GALGUS

You may not have heard about the Galgus US patent that we see as an important improvement in decentralized wireless control. And in case you don’t remember, CHT (Cognitive Hotspot Technology) enables Wi-Fi devices to become intelligent fulfilling their potential capabilities and automatically makes real-time decisions, optimizing the wireless performance for every connected user. Cognitive Hotspot Technology is flying on aircraft today.

On August 27, 2019, a patent (US 10,397,932 B2) was granted to Galgus by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) of the United States Department of Commerce for the “System and Method for Decentralized Control of Wireless Networks”.

The invention patented relates to a decentralized control technology for wireless network installation, which distributes the control logic between all of the access points that make up the network, eliminating the centralized controller from the network architecture by means of communication between the access points themselves, thus substantially improving the efficiency of the management of the wireless network itself. The advantages that this architecture provides are the following:

• Because it is decentralized, it is not dependent on any particular element, as all of the access points behave like small controllers that are able to interoperate with each other.
• Each node behaves like a controller and provides support to the adjacent nodes.
• The network tasks are thus distributed, without overloading any one element, thus preventing bottlenecks.
• It reduces the high hardware costs of the centralized controller.
• It is 100% scalable, making it possible to add more access points without having to increase the capabilities of the centralized controller.
• It enables management from any point with network access.
• Redundancy to failures, as the logic of the controller and, as such, the operations of the network is not compromised by the failure of any one access point.
• Automatic configuration of the transmit power of the access points belonging to the network in order to reduce unnecessary interference.
• Automatic configuration of the channel used by each access point belonging to the network in order to reduce interference between access points and increase the number of simultaneous transmissions in a limited physical environment.
• Automatic selection of the access point that provides service to a new station or user (STA, “Station”), in order to reduce interference between access points and stations operating on the same channel or on different channels.
• Balance the network load with the aim of reducing interference within the network and the number of hidden nodes, as well as taking advantage of the total transmission capacity of the network to prevent bottlenecks from arising in some access points while others remain idle.
• Exclusion of users based on location, denying service to users who are located outside the range of operation of the network when these users receive the signal of the network.

“Its been a long way to achieve this. It was back in October 2013 when we applied for this! More than five years to finally succeed!” said Galgus’ CEO, Jose Gonzalez, who added: “Undoubtedly, it’s not just important because it can help us to safeguard our software, the good thing is that it’s a proof of Galgus’ technological innovation capability in the wireless field”.

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PANASONIC

Panasonic Avionics Corporation subsidiary, AeroMobile, is pleased to announce the launch of mobile connectivity onboard EGYPTAIR Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. This launch marks a significant time for EGYPTAIR as it responds to the ever growing demand for connectivity from travelers. With this launch, EGYPTAIR has achieved a major milestone by initiating the deployment of mobile and internet connectivity across its entire fleet of Dreamliner aircraft. In addition to the onboard Wi-Fi and live TV service, passengers will be able to access the AeroMobile network to connect their roaming-enabled GSM mobile phones to use mobile data services, send and receive SMS messages and emails, and make and receive calls.

Following the successful introduction of its first two aircraft with inflight mobile connectivity in Spring 2019, EGYPTAIR are set to complete their roll out through Autumn 2019. The B787-9 fleet with inflight mobile connectivity will serve destinations including Europe, America and Asia during 2019.

EGYPTAIR is always keen on providing passengers with competitive solutions, especially in the field of technology. As connectivity becomes an increasingly important part of the inflight experience, the airline is pleased to now be able to offer passengers a similar connectivity experience in the air, to that which they enjoy on the ground. Through these connectivity services, the airline is providing industry-leading services to its passengers, with even more choice, convenience and added value.

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VUELING

The European Aviation Network (EAN) is now available to passengers flying with the European airline Vueling, marking the much-awaited debut of Europe’s fastest inflight broadband service in the low-cost carrier market. Vueling has commenced a soft launch of its new inflight broadband service, powered by EAN, on five initial short-haul aircraft. The rollout will progressively continue over the coming months, with installations expected to be completed on its fleet of more than 110 Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircraft by early next year, serving passengers on hundreds of different routes.

Passengers purchasing Wi-Fi on Vueling flights will have access to a full range of packages, including ‘Fly and Chat’ for messaging, ‘Fly and Surf’ for browsing and ‘Fly and More’ for streaming. EAN’s integrated system delivers consistent Wi-Fi that enables passengers to seamlessly browse the internet, stream videos, check social media, enjoy real-time interactive applications such as gaming and more. Vueling is the third airline to make the award-winning connectivity solution available to passengers. In total, EAN can now be accessed on more than 250 routes covering key destinations across Europe, including London, Madrid, Barcelona, Geneva and Rome. To date, almost five million passengers have traveled on more than 35,000 flights with access to EAN. The introduction of EAN inflight broadband on Vueling flights supports the airline’s ‘NEXT’ transformation program, which includes significant investments in customer experience, operations resilience and digital innovation. Developed by Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom (DT) in partnership with leading European companies such as Thales, Nokia, Airbus, Cobham and EAD Aerospace, EAN marks a paradigm shift in the airline passenger experience, with incomparable speeds, uninterrupted coverage and significantly lower latency than any other inflight broadband network in the continent.

It has been designed from scratch specifically for the needs of European aviation, delivering consistent inflight broadband across Europe, one of the world’s most congested airspaces, with more than one billion passengers and 11 million flights per year. EAN also offers the fastest ever installation time for a connectivity solution, requiring under nine hours per aircraft, meaning significantly less downtime for airlines. Combined with the system’s low weight, low drag and low maintenance, this results in lower operation costs.

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INMARSAT

Inmarsat announced that its Jet ConneX (JX) business aviation inflight Wi-Fi solution has now been installed and activated on over 600 business jets worldwide.

The milestone was celebrated at NBAA 2019 in Las Vegas,  highlighting the rapid uptake of Jet ConneX services in just under three years of commercial availability. Powered by Inmarsat’s global Ka-band satellite network, Jet ConneX offers a reliable, consistent and high-speed Wi-Fi experience, bringing business travelers a level of connectivity in the air that has previously only been available on the ground. Installations have been growing rapidly, with a 50% increase in the past year alone.

The latest installation milestone follows a series of announcements this year detailing Inmarsat’s fully-funded development roadmap for its global Ka-band network, Global Xpress (GX) which currently consists of four high-throughput satellites. The next evolution of the network will deliver eight additional payloads, marking a transformative step-change in inflight broadband capabilities. As part of this program, Inmarsat will also become the only provider of inflight connectivity in the Arctic region.

The GX network will offer enhanced, focused, ultra-high-power capacity that can be immediately relocated in line with high demand flight patterns and seasonal demand surges across the globe, cementing Jet ConneX’s position as the world’s flagship connectivity for business jets. This future-proofs the ability for business aviation customers to invest in a consistently high quality of service into the future.

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BOEING

Boeing issued the following statement regarding the release of the final investigation report of Lion Air Flight 610 by Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT): “On behalf of everyone at Boeing, I want to convey our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in these aviation accidents. We mourn with Lion Air, and we would like to express our deepest sympathies to the Lion Air family,” said Boeing President & CEO Dennis Muilenburg. “These tragic events have deeply affected us all and we will always remember what happened.”

“We commend Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee for its extensive efforts to determine the facts of this accident, the contributing factors to its cause and recommendations aimed toward our common goal that this never happens again.”

“We are addressing the KNKT’s safety recommendations, and taking actions to enhance the safety of the 737 MAX to prevent the flight control conditions that occurred in this accident from ever happening again. Safety is an enduring value for everyone at Boeing and the safety of the flying public, our customers, and the crews aboard our airplanes is always our top priority. We value our long-standing partnership with Lion Air and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”

Boeing experts, working as technical advisors to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, have supported the KNKT over the course of the investigation. The company’s engineers have been working with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other global regulators to make software updates and other changes, taking into account the information from the KNKT’s investigation. Since this accident, the 737 MAX and its software are undergoing an unprecedented level of global regulatory oversight, testing and analysis. This includes hundreds of simulator sessions and test flights, regulatory analysis of thousands of documents, reviews by regulators and independent experts and extensive certification requirements. Over the past several months Boeing has been making changes to the 737 MAX. Most significantly, Boeing has redesigned the way Angle of Attack (AoA) sensors work with a feature of the flight control software known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Going forward, MCAS will compare information from both AoA sensors before activating, adding a new layer of protection.In addition, MCAS will now only turn on if both AoA sensors agree, will only activate once in response to erroneous AoA, and will always be subject to a maximum limit that can be overridden with the control column. These software changes will prevent the flight control conditions that occurred in this accident from ever happening again.

In addition, Boeing is updating crew manuals and pilot training, designed to ensure every pilot has all of the information they need to fly the 737 MAX safely. Boeing continues to work with the FAA and other regulatory agencies worldwide on the certification of the software update and training program to safely return the 737 MAX to service.

The Boeing Company Board of Directors announced that it has elected retired Adm. John M. Richardson as its newest member. Richardson, 59, served as the 31st chief of Naval Operations from September 2015 until August 2019, when he retired from the U.S. Navy after 37 years of service. Richardson will join the Aerospace Safety Committee, which was formed in August following a rigorous five-month review of the company’s policies and processes for airplane design and development by the board’s temporary Committee on Airplane Policies and Processes. He also will serve on the board’s Special Programs Committee.

Boeing CEO and Boeing Chief Engineer to testify.

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OTHER NEWS

• Passengers start praying after an engine fails, on a 3.5 hr flight  – Album on Imgur – The article title says it all!
• Ever wondered why airplanes have colored wingtip lights?  Why Lights at Plane Wings Are Different – YouTube
• The Design History of Airline Flight Maps – CityLab This article link says what it is. You might find it interesting and educational! The article is based on a book – Airline Maps by Mark Ovenden, Maxwell Roberts: 9780143134077 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
• We continue to look for quantum computing in aviation, there has been some big improvements to the technology. Recently, Google claimed their quantum computer supremacy: “Google thinks their evidence for quantum supremacy is airtight. Even if external researchers cut the time it takes to do the classical simulation, quantum hardware is improving — meaning that for this problem, conventional computers are unlikely to ever catch up, says Hartmut Neven, who runs Google’s quantum-computing team.” While we don’t understand the limited applications of this technology, it is an interesting technique – Hello quantum world! Google publishes landmark quantum supremacy claim
• Christopher Elliot, a travel and consumer advocate has a very useful suggestion when you have a travel (or other) complaint: Never Use These Five Words When You Have A Customer Complaint
• While we don’t know of any airport robot security devices or systems, this unbelievable website video’s of robot skill is incredibly amazing/scary and may set the stage for robot security. Check it out!
• If you are flying somewhere and are interested in potential wind issues, there is a free website for that! Global Wind Atlas We like this one too! WunderMap® | Interactive Weather Map and Radar | Weather Underground
• I wonder if this could be used to check out smells on an airplane in situations that might be dangerous – like leaking gas odor and so on? Google researchers taught an AI to recognize smells | Engadget