were also told that the ARINC 792 was designed to support a wide range of satcom systems but may be preferred by aircraft manufacturers for electronically steered array (ESA) antenna installations.

CarlisleIT will be attending the upcoming APEX and excited to show our newly designed installation solution for next generation ESA’s. Be sure to stop by their booth #1933 and or contact Kris Samuelson@ Kris.samuelson@carlisleit.com to get a product run through.

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ASTRONICS

Astronics Corporation Reports 2019 Second Quarter Financial Results:

• Sales for the quarter were $189.1 million; after adjusting for the divested semiconductor business, sales increased 5.4%
• Consolidated orders for the quarter were $170.7 million
• Backlog at the end of the quarter was $380 million
• Updated outlook for 2019 reflects rescheduled programs, delayed business jet antenna program and 737 MAX grounding

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AIRBUS

Airbus has officially started manufacturing the A220 in the U.S. The first team of A220 production workers began work at Airbus’ Mobile, Alabama-based production facility following their recent return from on-the-job training in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, where the A220 program and primary final assembly line are located. Airbus announced plans for the addition of A220 manufacturing in Mobile in October 2017. Construction on the main A220 flowline hangar and other support buildings for the new A220 began at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley at the beginning of this year. Airbus is producing the first few aircraft within some current A320 family buildings and newly-built support hangars. The first U.S.-made A220 – an A220-300 destined for Delta Air Lines – is scheduled for delivery in Q3 2020. By the middle of next decade, the facility will produce between 40 and 50 A220 aircraft per year.

The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market; it delivers unbeatable fuel efficiency and widebody passenger comfort in a single-aisle aircraft. The A220 brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines to offer at least 20 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft. The A220 offers the performance of larger single-aisle aircraft. With an order book of 551 aircraft as of end of June 2019, the A220 has all the credentials to win the lion’s share of the 100-to-150-seat aircraft market, estimated to represent 7,000 aircraft over the next 20 years.

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OTHER NEWS

• We were a little surprised to find out the the airplane invention was only No. 15 in the scale developed innovations as chosen by a dozen scientists, historians, and technologists in a study put together by The Atlantic? The 50 Greatest Breakthroughs Since the Wheel – The Atlantic Perhaps, we are a little biased?
• No doubt, long range airplanes are appearing smaller as planemakers stretch the existing aircraft to “bleed” into the middle range market and expand range and capacity to shoot for the 5000 mi range with some 250 to 300 pax. To push their single aisle aircraft to replace planes link the Boeing 757, the Airbus folks have stretched their A321 to the A321 XLR to 4700 miles or 7400 kilometers. Cities like London to Delhi or Tokyo to Sidney are now doable. Airbus A321XLR: Extra-long range in a smaller aircraft | CNN Travel Not a new plane in the press readings (about 1 year old), with the negatives on competing planes, the market looks better for it and you will begin to hear more about the plane soon. Does American Airlines Airbus A321XLR Order Send A Secret Message To Boeing?
• OK, this is not airplanes but these moving shots of the Space X escape module just had to be shared! Space X escape module test – Album on Imgur
• The article by Matt Grant begins: “In the early hours of one morning in May of 1749, Gabrielle Emilie le Tonnelier de Breteuil, the Marquise du Châtelet, worked furiously at her desk in an ornate three-storied Parisian house. Piles of books on mathematics and scientific instruments littered her desktop and spilled over onto the floor, the bureau, the shelves. The marquise’s fingers were stained dark with ink, but she didn’t care. No one important was going to see her anytime soon. She had long given up the pleasures of society life.” Unable to join the French Academy of Sciences because they were mens domain, Emilie’s 3-part work began by explaining the summarized history of astronomy, next, the scope of Issac Newton’s proof of attraction, and, as Matt writes: “The third and final section of her commentary was the hardest. du Châtelet took the idiosyncratic mathematical proofs relating to the laws of attraction that had been most scrutinized by Newton’s critics and recast his geometrical equations into integral calculus.” This article is really new to us as we had not heard of this scientist. Perhaps, you had not either? The Pregnant Scientist Who Raced Against Death to Transform Physics
• Do you think there are too many plastics involved in aviation travel? SFO does! No fly zone: SFO bans sale of plastic water bottles – SFChronicle.com Watch for more airports to come on line with reduced plastics usage!
• One of the best security articles we have read is by a Tripwire author, Ben Schmerler, called “Moving to the Cloud and How You Shift Your Security Management Strategy.” We strongly suggest that you follow his 4 points in the article if you decide to move to the Cloud – Moving to the Cloud and How You Shift Your Security Management Strategy
• With retail sales (foot traffic vs online – Dealerscope CE Retail) dropping (-32%) this month, and more folks flying in August, it might be a good time to advertise your products online and inflight if you can! CE Retail Confidence Crashes in August – Dealerscope
• So your boss wants a report on 2018 airline efficiency to determine some future marketing effort? No problem, here is then IATA data: IATA – More Connectivity and Improved Efficiency -2018 Airline Industry Statistics Released
• Perhaps there is an AI-based solution to determine which movies to play on your airline? Artificial intelligence predicts which movies will succeed—and fail—simply from plot summaries | Science | AAAS And as a travel source, the airlines mighty be able to predict some hot events for pax using AI? Discover the best Events in your City and Book Tickets – Fever
• This one is not only interesting, it may help you with your home work (or office reading) – TLDR This – Free automatic text summary tool Basically, you enter a weblink or text of an article you are interested in and it gives you a couple of lines of summary. We know this is not necessarily aviation, so we entered an aviation article and here is what it told us:
  • Boeing is working on new software for the 737 Max that will use a second flight control computer to make the system more reliable, solving a problem that surfaced in June with the grounded jet, two people briefed on the matter said Friday.
  • That problem was with flight-control software called MCAS, which pushed the nose down based on faulty readings from one sensor.
  • Boeing Co. spokesman Charles Bickers said only that the company is working with the FAA and other regulators on software to fix the problem that surfaced in June.
• Superconductor electric airplane motor using liquid hydrogen that is rated at 1 megawatt has been tested by Oswald Elektromotoren in Germany, and guess who is on their board – Airbus, Siemens and Rolls-Royce. Full Superconducting Motor Readied For Tests | Future of Aerospace content from Aviation Week

St. Augustine, Florida | June 4, 2018– Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (CarlisleIT) is pleased to announce the purchase of Tenencia, Ltd. (trading as Tenencia Aerospace Design).

Tenencia is an EASA Part 21 Design and Production organization based in Coventry, United Kingdom. Tenencia operates under AS9100 and carries CAA part 21 production approval and is approved to both AS9100D and BS EN ISO 9001:2008.

Tenencia specializes in the integration and certification of Electrical / Avionics systems, Cabin systems, internal and external structure, VIP interiors and commercial aerospace applications on a wide range of aircraft.

In acquiring Tenencia, CarlisleIT broadens its global capabilities for design certification of commercial aircraft to both EASA and FAA design and production requirements. Paul Johnson and his current team of experts will join the Carlisle team effective June 1st, adding strength to our European capabilities and support to European and global customers.

Please do not hesitate to call Tenencia or your local CarlisleIT sales representative with questions or for more details.

Now offering a “One Stop Shop” for cabin WiFi systems, installation kits and STCs

Hamburg, Germany | April 11, 2018–Kontron, a leading global provider of embedded computing inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFE&C) equipment, today announced a strategic partnership with Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (CarlisleIT) to provide turnkey Cabin WiFi system hardware solutions, aircraft installation kits and Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs)  to the rapidly growing IFE&C market.

Kontron and CarlisleIT have been collaborating for some time, and the partnership agreement that has now been signed enables the two companies to work together more closely to offer a unified solution to global customers. This “One Stop Shop” approach makes it easy for a variety of customer profiles to launch and deploy inflight systems for wireless IFE, connectivity, retail, aircraft operations and other applications. Target customers include not only airlines, but also system integrators, connectivity service providers and software media companies.

Kontron and CarlisleIT already have an approved STC for cabin WiFi system installation on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, and STC approval for Boeing 737 is anticipated by mid-2018. The Kontron/CarlisleIT business model is to offer use of the cabin WiFi installation design and STC to customers at no charge, minimizing both time to deployment and up-front investment costs.

The integrated WiFi system solution consists of industry-leading Kontron ACE Flight™ server and several Cab-n-Connect™ wireless access points. Kontron provides an application-ready solution with an integrated software package, including the Linux OS, drivers, libraries and APIs needed to control and operate the system. Test software is provided with the system to validate all functions once installed on the aircraft. Kontron also optionally offers its AirDefense® WiFi security software and extended service contracts.

CarlisleIT provides the aircraft installation design, engineering/certification services and is the manufacturer of aircraft installation kits for the A320 and B737. CarlisleIT is also experienced in SATCOM connectivity installation designs.

“The Kontron/CarlisleIT partnership is already well established and is gaining significant traction in the IFE&C market, especially in Europe and Asia,” said Andy Mason, Vice President Technology at Kontron America. “CarlisleIT is an excellent partner for Kontron and brings an ideal set of complementary capabilities to the table.”

“Our partnership with Kontron is very important as it strengthens our ability in providing turn-key solutions to a market that is demanding quality and reliability in a compressed timeframe,” said Gordon Smart, Director of Sales, IFE & Connectivity for CarlisleIT.  “Kontron is an established industry leader for cabin WiFi systems that we are proud to be aligned with.” Visit CarlisleIT at the Aircraft Interiors Expo, in booth #C40, Hall 2.

Kontron will showcase the new ACE Flight 1600 Gateway Router and company’s complete product line for the commercial aviation market at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, April 10-12, in Kontron’s booth #E24, Hall 2.

Meet Joe Leader, new Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), Chief Executive Officer. IFExpress asked the very busy Joe Leader to answer a couple questions about the future of technology and APEX, and he was kind enough to scribe his response while on a recent flight. Here is what he had to say:

IFExpress: Please give our readers your feelings about the importance of technology for future cabin upgrades in entertainment and communications. Any examples?

Leader: Future cabin upgrades in entertainment and communications will center upon automation and individualized personalization. Airlines have an incredible wealth of data about their customers to provide more individualized service. In-flight entertainment and connectivity solutions provide an amazing opportunity to further enhance passenger experience while boosting airline ancillary revenue. Google recently publicly presented an IFE mock-up. Their philosophy is one of answer, anticipate, and enable. That aligns perfectly with my philosophy of enhancing passenger experience via individual passenger preferences. Delta also unveiled their hand-held solution for flight attendants that shows all key information about every passenger. Advances will allow passengers to be remembered so that any charges for Wi-Fi, their favorite drinks, and food.

IFExpress: At this time, how do you see APEX as a ‘positive force’ in affecting the improvements you noted above?

Leader: APEX has been a steadfast airline passenger experienced focused association for nearly 40-years, but we need to shift gears to a thought-leadership organization that quickens the industry. I have listened to airlines, suppliers, service companies, and studios starved for common standards in our areas of responsibility. We will provide them as APEX bears the highest responsibility to advance these causes. Standards hasten industry adoption of new products. Taking proactive interaction now will make certain that in-flight entertainment does not become the Android Auto versus Apple CarPlay type competitive environment. I should not have to check device compatibility when I purchase my car or airline seat. Airline passengers should be able to leverage any smart phone and smart device with their airline of choice in the future. APEX holds an educational responsibility to enlighten our airlines on how to maximize ancillary revenue in a connected world that places the highest value on insights and returns. Finally, APEX should serve as an educational force for its supplier members so that their steps are more surefooted as they advance.

IFExpress: Portland, Oregon APEX is near, is there a message you have for the attendees?

Leader: We are entering an incredible age renaissance in passenger experience. My fellow CEO at A4A recently highlighted that airlines are spending half of their profits on enhancing passenger experience. APEX will provide the education and technological bridge to more quickly advance our $10 billion a year upgrade industry alongside the billions more in new aircraft passenger experience purchases. With more than 3500 attendees for APEX EXPO, there is no better venue in the world for advancement. We only allow members into EXPO that have been fully vetted. It stands as an appointment-driven show focused upon results. As our industry flies forward, APEX will serve as a beacon to maximize return on investment for all of our members and airlines.

Lastly, we strongly encourage our readers to introduce themselves to Joe at the APEX Conference in Portland – we think you are going to like him. We also note that the world of inflight entertainment is changing, as he eloquently notes in his short interview. Undoubtedly, we think it is going to be a real interesting challenge to develop entertainment and connectivity solutions when today’s passenger brings a big part of the technical connectivity solution onto the plane. APEX may have just gotten it right – the industry will need a new ‘Leader” to adapt to the new environment.

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PORTLAND PREVIEW
1. Carlisle – On the heels of the Paris Air Show in June, the launch of the FlightGear Ka/Ku Universal Installation has generated a flood of interest from OEMs, connectivity providers and airlines alike. Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (CarlisleIT) has partnered with Saint Gobain Performance Plastics to design and engineer an industry first and is proud to present the only end-to-end ARINC 791 solution for Ka-, Ku-, and Tri-band SATCOM installations. Its installation made simple; by providing a platform-independent and system-agnostic ARINC 791 solution, CarlisleIT and Saint Gobain are helping airlines and system providers improve their speed-to-market and deliver enhanced next generation SATCOM connectivity to today’s airline passengers. This robust and versatile package contains all of the components required for either retrofit or forward-fit installations on large or regional jet aircraft. Installation fittings are adjustable to cover the complete range of aircraft frame spacings while optimizing the interface loads to the fuselage.

A variety of available radomes tuned to Ka-, Ku-, or Tri-band frequencies fit interchangeably on the same adapter plate. Adapter plates customized to use existing radomes fit interchangeably on the same fuselage structural fittings. Aerodynamic fairings follow the fuselage curvature for each aircraft model without requiring large installation doublers, sealants, or excessive modifications to the aircraft skin. The design creates easier maintenance inspections, longer inspection intervals and lower long-term cost of ownership. Conformance to the ARINC 791 standard also helps future-proof the installation and makes upgrading to next generation multi-axis or low profile antennas easier and faster with commonality of key components across entire fleets.

CarlisleIT’s booth at the APEX Expo at the Oregon Convention Center (September 29-October 1) will feature a flight ready display of the Ka/Ku Universal Installation. Visitors to the booth will have the unique opportunity to discuss system options and sketch customizations on an adapter plate with a team of technical experts. Let’s un-complicate things. Visit Booth 1405 at APEX Expo and let CarlisleIT help you do just that.

2. APEX – APEX sent us a list of Opening day speakers (Sept. 28) and they include new APEX leader – Joe Leader, Sandy Stelling – Managing Director Customer R & D, Alaska Airlines, Werner Lieberherr – CEO, B/E Aerospace, Rainer von Borstel – CEO, Diehl Aerosystems, Devin Liddel – Principal Brand Strategist, TEAGUE, Rajan Datar – Presenter, BBC World News.

3. IFPL – In Portland, you might also want to see the following at IFPL’s booth 1408: “Cost and reliability have been a main focus in our new Breakaway jacks series which delivers a revolutionary cost neutral solution for both the jack and the headset, whilst providing high availability as it leverages our proven and popular Long Life audio jacks plus our new MagSignal technology which prevents broken headsets and jacks with our MagSignal connector. The module is fully compatible with existing headset connector types and our Long Life jack is tested to over 100,000 insertions.” We didn’t know: “Research shows that up to 10% of headsets coming off long-haul flights are not re-usable due to damage, which often results with broken pins left in the sockets rendering the IFE experience useless.” Check it out.

4. Pre-show, and while you are online, check out the New York Times bit about Portland sent to us by a fan. We note the video in the link and it should give our readers a rough idea what Portland is all about. As one speaker noted: “Portland is real serious about being casual.” Check it out!

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Lufthansa Systems presents new Lido/eRouteManual product release – A mobile updater will allow wireless data updates to mobile devices, enabling pilots to update their Lido/eRouteManual digital navigation charts anytime, anywhere. This feature is part of the new product release which Lufthansa Systems unveiled at the annual Lido/Navigation User Conference in Zurich. Various Lido navigation solutions are in service worldwide with approximately 100 airlines, around 50 of whom have sent one or more delegates to this year’s conference. The new mobile updater represents a further, significant simplification for using the digital chart solution on mobile devices.

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STG Aerospace has secured a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for its liTeMood Light-Emitting Diode (LED) cabin lighting system on the B737NG.

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If you are wondering how Airbus will assemble A320’s in Alabama, watch this movie.

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Worried about Internet security on the go? Check out Invisibox.  Stay secure online on the go. The device is a “sponsored Kickstarter campaign” and will be available starting Feb. 2016 for backers. It features masked Tor traffic, GeoIP, exploit vulnerabilities cancellation, unique device passwords, add blocking, and a free VPN. It also will charge your phone – get in line, it’s about the size of your phone.

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“The Martian’ is one of the year’s best movies. Told you so!

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A special IFExpress Adios to Ken Lew (UAL, SONY, Rockwell, Boeing, Thales) who retired recently and who will probably be on his way to a European vacation when you read this. Ken wanted to say goodbye to his friends in the IFEC business at APEX but will not return till after the event has finished. Or, wish him the best yourself via email – ken_lew@ieee.org, and you might like read this ‘Olympic Tale’ from his IFE history.