July 8, 2020– PWI continues to expand the use of its LED lighting products after the FAA announces the approval of three PMA (Parts Manufacturing Approval) parts for use in additional aircraft.

he FAA has permitted the LED No Smoking/Seat Belt light for use in Pilatus PC-12, PC-12, 45 and PC-12-47. The LED No Smoking/Seat Belt light lasts up to 100,000 hours. It also requires less power and operates at a cooler temperature. The cooler operating temperature prevents warping and discoloration of the placard. This same LED lighting upgrade has already been certified for use in Beechcraft King Air models 90, 200, B200, B250, 300, 350, B300, 1900 and 1900C aircraft.

The FAA has also approved the use of the 1495 bulb replacement LED reading light in the following aircraft: Beechcraft King Air B200T, B200CT, Beechcraft Premier Jet 390 and Beechcraft 1900, 1900C, Cessna Citation III model 650, and the Bombardier Learjet 31, 35, 36 and 55.

The FAA approved the use of the 1308 LED replacement reading light in Beechcraft King Air C90, C90A, C90GT, E90, 250, B200, B200C, B200T, B200CT, B200GT, B200CGT, Citation 650 and Learjet models 35, 36 and 60, 60XR.

Lastly, the FAA also approved the 303x reading light for use in the Learjet 35, 36 and 55.

“Our replacement LED reading lights are an important benefit for plane owners,” says Robi Lorik, President and CEO of PWI. “In addition to the very long service life, our LEDs run at a much lower heat, so no more burned fingers. And they run at less than 10 volts and draw less than 0.05 amps, which is vital in critical situations when the battery may be weak”.

All three LED reading light upgrades improve existing lighting by operating at a lower temperature while using 1% of the power that incandescent bulbs require. That means that the engines are not driving the generators, lowering fuel consumption and wear-and-tear in turboprops. These LED upgrades also provide 100,000 hours of operating life while furnishing a warm, welcoming cabin atmosphere. PWI LED reading lights are already PMA approved for use in more in more than 50 different aircraft including single engine piston planes to turboprops to jets.

Established in 1963, PWI has grown from constructing coil winding and magnetometers to designing electrical assemblies, electronics, contract manufacturing, and magnetometers. PWI also specializes in producing a diverse range of customized aviation lighting, including fluorescent and LED. PWI is a FAA Repair Station and is FAR 145 certified. Aviation products can be purchased through our growing authorized dealer network. All PWI products can be purchased by emailing our sales department at sales@pwi-e.com.

United Kingdom | December 2018– STG Aerospace, the pioneering aircraft cabin lighting specialist, is delighted to announce that its full-colour Airbus liTeMood LED cabin lighting system has been chosen by Volotea, the Spanish low-cost operator.

Currently operating a mixed fleet of A319s and Boeing 717s, the airline plans to move to an all-Airbus fleet over the next five years, resulting in this current order with STG Aerospace for no fewer than 45 full-colour liTeMood systems.  Installation on the first batch of aircraft have already begun. Having begun operations in 2012, Volotea currently flies to some 78 European destinations from bases in Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

Marcus Williams, Global Sales Director commented: “We are delighted to add Volotea to the growing list of airlines that have chosen our latest liTeMood LED lighting system after a rigorous technical and competitive evaluation of the available systems.  After completing an on-wing demonstration on their aircraft earlier this year, the Volotea team subsequently made a visit to the STG Aerospace Innovation & Engineering Centre in Wales where we finalised the ideal colour configuration to suit the Volotea brand identity.”

Isidre Porqueras, Volotea’s Chief of Cost and Operations Performance, commented: “Having made the decision to transition to an all-Airbus fleet, our next task was to ensure that our passengers would enjoy the most enjoyable and memorable journey we could offer them. Having experienced the impact of the full-colour liTeMood system at AIX Hamburg, we were convinced that STG Aerospace had what we needed.”

STG Aerospace introduced its dynamic, configurable, full colour version of liTeMood earlier this year for both single and twin aisle Airbus aircraft. The system provides a choice of over 16 million colours and can be used to create bespoke scenes (from northern lights to sunrises and sunsets to settings specifically designed to celebrate national holidays) in just minutes using a unique and patented wireless programming tool.

Truly plug-and-play, liTeMood works with both classic and enhanced CIDS and can be installed in under 6 hours on a typical A320 with no changes required to the aircraft’s wiring or control panels. Approved by EASA and the FAA, it also delivers a range of operational benefits, including an MTBF in excess of 55,000 operating hours, a weight saving of up to 20kg on an A320 and 45kg on an A330, and a reduction in power usage of 55% compared to incumbent systems.

United Kingdom | October 17, 2018– STG Aerospace, the pioneering aircraft cabin lighting specialist, is delighted to announce that its full-colour Airbus liTeMood®LED cabin lighting system has been chosen by Volotea, the Spanish low-cost operator.

Currently operating a mixed fleet of A319s and Boeing 717s, the airline plans to move to an all-Airbus fleet over the next five years, resulting in this current order with STG Aerospace for no fewer than 45 full-colour liTeMood systems.  Installation on the first batch of aircraft have already begun. Having begun operations in 2012, Volotea currently flies to some 78 European destinations from bases in Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

Marcus Williams, Global Sales Director commented: “We are delighted to add Volotea to the growing list of airlines that have chosen our latest liTeMood LED lighting system after a rigorous technical and competitive evaluation of the available systems.  After completing an on-wing demonstration on their aircraft earlier this year, the Volotea team subsequently made a visit to the STG Aerospace Innovation & Engineering Centre in Wales where we finalised the ideal colour configuration to suit the Volotea brand identity.”

Isidre Porqueras, Volotea’s Chief of Cost and Operations Performance, commented: “Having made the decision to transition to an all-Airbus fleet, our next task was to ensure that our passengers would enjoy the most enjoyable and memorable journey we could offer them. Having experienced the impact of the full-colour liTeMood system at AIX Hamburg, we were convinced that STG Aerospace had what we needed.”

STG Aerospace introduced its dynamic, configurable, full colour version of liTeMood earlier this year for both single and twin aisle Airbus aircraft. The system provides a choice of over 16 million colours and can be used to create bespoke scenes (from northern lights to sunrises and sunsets to settings specifically designed to celebrate national holidays) in just minutes using a unique and patented wireless programming tool.

Truly plug-and-play, liTeMood® works with both classic and enhanced CIDS and can be installed in under 6 hours on a typical A320 with no changes required to the aircraft’s wiring or control panels. Approved by EASA and the FAA, it also delivers a range of operational benefits, including an MTBF in excess of 55,000 operating hours, a weight saving of up to 20kg on an A320 and 45kg on an A330, and a reduction in power usage of 55% compared to incumbent systems.

Aircraft Interiors Expo, Hamburg | April 10, 2018– STG Aerospace is delighted to simultaneously announce the launch of the latest version of their liTeMood® LED lighting system for Airbus A320 and A330 aircraft, along with the first 2 launch customers – Small Planet Airlines and XL Airways France who will upgrade their A320/A321 and A330 fleets later this month respectively.

The dynamic and configurable full colour, plug-and-play, programmable retrofit lighting solution sets the scene in an instant and can be customised to any scene or scenario, helping create a unique experience that passengers won’t want to forget.

Marcus Williams, Director of Global Sales at STG Aerospace, highlighted: “Our liTeMood® retrofit LED system has revolutionised the way airlines with Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft can accomplish a LED lighting upgrade since 2014.  We are now delighted to announce the availability of our next-generation system for the Airbus A320FAM, A330 and A340 fleets along with the first 2 of our launch customers, and for the first time offering a full colour, fully programmable solution.”

An extension of the proven feel and performance of STG Aerospace’s liTeMood®, the unique Airbus system offers fully customisable, animated scenes that can change post installation in just minutes via a patented infrared wand. As well as the choice of selection from over 16 million colours, the system offers the ability to incorporate bespoke scenes, from northern lights to sunrise and sunsets to more unique settings to celebrate national holidays.

Mr Kristijonas Kaikaris, the CEO of Small Planet Airlines, commented: “As an airline we strive to offer a world of infinite possibilities and improvements. By installing this system on our A320 aircraft it will assist us in our mission of delivering that world and help us personalise the way we interact with our passengers.”

Mr Fachinetti, Vice-President of Maintenance and Engineering at XL Airways France, added: “The latest innovation from liTeMood® allows us to create individual mood lighting scenarios to foster well-being for passengers through every phase of the flight, we’re delighted to be one of the first customers to offer this major enhancement to the passenger experience.”

Available for retrofit on single and twin aisle Airbus aircraft, the cost-effective power saving system works with both classic and enhanced CIDS, installed in under 6 hours (A320) and requires no changes to aircraft wiring or control systems.

United Kingdom | October 31, 2017–India’s third largest airline, SpiceJet, has partnered with STG Aerospace in a cabin lighting retrofit programme which will see the airline upgrade its fleet of 737-700 / -800 / -900 with LED aftermarket ambient lighting solution, liTeMood®

This is the first major retrofit win for STG Aerospace in the Asia Pacific region and the largest lighting retrofit contract that the company has been awarded. Selected on STG Aerospace’s ability to quickly deliver the programme in line with the airlines busy maintenance schedule, combined with the simplicity of installation, together made STG Aerospace the number one supplier for the large retrofit cabin lighting contract.

“It has always been our endeavour to provide the best in-flight experience to our passengers. We are extremely happy with STG Aerospace’s ability to meet our tight timescales” said Arun Kashyap, Executive Vice President (Engineering), SpiceJet. “We are looking forward to enhancing the passenger flying experience on our aircraft and harmonise the look and feel of our cabin interiors of our existing fleet to achieve impactful brand differentiation and fleet commonality”.

A customer of saf-Tglo® since 2005 SpiceJet will now combine both liTeMood® and saf-Tglo® systems to provide a total cabin lighting system that complements each other, resulting in satisfied passengers, increased wellbeing and reduced stress during the flight.

Marcus Williams, Global Sales & Marketing Director, added: “We’re delighted to be helping SpiceJet in their mission to become India’s preferred low-cost airline.  This contract highlights the growing demand for STG Aerospace’s cabin lighting products from Indian carriers. Undoubtedly, SpiceJet’s decision to install our liTeMood® LED lighting system will help us to take full advantage of the rapidly growing retrofit market in India.”

liTeMood® has become the undisputed cabin mood lighting system of choice for operators of narrow-body Boeing fleets and is already delivering significant cabin transformations for numerous airlines in Europe, USA, Latin America and most recently Asia.

Power, Connectivity, Lighting and Other Solutions Will Be on Display

East Aurora, NY | June 19, 2017– Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading supplier of advanced technologies and products to the global aerospace and defense industries, announced that its latest innovations will be on display at the Paris Air Show from June 19 – 25,
2017. Astronics will highlight new solutions spanning connectivity, power, lighting and more for deployment on commercial, business and military fixed-wing and rotor aircraft.

“Astronics enjoys a long history of serving both commercial and military aircraft programs with a breadth of off-the-shelf and customized solutions for our customers,” commented Peter Gundermann, President and Chief Executive Officer of Astronics Corporation. “We’re excited to be here and demonstrate our extensive capabilities across multiple aerospace sectors with sophisticated, innovative technology solutions for aircraft connectivity, power and lighting.”

View the video to see what Astronics will be showing at this year’s Paris Air Show, June 19-25, 2017.

Attendees can expect to view demonstrations of these solutions in Hall 3, stand B148:

United Kingdom | April 25, 2017– STG Aerospace, a world leader in pioneering aircraft lighting technologies, is delighted to announce that it has secured FAA approval for the installation of its LED liTeMood® system on the Boeing 757 series of aircraft.

This announcement follows the earlier FAA approval given for the 737NG series back in 2015 and complements the existing approvals given by EASA.

liTeMood® has become the undisputed system of choice for operators of narrow-body Boeing fleets and is already delivering significant cabin transformations with multiple US and Latin American airlines.

The simple plug-and-play lighting system, requires no aircraft modification and is easily installed under a single STC, enabling operators to bring the lighting quality of non-LED equipped aircraft cabins up to a standard comparable to the latest new aircraft in just a couple of hours.

Nigel Duncan, STG Aerospace’s CEO, commented: “This is excellent news for the company and will help us to build substantially on our already market-leading position as the very best retrofit lighting solution for both the 737 and 757 series of aircraft.”

STG Aerospace is currently exhibiting at MRO Americas which is being held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. On Stand 527, visitors will be able to see a wide range of the company’s photoluminescent and LED lighting products.

AIX Hamburg, Germany | April 4, 2017– Aircraft cabin lighting specialist, STG Aerospace is delighted to announce that Romania’s largest airline Blue Air and leading charter carrier Titan Airways are the first airlines to install their revolutionary square-beam liTeMood® LED Reading Lights on their B737NG and B757 aircraft respectively. STG Aerospace has also secured EASA certification for both aircraft types.

The liTeMood® LED Reading Light, an APEX 2016 awards finalist in the ‘Best Passenger Comfort’ category, is a quick-to-install drop-in replacement for the standard incandescent reading lights installed on B737NG and many B757 aircraft.

Featuring patented photometric technology, liTeMood® LED Reading Lights create a more restful, private space with a greater sense of personal control by introducing a unique square-light beam in place of the traditional circular beam. This square-beam distributes light precisely and evenly across the seat and tray table, improving visibility and eliminating hot spots and light spill to neighbouring passengers. Meanwhile the high CRI (Colour Rendering Index) and high R9 (High Quality Red pigment) means not only is magazine text more readable but that inflight meals appear more enticing and on-board merchandise more attractive for purchase. It also dramatically reduces the glare on tray tables, eBooks and tablets, working for all passenger types. Operational benefits include a dramatic improvement in reliability, by over 10 times, and simple installation meaning a complete aircraft can be fitted out in just a few hours.

With thousands of passengers on-board Titan Airways and Blue Air aircraft benefiting from their new reading experience from liTeMood®, and further airline installations scheduled for this year, the enhancements in passenger comfort of this simple upgrade are obvious.

Alastair Wilson, Director, Titan Airways, commented: “At Titan Airways we strive to give all of our passengers a premium experience. Lighting is an important way we do this. After retrofitting 757’s with liTeMood® mood lighting last year, the decision to upgrade our reading lighting was an obvious one. This simple, same-day installation will provide years of benefits to our VIP passengers all across the globe.”

Aurelian Bobei, CAMO Director, Blue Air, commented: “We’re excited to offer our B737NG passengers the very latest reading light technology from STG Aerospace, the operational benefits of this product were immediately visible to each of us, and can now guarantee a fully new, highly reliable reading light to our passengers on-board.”

Marcus Williams, Global Sales and Marketing Director for STG Aerospace added: “We’re delighted that Titan Airways and Blue Air have chosen our new liTeMood® LED Reading Light. We all want increased privacy and comfort during our flights, and our new reading light will offer passengers with Blue Air and Titan new levels of this, as well as providing an enhanced reading and working environment.”

Cwmbran, United Kingdom | March 8, 2017– STG Aerospace, a research-driven pioneer in aircraft cabin lighting, held an Open Day on 7th March at its Innovation & Engineering Centre on the Llantarnam Industrial Park, Cwmbran.

Visitors, including customers and suppliers as well as academics engaged in joint research projects and other invited guests, were given a tour of the company’s facility where the company has already created 36 jobs since it was first opened in 2015.

The tour also included demonstrations of the latest product developments from STG Aerospace. These included the company’s new LED reading light, part of its liTeMood® range which, with its patented square light pattern, minimises the light spill onto neighbouring seats and helps give passengers a sense of control over their own environment. Also being demonstrated was saf-Tglo® blu, the world’s first ever blue-glowing photoluminescent emergency floorpath marking system which creates a more calming ambience and has already won a prestigious APEX Award for Best Cabin Innovation.

At the Open Day, there were speeches from Harriet Wollerton, Aerospace Operations & Business Development Manager at ADS, the trade body for the UK aerospace, defence, security and space industries, and from John Whalley, Chief Executive of Aerospace Wales, a trade association for all companies operating in the country.

Welcoming the news, Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: “STG Aerospace is a recognised market leader in its field and has a quite remarkable global reach, exporting worldwide with its products acknowledged as industry standards. This is a considerable achievement and STG Aerospace is a very welcome addition to the dynamic aerospace sector we have in Wales.

“I am delighted Welsh Government support helped the company establish its new centre in Wales and that it has created significantly more jobs than was originally anticipated which is great news.

“Today marks an important date in STG Aerospace’s business calendar as it marks the completion of its first major strategic investment and enhanced capabilities and I wish the company every success in the future.”

The STG Aerospace Innovation & Engineering Centre is equipped with a goniophotometer, used for measuring the size, space and shape that lighting takes up, and an integrating sphere which is used to analyse colour. The Centre also has two sections of aircraft, a Boeing and an Airbus, used to visualise how new products will actually work when in service. In addition, there is a Chemistry Laboratory and a Flammability Laboratory.

“We were delighted to have this opportunity to demonstrate the full extent of our research and development facilities to so many important guests”, said Nigel Duncan, CEO at STG Aerospace. “Being at the cutting edge of research into how lighting affects people, physiologically and psychologically, is central to our product development philosophy.”

STG Aerospace’s success and rapid growth is reflected by a range of global patents and the number of major industry awards it has received, including winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise on four separate occasions.

Its Innovation & Engineering Centre in Brecon House on Llantarnam Industrial Park has an extensive R&D facility that includes a state of the art lighting laboratories and simulations of 737 and A320 aircraft.

United Kingdom | November 30, 2016– STG Aerospace, the pioneering aircraft cabin lighting specialist, is delighted to announce that it is expanding its global sales team with two new key appointments. The new Regional Sales Managers, Robert Keepers, based in Dallas TX and Theresa Härtel, based in Germany, will join the US and EMEA sales teams respectively.

Before taking up his new role, Robert worked for Panasonic Avionics Corporation advancing in a number of roles since first joining the company in 2000. Most recently, as Marketing Account Manager Robert worked directly with airlines in Central/South America, coordinating the promotion and installation of the company’s in-flight entertainment systems. A graduate from New Mexico State University, Robert holds a BBA degree in Marketing and Management and is multi-lingual.

Commenting on his new role, Robert said: “STG Aerospace is a real force for innovation in the cabin lighting sector and I’m really looking forward to playing a lead role in promoting the many benefits of their entire product range right across the growing US market.”

Theresa will be joining the company from UTC Aerospace Systems where, as Product Sales Manager – Europe, Middle East and Africa, she was responsible for initiating and leading sales campaigns for the company’s Interiors Business Unit. Prior to that, she worked for one of UTC’s subsidiaries, Goodrich Lighting Systems GmbH, as Program Manager – Worldwide Aftermarket. Theresa holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Applied Sciences, Bielefeld, and has been certified as a Project Manager by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Bielefeld.

Theresa commented: Theresa commented: “I’m delighted to be joining such an innovative and successful company as STG Aerospace. I’m very much looking forward to applying my skills to building new business across the EMEA region.”

Marcus Williams, Global Sales and Marketing Director for STG Aerospace, added: “Both new appointments reflect the ongoing success that we’re developing worldwide. Robert and Theresa have precisely the skills and experience we seek out to continue to help drive our growth and we are delighted to welcome them to our world class team.”

A Tier 1 or Tier 2 OEM for virtually every major aircraft manufacturer, STG Aerospace also counts hundreds of airlines, lessors and MROs among its customers. Its products are currently installed in over 10,000 aircraft worldwide, representing one third of the world’s passenger fleet.

United Kingdom | May 27, 2016– STG Aerospace, a leading aircraft cabin lighting OEM, is delighted to announce that prestigious British charter carrier Titan Airways is the latest airline to install STG’s market leading liTeMood® retrofit LED mood lighting system on its Boeing 757 aircraft.

With the first retrofitted aircraft installed during a cabin re-configuration earlier this week and already in commercial service, its sister aircraft will be modified later this summer. This adds to the increasing number of airlines across Europe, North and South America that have selected liTeMood® – making it the undisputed system of choice for operators of narrow-body Boeing fleets looking for a best in class but cost-effective solution for upgrading dated cabin lighting.

liTeMood® represents the next generation in simple, beautiful and easy-to-install retrofit LED mood-lighting aimed at significantly improving passenger comfort and reducing maintenance costs. The blue/white bi-colour system creates a calming and fresh cabin ambience by delivering outstanding quality and consistency of light throughout the cabin.

Whilst “Plug and Play” can be an abused term in the world of aircraft modifications, liTeMood® is a genuine example of a truly simple upgrade requiring no aircraft modifications, using all the existing wiring, mounting points, connectors and control panel. The system is typically installed in under five hours, independent of and with minimal impact to any other cabin work making it straightforward to accomplish during a short stop.

FAA and EASA approved, liTeMood® is significantly more reliable than traditional fluorescent lighting systems, reducing ongoing maintenance and operational costs, and offers both a 36kg weight reduction and at least 50% reduction in power consumption, substantially increasing both fuel efficiency and electrical efficiency.

Alastair Willson, Director of Titan Airways said: “At Titan Airways we are always striving to improve the in-flight experience and the investment in mood lighting is one more enhancement of the Titan Airways product. We selected STG Aerospace’s liTeMood® system due to their huge experience and expertise in upgrading Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft with LED cabin lighting. The simplicity and speed of installation was exactly as described and the transformation of the cabin was breath-taking. The latest investment follows installation of a state-of-the-art wireless in-flight entertainment system across Titan’s Boeing 757 and Airbus A320 fleets last year”.

Nigel Duncan, CEO of STG Aerospace, commented: “We are delighted that Titan Airways, one of the most prestigious charter airlines in the world, has selected liTeMood® for its Boeing 757 fleet. The installation, carried out at short notice the weekend ahead of a VIP charter operation, was an excellent partnership between STG and Titan engineering teams and is further evidence that liTeMood® has become the clear choice for operators of Boeing narrow-body aircraft”.

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies:

AIX is a great place to check on the status of new product projects, many taking over a year to design, develop, and certify for flying. When we first discovered the satcom adapter plate and Radome from CarlisleiT/Saint Gobain a few months back we note: “CarliseIT, in partnership with Saint Gobain Performance Plastics, now offers multiple ARINC 791 solutions for Ka-band, Ku-band and Tri-band SATCOM installations. The complete package contains the CarlisleIT ARINC 791 compliant adapter plate, provisions for Outside Airframe Equipment (OAE), and intercostal kits required for both retrofit and line fit installations on transport jet aircraft. Installation fittings on the adapter plate are adjustable to cover the complete range of aircraft frame spacing, while providing discrete interface loads to the fuselage. The aerodynamic skirt follows the fuselage curvature without requiring a large installation doubler, sealants, or additional fasteners through the aircraft skin.” The key here is ARINC 791, as it: “ …fulfills the requirement for a standardized installation, easier maintenance inspections, and overall lower cost of ownership. Conformance to the ARINC 791 standard also helps future-proofs the SATCOM installation, and makes upgrades to next generation antennas and SATCOM system equipment easier and faster with commonality across entire fleets.” At AIX 2016, we talked with Kris Samuelson, Director Sales IFE & SatCom and he told IFExpress: “Since APEX in Portland, we have been finalizing developments for line-fit products like the FlightGear, ARINC 791 Ka/Ku Universal Installation and we are looking at some 300 product sales and future installations. Further, the adapter plate and radome you saw at APEX have passed birdstrike and lightening certification tests. We plan to oversee installation mid-April and witness flight test in July. Their A320 STC will follow in August of this year. This product offers lower cost of ownership, 40% – 50% longer flight time between inspections and it is a simplified upgrade, it saves time and money. We expect the Ku installations in September of this year.” Additionally, Kris also mentioned: “The total system weight (antenna/radome) is 271 pounds,” he said, “and you will hear a lot more about this product as we will be producing an A791 adapter plate for Ku band low format antenna. The essential shape will remain similar however, we have to adjust some dimensions to accommodate that design. All in all,” he said, “There is a lot more than meets the eye with this product and we have our electrical and mechanical designers to thank for it’s flexible adaptability.”

STG Aerospace:

One of the more interesting meetings at an IFE show is always one with the folks at STG Aerospace and especially with Nigel Duncan CEO. Why, you ask? Because Nigel is probably the best salesperson we have ever seen… at the least, he knows his products as well as anyone in his company. But more importantly, he as excited about them and when we visited, we heard and discussed their new passenger oriented liteMoodLED Cabin Lighting product, the latest in photoluminescent floor path marking saf-Tglo blu, and STG liteMood, their new LED strip lighting that replaces fluorescents in planes.

Lets start off with one of the most amazing passenger lights we have ever seen – STG liteMood passenger cabin reading light. As we all know, the light over a passenger seat that can be turned off and on by passengers normally describes conical light beam that illuminates a seat and can be adjusted to adjust the light on your tray table or the book you are reading. The problem is one of filament illumination. First the shape (bulb) is circular and diffuse light travels beyond your use and usually illuminates more than the table. Further, it does that because to get enough light for your use, the conical beam is bigger than needed. This means that your light, and all the others, use more power and illuminate more than one passenger, just to solve the illumination problem. Nigel’s team decided that they could do a better job and did just that – STG made an LED light that delivers a rectangular light beam illuminating only one table top. More importantly, they are using LEDs, which can get near to the color of solar light – better on the eyes and limit brightness. The light itself fits in existing fixtures, uses one LED in a special lamp-sized replacement and works like any other bulb but does a better job, at less power. Don’t believe us, check out the demo box picture (the light itself just replaces ones in the plane) and see for yourself: STG Aerospace gives passengers a defined private space with its new passenger centric LED reading light. Designed initially for the B737NG, we expect to see a lot more planes with this product.

Next, we saw the saf-Tglo product, a blue photoluminescent floor path living strip that delivers a blue shift, different from green strips that abound today. While aesthetic are on value in this product, their brochure notes that, “In addition to optimizing the glow colour, saf-Tglo blu provides a wider, brighter colour palette in ambient due to it’s whiter base colour.” Be sure to see it for yourself!

Finally, Neil Thomas told IFExpress: “Quite frankly, any light in the cabin is one we are looking to improve,”  and thus he gave a perfect introduction to the last new product we saw, the new LED mood lighting system using LED strip lights that replace fluorescent lights and deliver an improved onboard experience. Said Nigel; “STG is trying to do things with lighting that collectively make a big difference.” Importantly, the lighting on an aircraft can affect the mood of passengers and STG realized the need for a ‘more aesthetically pleasing’ light solution and eliminate the sub-visual flickering that fluorescent lights give off. Mr. Duncan noted a Manchester University study that shows it is not the variety of colors that impacts passengers, it is the depth of color and saturation levels – features designed into their lighting solution. The liteMood LED cabin lights are presently installed on B757 and B737NG aircraft and have been flying for 16 months now. Since some 96 percent of flying aircraft today utilize fluorescent lighting the market looks quite healthy but because the STG provides a strip kit, the airlines can do the modification themselves.

Inmarsat:

The company has outlined its long-term aviation broadband roadmap to ensure that rising demand for fast, reliable and global passenger in-flight connectivity is met for the next five years and beyond. The launch of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) Aviation solution this year (Dec. 2016) creates the world’s first high-speed passenger in-flight connectivity solution with seamless, end-to-end global coverage, delivered through a single operator. Initial airline customers include Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Jazeera Airways. In all, they are running some 26 STC programs in parallel!

Inmarsat noted: “The GX network, which entered commercial service in December 2015 and currently includes three powerful Ka-band satellites, will provide the international bandwidth capacity needed to meet existing and near-term demand from airlines. As part of the aviation broadband roadmap, it also provides a global coverage underlay that will be built upon to meet future demand.” We note that GX is Ka Band and it employs spot beams. From their Newsroom: “The companies will manufacture 0.6 to 2.4 metre aperture terminals to deliver up to 50Mbps downlink speeds.” We also note that this should replicate data rates like ground based mobile applications. Also, keep your eye on future GX applications that support the new, flat Kymeta antenna!

Inmarsat has already committed to a fourth GX satellite, which is completing construction and testing by Boeing and will provide additional network capacity. It has also awarded Airbus Defence and Space a contract to build the first two satellites for its sixth-generation fleet, the first of which is scheduled for delivery by 2020. Uniquely for Inmarsat, the new fleet will feature a dual-payload, with each satellite supporting both Ka-band and L-band services. Based on current services and demand, the Ka-band co-payload will augment the capacity of the GX network over busy air routes and regions, while the L-band capacity supports a new generation of aviation safety services. Launch customer, Lufthansa, will install and go into service 3Q 2016 on an A320.

Another vital component in the roadmap is Inmarsat’s European Aviation Network (EAN), which will be the first aviation passenger connectivity solution across European airspace to integrate an advanced satellite network and LTE-based ground network; the latter will be operated by Deutsche Telekom. Aircraft will switch automatically between satellite and terrestrial connectivity using an onboard network communicator for optimal service delivery.

Also, Inmarsat, has signed a Heads of Terms (HoT) agreement with Beijing Marine Communication & Navigation Company Ltd. (MCN), which will lead to the creation of a joint venture (JV) to provide aircraft cabin and cockpit connectivity solutions in China’s fast-growing commercial aviation market. The Inmarsat services that would be provided through the JV include Global Xpress (GX) Aviation and SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S).  The final agreement is expected to be signed later this year.

Inmarsat noted also: “GX Aviation will launch this year as the world’s first broadband in-flight connectivity solution with seamless, end-to-end global coverage. Passengers will be able to browse the internet, use social media, stream online videos, download files and more using their smartphones, tablets and other Wi-Fi enabled devices, with a similar quality of service in the air as they would receive on the ground.”

Note: SB-S is a next generation cyber secure flight deck communication platform, enabling airlines to meet the ICAO mandate for sub-15 minute tracking of all aircraft, Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC)’s four-minute mandate, Automatic Dependent Surveillance and electronic flight bag updates. Combining L-band satellite connectivity with advanced avionics, it delivers speeds 10 times faster than existing Classic Aero services to provide airlines with cockpit communications for the digital age.

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OTHER NEWS

IFP/GEE:

Editor’s Note: There has been a lawsuit underway between content service provider, IFP (parent company Global Eagle) and Universal regarding licensing since 2013. The issue will go to damages trial on May 10, 2016. Below are a series of exerts from various publications that outline the history suit:

“The defendant in the lawsuit is IFP and parent company Global Eagle, a worldwide provider of in-flight entertainment from movies to songs. IFP scored a lucrative contract loading American Airlines (and later US Airways) with music playlists obtained via physical CDs and digital downloads, and in 2008 upon concern that it had licensing issues, approached the major labels for a deal.” Hollywood Reporter 4/22/16

“At issue is the discrepancy between what artists get paid for a ‘license’ of their song versus a ‘sale’ of their song. Under contracts that were written before iTunes and other song download services, artists were paid 15% per sale but 50% per license. However, many ‘legacy’ artists argued that digital downloads were licenses, not sales, and they should be paid the higher royalty rate.” Plagiarism Today March 20, 2015

“Inflight operates the entertainment consoles for various airlines, including American Airlines, which was added to the lawsuit previously. Universal alleges that Inflight did not have proper licenses to play Universal Music, especially on international flights where there may not be a single licensing body to authorize the use of music.
However, Inflight has responded saying that they had an agreement with Universal that began in 2009. Though the agreement was never finalized, Universal repeatedly assured Inflight that they were not infringing until, in 2013, Universal hit them with a surprise cease and desist letter.” Plagiarism Today March 20, 2015

“Then in November 2013 the label suddenly sent them a cease-and-desist letter, which they claim has interfered with their contractual relationships with airlines.
They speculate Universal changed its tune in response to changes in the music industry. They claim the label followed the example of Sony’s suit in 2013 against Inflight and United Airlines specifically over Irish licenses (the case eventually settled). Then they claim Universal wants money in settlements “in the wake of a substantial decline in the music business” and want to establish its own business to provide music to airlines.”Hollywood Reporter 3/19/15

“In a tentative summary judgment ruling that was adopted on Wednesday, however, U.S. District Judge George Wu writes, “At best, there is evidence that the parties discussed various terms, but never reached any final agreements,” and further, “There is ample evidence that IFP knew it had no licenses from Plaintiffs and that it could be sued for copyright infringement, and no evidence that Plaintiffs ever indicated to IFP that any such licenses were forthcoming or misrepresented any existing fact.” Hollywood Reporter 4/22/16

“Here’s the adopted tentative as well as the Wednesday ruling that also rejects a statute of limitations defense. The case is now set for a damages trial on May 10 with more than 4,500 copyrights involved. The plaintiffs are led by Jeffrey D. Goldman at Jeffer Mangels while the defendants are being handled by Marty Katz at Shappard Mullin.” Hollywood Reporter 4/22/16

“Universal Music and its co-plaintiffs are seeking maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for each work that Inflight infringed, or an award of profits and compensatory damages. They also seek restitution of Inflight’s profits, punitive and exemplary damages, and an injunction.” Courthouse News – 6/23/15

You do the math!

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EVEN MORE NEWS

• Last week’s BUZZ picture was incorrect… please note we pictured Ms. Agnieszka Jacquemot with Sara Pepic’s quote? Thank you, Alexander Preston, as you win the IFExpress prize – your name in print!
• Also, Web Barth can be reached as follows: webbarth@vts.global  – Sorry Web, didn’t know there was a ‘.global’ on the web.
• And lastly, On July 15, 2016, Boeing will celebrate its’ 100th birthday.

Hamburg, Germany | April 6, 2016– Eastern Air Lines, the iconic brand that was synonymous with air travel in the last century, is back in the air, flying with STG Aerospace’s LED mood lighting system, liTeMood® on it’s 737NG aircraft.

The re-born carrier, which is based alongside STG Aerospace at Miami International Airport, has been operating twice-daily flights between Miami and Havana since May 2015 and has other Latin American destinations on the horizon.

Becoming the latest airline to install the FAA and EASA approved LED mood lighting system, Eastern Air Lines selected liTeMood® on the basis of its capability to improve the passenger experience through the on-board quality and consistency of light. With its unique, patented wireless programmability function, lighting levels can be easily tailored to create the exact aesthetic ambience that the aircraft’s operators require.

The installation took place during an interior upgrade, using all the existing wiring, mounting points and connectors, making it a true plug-and-play system. CEO of Eastern Air Lines, Ed Wegel, commented:
“Everything that STG Aerospace said about the simplicity of installing liTeMood® LED mood lighting proved to be 100% accurate. STG Aerospace has enabled us to offer our passengers the best cabin ambience experience.”

In addition to improving the overall comfort within the cabin, liTeMood® offers up to a 40kg weight reduction and a further 70% reduction in power consumption, significantly increasing both the fuel efficiency and electrical efficiency on aircraft. STG Aerospace’s liTeMood® is more reliable than original-fit fluorescent lighting systems, and reduces ongoing maintenance and operational costs.

While STG’s team stood by to support the carrier’s first installation, Eastern Air Lines was successful installing the system on their own, which is a testament to the ease of installation. Marcus Williams, Director of Sales for STG Aerospace added:
“It is fantastic to be working with such a legacy carrier. The Eastern Air Lines installation is another example of just how quickly and easily liTeMood® can be installed, requiring no aircraft modification. STG Aerospace’s cabin lighting systems improve the passenger ambience by creating a better defined and more comfortable passenger environment. STG Aerospace has an enviable track record of innovation and bringing simple, practical, cost effective cabin lighting solutions to market which make a genuine difference to our airline customers and ultimately their passengers.”

Complementing its liTeMood® LED mood lighting system, STG Aerospace offers a range of liTeMood® LED ancillary lighting solutions which work together to create a uniformity of colour throughout the aircraft cabin.

United Kingdom | April 5, 2016– Aircraft cabin lighting specialist, STG Aerospace has re-defined standards in passenger privacy, comfort and visual experience with the launch of its highly innovative liTeMood® LED reading light.

liTeMood® LED reading lights are an affordable plug and play replacement for Boeing 737 NG incandescent reading lights. The passenger centric lighting units feature a unique patented photometric design that delivers a square light pattern which precisely defines the individual passenger space, while preventing the inconvenient light spill onto neighbouring passengers.

In addition to improving the overall comfort in the cabin, liTeMood® LED reading lights offer unparalleled levels of performance and are over 10 times more reliable than incandescent lights, and offer an 80% power reduction to increase the aircraft electrical efficiency.

Commenting on the latest addition to join the liTeMood® family, Dr Sean O’Kell, Director of Innovation at STG Aerospace, commented: “We have designed a really clever optic that instead of providing a circular light source, delivers a high quality uniform square light pattern which provides a better reading environment and defines the passenger space. Our new reading light is the latest example of our commitment to human-centric lighting and has been designed to tick all the boxes – the quality of light, the quantity of light, the passenger experience and the ease of installation – for the airline it really is just like changing a bulb.”

Designed to reduce the glare on tray tables, eBooks and tablets, liTeMood® LED reading lights have been designed to optimise the retail environment. They feature a multi-phosphor LED with a high CRI (Colour Rendering Index) in the excess of 95 which renders colours more vividly, making magazines more readable, inflight meals more enticing and on board merchandise more attractive for purchase.

Nigel Duncan, CEO of STG Aerospace, added: “Our liTeMood® product range is an affordable, aftermarket, mood lighting solution designed to enhance the passenger experience. At STG Aerospace we ensure airlines receive top quality, highly reliable next generation lighting systems that genuinely deliver an improved passenger experience and improved operational metrics for the airlines. Attention must be paid to providing passengers with a sense of control and personal privacy in their immediate environment while offering airlines a high quality lighting ambience and high CRI levels to optimise their retail environment and increase yields.”

The new range of STG Aerospace’s innovative aircraft cabin lighting products will be on display in a life size model cabin at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg between 5th – 7th April – stand 6B41.

These new products will complement STG Aerospace’s existing range of innovation cabin lighting products: liTeMood®, saf-Tglo® and saf-Tsign®.

STG Aerospace believes it is important to understand the total interaction of all light sources to provide an integrated lighting environment, one that delivers an enhanced passenger experience, increased customer loyalty, a strong airline brand identity and the optimisation of the cabin as a retail environment while still ensuring full compliance with all safety regulations.

Germany | February 26, 2016– 328 Design GmbH (328DO), part of the 328 Group, the Germany-based refurbishment, completions and aircraft maintenance specialist, has successfully achieved the first Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the Dassault Falcon 50EX from the US FAA under the FAA/EASA bilateral safety agreement.

The STC covers extensive cabin refurbishment including the replacement of the legacy Cabin Management System/In-flight Entertainment (CMS/IFE) with Honeywell Ovation Select state-of-the-art Audio/HD Video Entertainment and CMS including T-PED (Transmitting Portable Electronic Device) connectivity via Wi-Fi. Additional features include a complete cabin refurbishment, replacing all hard and soft materials, the installation of new LED cabin lighting and galley modification.

The project was achieved in collaboration with USA-based Duncan Aviation at the company’s full service facility in Battle Creek, Michigan. This latest STC marks 328DO’s 21st collaboration with Duncan Aviation in the four years the companies have been working together.

The validation process posed a number of challenges as the project has been classified as a non-standard STC. However, following extensive collaboration and support from both EASA and the FAA, 328 Design GmbH was able to overcome the difficulties.

Leading the project was Jörg Gorkenant, Chief Operating Officer and Head of 328DO. He commented: “We are delighted to receive this first STC for the Dassault Falcon 50EX from the FAA. 328DO has become renowned for its expertise on certification capabilities and this represents another major milestone for the company.”

The awarding of the STC follows a significant track record of success in certification achievements for 328DO, who have to date amassed STCs and minor mods approvals on various aircraft types.

328DO has collaborated with Duncan Aviation on EASA STC approvals for aircraft including the Bombardier Challenger Series, Global Express, Dassault Falcon 900EX and 2000 as well as 7X and Citation 560XL.

• Upgrade significantly reduces aircraft weight, works independently or with variety of passenger entertainment solutions

Cedar Rapids, Iowa | January 5, 2016– Air France Industries will soon upgrade four Airbus A330 aircraft for one of its customers with Rockwell Collins’ PAVES™ Passenger Services System (PSS). The standalone, cost-effective reading light and cabin crew call system with USB charging port brings several benefits, including a significant reduction in aircraft weight.

Depending on the system it replaces, PAVES PSS can bring weight savings that exceed 1,000 pounds, producing millions of dollars saved annually from a significant reduction in fuel cost. Other benefits of upgrading to PAVES PSS include:

• Flexibility to operate as an independent system or with a variety of passenger entertainment solutions, including wireless, connectivity or overhead IFE such as PAVES Broadcast
• Greater efficiency as it requires much less power to operate than legacy systems
• Improved reliability resulting in a noticeable reduction in recurring maintenance costs.

“Our PSS provides a long-lasting solution to ensure that twin-aisle cabins are equipped for the future,” said Greg Irmen, vice president and general manager, Flight Controls and Information Systems for Rockwell Collins. “A big challenge airlines face with legacy reading light and cabin call systems is dealing with obsolescence. With PSS, airlines can rest easier knowing they can meet regulatory requirements and keep their aircraft in service.”

Rockwell Collins teamed with Air France Industries on this cabin solution—Air France Industries designed the installation and continues to develop innovative solutions generated by Rockwell Collins’ new products.

Deliveries of PAVES PSS to Air France Industries will begin this month.

PAVES PSS is part of Rockwell Collins’ complete portfolio of PAVES IFE and connectivity solutions that meet the passenger engagement needs of any airline, including seat-centric IFE, broadcast and wireless IFE, high-speed broadband connectivity, moving map and passenger services systems—all from one company.

Las Vegas, Nevada | November 13, 2015– The innovative electro-luminescent markings developed by Aircelle (Safran) that display full-color graphics, logos and messaging on aircraft will make its business aviation debut at next week’s 2015 NBAA Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To be shown on Safran’s exhibit stand in the Las Vegas Convention Center (North Hall, Booth #5317), the patented “Illuminate the Sky by Aircelle” markings are capable of representing a nearly unlimited range of patterns and animations. Their placement is possible almost anywhere on an aircraft – from the fuselage and under-fuselage belly to engine nacelles and tail.

With the thickness of a decal, this solution can be easily reprogrammed, allowing a variety of images and patterns to be displayed and updated.

Operating with on-board electrical power, the “Illuminate the Sky by Aircelle” solution opens up creative opportunities that are exceptionally visible, with applications including the highlighting of aircraft liveries, depiction of corporate logos, along with advertising and the promotion of sports events.

For the presentation at NBAA, Aircelle has integrated a demonstrator electro-luminescent display on a magnetic backing, allowing the easy movement and positioning of this 370-micron-thin marking.

“We are offering a truly unique solution for the business aviation market, especially for owners who want their aircraft to really stand out with customized personalization, and for corporate branding,” explained Serge Rière, Aircelle’s Site & Operations Director.

Aircelle flight tested the “Illuminate the Sky by Aircelle” markings on an A380 jetliner earlier this year, and first exhibited the concept at the 2015 Paris Air Show in June. The market response was immediate and very positive, Rière said. As a result, Aircelle currently is in discussion on multiple potential applications for the electro-luminescent markings.

The concept resulted from three years of work that benefited from Aircelle’s innovation and branding capabilities as a leading engine nacelle supplier – while also utilizing the expertise of another Safran company, Labinal Power Systems. Aircelle’s consideration of innovative aircraft lighting concepts evolved from its experience in applying highly detailed, complex airline logos on the engine nacelles it produces for jetliners.

You have to like the Australians! Accordingly, when we interviewed the digEcor team we walked away with a lot of information about the products, the people, and the purpose. Consequently, we thought our readers might like a bit of “down under” in IFExpress this week!

According to digEcor’s CEO, David Withers: “Yesterday (APEX opening day) was the best opening day for us at an APEX show… with a good, solid flow of airlines visiting our booth.” He also noted that the airline visitors must have found some interesting new products as they asked a lot of questions. And, after all, that is what trade shows are about. This also says a lot for the new, full offering from digEcor. One of their goals has been to offer a complete ‘Integrated Flight Experience’, a favorite term of David’s for as long as we have known him. Partially, this is why they have developed LED cabin lighting, in-seat power, portable entertainment devices, GLIDE their embedded seat centric system, content services, and ENGAGE their crew management software (air and ground). The booth display said it all… the complete Integrated Flight Experience. Let’s look at each one, and we note that each item is summarized on their website. Furthermore, the subtitle is ‘The Integrated Flight experience’ which says a lot more that the words themselves – digEcor is looking at ‘big picture’ integration and their products prove that.

GLIDE: Without a doubt, digEcor’s signature embedded inflight entertainment solution is GLIDE. It is functional, easy-to-maintain and low-cost. Supporting 1TB of content and USB power and as standard, 110V in-seat power, 8, 10, 12, 15 and 21″ screens in 16:9 format. Glide offers a reliable full feature solution and is available today. As Mr. Withers noted: “The most flexible and lowest cost embedded IFE system available. It is now FAA certified and flying.”

GLIDE Features: 1) Seat Back, Arm Mount or Monument Mount Screens available in 8, 10, 12, 15 and 21″ in 16:9 format 2) 2.1A USB Power standard 3) Seat box powers 6 screens and provides 4 x 110V outlets or the new lighter weight and smaller seat box powers 4 screens 4) Single LRU Cabin Management Terminal provides a 10″ touch screen crew interface and contains all the required A429, PA, RS485 and discrete inputs and outputs and replaces the entire VCC 5) Typical installations are – Modular design, scalable by features and fit

PORTABLES: Portables Features: 1) 8″, 10″ and 12″ screen sizes 2) PCAP (Capacitive Touch) 3) Optional Camera 4) Gig Ethernet for content uploading (In station) 5) 5V USB input for inflight charging 6) Configurable storage (8GB to 1TB) 7) SD card optional for fast content load (1GB to 128GB) 8) Quad core 1.1GHZ processor 9) Configurable 1GB-8GB DDR RAM 10) Light sensor for back light dimming 11) 12hr / 18hr batteries available 13) Smart battery with status. (image)

IN-SEAT POWER: In-seat power is available as 5V USB at a full 2.1amps for iPad charging and 110V for laptops (inseat power display image).

USB: 1) 5 Volt, 10W (2.1A) full charging outlet at each seat 2) Typical weight per passenger 0.4kg (0.7lb) 3) Typical additional seat weight per triple 0.7kg (1.5lb)  4) Optional Passenger Service System (PSS-Reading Light and Call Bell) functionality for wide-body aircraft 5) Each outlet switchable OFF, Low Power (200ma) and Full Power (2.1A) to enable ancillary revenue opportunities

LAPTOP: 1) 110V 60Hz laptop power 2) 70W per outlet 3) 4 Outlets per GLIDE seat box

CABIN LIGHTING: digEcor’s new LED cabin lighting solution is an easy, economical way for airlines to create a memorable flight experience. The solution is controlled by cabin crew, is easily installed and reduces power consumption. Passengers can access more than 4 billion colors through the GLIDE embedded IFE system and easily manipulate the color and intensity to create a restful space or enhance their brand association.

Cabin Lighting: 1) Replacement modules for most existing light assemblies 2) 4 LED matrix to maximize color depth and intensity 3) Full control of color and intensity via GLIDE CM 4) Fully programmable transitions between colors 5) Independent ceiling and sidewall control 6) Weight saving 7) Up to 30% reduction in power 8) Long life – 5 year warranty on all digEcor hardware

It is also worth noting a new feature of this solution… digEcor now offers the capability to take their custom light color and intensity meter, which measures light in 2 axis, forward and above, giving the ability to record sunsets or sunrises or any transition and reproduce it in the cabin by displaying the horizontal axis on the side walls and the vertical axis on the ceiling. Thus giving the ability to replicate sunsets and sunrises that are relevant to the sector passengers are flying on the airline’s network. For example, a night flight from London UK to Brisbane Australia will start with a transition to the UK sunset and wake passengers up with a sunny Australian sunrise. “And what a great place to wake up in the morning, noted Mr. Withers!”

ENGAGE SOFTWARE: This solution provides value to the customer, inflight crew and ground staff. It captures, reports, synchronizes and efficiently sends data in real-time across the entire customer journey. This empowers every member of airline front-line staff to deliver remarkable customer experiences every day. With three easy to use modules, ‘Cabin’, ‘Forms’ and ‘Ground’ it engages the staff in a quick, easy and manageable way. ENGAGE offers vast benefits to airline business including improved communication, proactive customer recovery, operational efficiency and streamlined reporting.

CONTENT SERVICES: From selection, licensing, encoding, encryption, integration, quality control and delivery. Whether or not airlines purchase their handheld or embedded solutions, digEcor wants to help deliver the most memorable entertainment experience. They can customize any needs around content for airlines with a full service turnkey solution or a de-bundled approach across the global network.

By way of history, David and his team has been “…getting hardware and software certified and flying,” so he told IFExpress. Their branding experiences have taught them; “The experience is about the journey – and passengers want a seamless experience,” he noted. For example, ENGAGE, rebranded as RED for Qantas is now used in their lounges as well as on the plane. “But the real key,” he said, “is applying technology correctly… and that is what helps facilitate the experience.”

It is no surprise that digEcor is aviation experience oriented. It’s CEO, started in the aviation business when he was 13 washing and fueling airplanes (. His career has been entirely aviation focused with David working at companies like Qantas, Smiths Group (now GE) and Boeing, mostly in senior leadership positions. We asked David about his aviation background and he told IFExpress; “I love our industry and have worked in it since I was 13 when I started washing planes at the local aeroclub. I have been lucky enough to spend my entire career in aviation and over that time have fixed, designed and flown aeroplanes of all shapes and sizes. I started the formal part of my career in an airline (Qantas) where I worked initially as a mechanic and later as a designated engineering representative once I’d completed my engineering degree part time in my evenings. It was at Qantas where I first got involved with IFE initially being responsible for duplicating the endless tape cassettes, which gives away my age! Over time I led the integration of the domestic and international entertainment products and established the first near live news service using satellite to distribute live news to all the Qantas domestic airports where we dubbed it to tape and manually loaded it on each aircraft twice a day. This was cutting edge technology in the mid 1990’s. I moved from Qantas to Smiths Aerospace, then Europe’s largest manufacturer of aircraft components and systems where I led building of their Asia Pacific business as its managing director. From there I moved to Boeing as president of its Australian operations with around 5,500 employees. As I said I’ve been very fortunate in my career.”

More to the point, he told IFExpress that, “Every one of our product offerings is either certified or in the process of FAA certification!” David Withers and his teams, both in Australia and Utah, have got the right stuff. In fact the boss put it better than we could: “It never occurs to us not to go and do something.” If this year’s booth and products are any indication, they will not stop surprising this industry!

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Perhaps one of the cleverest ideas to come out of Seattle last week at the Aircraft Interiors Conference was the floor layout… and it will probably be repeated. The AI folks placed the conference seminar stage and floor inside the exhibition hall and surrounded it with display booths . What really worked both days was the fact that your could tour the booths and if you saw a presentation that interested a floorwalker, it was easy to duck in. But beyond that, 3D printing was the big deal and there must have been 10 booths covering one phase of the process or another (here are some parts made by 3D printing). Further, the following technologies seemed to be in the forefront, seating related products, seats, thermoplastic products, cabin lighting, seating comfort products and technologies, plating (especially plastic), reflective technology, USB application technologies, precision machining, materials and mixing technologies, fabrics, NRC manufacturing, and a lot of technologies and products that IFExpress does not feature – mechanical engineers heaven. The newer gel honeycombed products are a real seat pleaser (pun intended) and we look forward to testing them on a flight – the secret? Simple, it’s silicone honeycomb with breathing holes in the cell walls. Great stuff! Another surprise were the 3D plastic printed products from Stratasys. They showed a line of ECS ducting that was 6” in diameter and promised a cheaper and better product than the older manufactured tubing. One company demonstrated their 3D printing capabilities by “printing” a ukulele body out of plastic, and it played and sounded quite well.

From a power point of view, the folks from Astronics showed up with more of their tray table related products in view while a company called True Blue Power demonstrated a 28VDC power supply that delivered USB 2.1 Amps into a total of 10 USB outlets, also of their design. And what would a show that had lighting be without Olaf Schultz of Schott? He brought two lighting developments of interest – Heliojet White and Spectrum strips that contain a large number of white or color-capable LED’s, each LED with it’s own color/brightness sensor for balance… not to mention their star dotted ceiling panels the is comprised of a powerful LED light with what appeared to be over 50 individual fiber optic outlet “stars” in the ceiling panel. In the same booth, Christian Lierow demonstrated Lufthansa Technik’s reflective lighting solutions. From a color point of view, they easily showed 20 reflective colors and something we had never seen before – curved reflective floor markers.

All in all, the show and the speakers were very interesting and a lot of new technology was on display. We were a bit sorry that the expo wasn’t as big as the previous years, but there appeared to be plenty of traffic on the floor.

“I was very impressed with the technical know-how of the exhibitors at this years Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas event this week in Seattle. I was able to engage in in-depth discussions with attendees about product details that will definitely help us specify these products in future modification programs,” noted John Courtright. Here is a link to the Aircraft Interiors floor plan for the Seattle event and it should give you an idea about the layout.

Check out the floor layout, you will see this concept in the future – it works!

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Boeing’s famous aviation pioneer personality, Dick Taylor, passed away recently – here is a bit about the man and his remembrances.  (And yes, I worked for him too! TJW)

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Bill Baltra sent us this link to a YouTube video about a flying Gogo 2Ku System running 40 inflight devices – 2Ku Flight testing on N321GG with 40+ streaming video devices. ‬ There will be more on this one.

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Ron Chapman says: “KONNG will be king of the connectivity solutions,” but you be the judge at NBAA!

United Kingdom | February 24, 2015– Leading aircraft cabin lighting company STG Aerospace is delighted to announce that Copa Airlines has become the latest airline to install its liTeMood®  retrofit LED lighting system representing the first airline in Latin America to complete a 737-800 liTeMood® installation.

With many of their 737NG fleet installed with Boeing Sky Interior, Copa looked for a cost effective solution to upgrade and harmonise the look and feel of cabin interiors of the older aircraft installed with fluorescent lighting.  The liTeMood® installation followed an on-wing demonstration in Panama during 2014. Founded in 1947, Copa Airlines serves as Panama’s flag carrier flying more than 11 million passengers a year to destinations in 30 countries in North, Central and Latin America and the Caribbean.

liTeMood® is a versatile, programmable, fully plug-and-play system which can be installed quickly and easily and offers a highly cost-effective upgrade for airlines seeking to improve passenger experience and increase yields.  It features significantly increased reliability over traditional lighting systems, thereby reducing ongoing maintenance and operational costs, and also delivers important environmental benefits. Not only is liTeMood® up to 40kg lighter than original-fit fluorescent lighting, it also consumes 70% less power, increasing both the aircraft’s fuel and electrical efficiency.

Despite the simplicity of its design, liTeMood® incorporates the latest research into the effects of ambient lighting on individual passenger comfort and wellbeing and, as a result of its versatility, can also be applied to achieve impactful brand differentiation.

This may be one of the first places you read about a new-patented PED Pouch – that’s Personal Electronic Device Pouch. While it is just a seatback, portable entertainment device holder, it represents where a lot of future IFE will be coming from – you! Interested? Read about the particulars here. We asked Global’s Todd Hamblin, a few questions that he answered in the next paragraph.

“The PED Pouch is made from the same material as the seat cover. The customer will have the ability to define whether they want leather or fabric along with the color. The surface that you can view your device through is Lexan and it that passes the required FAA flammability testing. We are currently fabricating prototype units to be demonstrated during the Hamburg AIX. The PED Pouch is being developed as a standalone unit that can be sold to airlines, seat vendors or aftermarket seat refurbishment companies. A Velcro strip, if not already present, will need to be sewn into the top of the seat cover. The PED Pouch will come with a mating Velcro strip that will then attach to the seat top and lay over the seat back. For those seats that have a Velcro strip installed so the airline can install head doilies, we will include an extra Velcro strip on top of the PED Pouch so we don’t interrupt the airline process. We have designed the PED Pouch to accept the Microsoft Surface so that all other handheld devices will easily fit. We have also left small openings in the bottom and sides to allow passengers to plug in power to charge or headphones. And yes, Global received a launch customer for the PED Pouch last week and are currently working the certification plan to obtain an FAA project number.” For more information, contact Todd Hamblin +1.513.444.4049 (thamblin@gadc.aero)

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Iridium and Globalstar are in the process of developing some very interesting and new solutions for connectivity and aircraft location capabilities. Iridium’s 66-satellite LEO constellation covers 100 percent of the globe, while Globalstar has 32 LEO satellites in earth orbit. Globalstar has a new Sat-Fi product that enables voice, data and TXT worldwide. Iridium’s Next program, the next generation, will be fully implemented by 2017. Watch for faster aviation data solutions that result in advantages from the upgraded. Iridium Next will have 66 “birds” in Low Earth Orbit, a 9x improvement in throughput and 125x improvement in memory capacity – Ka Band up to 1.5 Mbps and broadcast up to 64 Kbps. As you would expect, with global coverage, ADS-B, seems a real potential and Aireon was formed to help just that. With Aireon, air traffic management organizations worldwide can track an aircraft’s position in real-time, thus minimizing disasters like MH 370. Don’t be surprised if a few more connectivity providers crop up soon for this solution and more inflight/ground Internet and connectivity solution.

Generally, there is also a lot of interest in low earth orbit Internet, as well as, aviation connectivity and much of the desire is based upon the shorter signal transit time for signals to be sent to, and received back from, the source, as we noted above. There may be some crossover in the two solutions, (aviation and Internet) but who knows how it will work out? Google, Facebook, and Elon Musk are names we recently have seen that are interested and have committed money to provide a worldwide Internet solution.

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And speaking of inflight Internet, Eric Tarter sent us this very interesting link: “Thought you might want to read this… very interesting article on O3b and upcoming OneWeb.  Brief mention of this technology to bring much faster (and sounds like less costly) Internet to aircraft.  Also Qualcomm and Virgin Group are big backers of OneWeb.”

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London, 2 February 2015 – Inmarsat announced the successful launch of its second Global Xpress (GX) satellite (Inmarsat-5 F2) on board an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton Breeze M rocket launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan yesterday (Sunday 1 February) at 12:31 GMT. Check out the full release.

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The next time you smell cinnamon on an aircraft you might consider that it is not coming from a dessert. Noted Science Daily, “People smelling warm fragrances such as cinnamon feel that the room they are in is more crowded, and feel less powerful as a result,” wrote the authors. “This can lead them to compensate by buying items they feel are more prestigious.” They went on to say, “When people in a room experienced a “warm” scent such as cinnamon, they felt the room was more crowded than when they experienced a “cool” scent, even though the room contained the same number of people each time. The people in the “warm, crowded” room felt less powerful as a result of the perceived crowding, and were more likely to compensate for this loss of power by buying items which they felt were prestigious and which helped raise their personal status.” Hmmm, we just thought about sweet rolls – go figure.

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One reader told IFExpress: “One airline wanted to sell the interior and exterior surfaces of the winglets, both wings, with a Guinness Beer advertisement.  The airline claimed Boeing would get a payback in 18-months. Boeing apparently rejected their inventive offer because they had to pay the composite supplier in cash, not beer.  But the idea was indeed creative.  Now it seems Boeing has hit upon a way to leverage those moving billboards.  See the article: Boeing’s flying Jumbotrons could light up future jetliners with digital advertisements”

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It never crossed our minds that an LED could deliver light and data at the same time, especially without being able to notice the data signals on the light. Harald Haus did and his TED Talk is a real eye opener, especially when you realize that a lot of new aircraft interior lighting is from LED’s.

And while we are on the subject of light and signals, we know this discovery is important. Perhaps, it will even work with the technology we noted in the previous sentence… or not!

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Dateline: Seattle – Boeing Museum of Flight moves planes, readying new covered Air Transport Gallery.

• Showcases solutions to help airports to manage the complete cycle from landing to takeoff in a ‘smarter’ way

Dubai Airport Show | May 2014– ADB Airfield Solutions will reveal its ‘Smarter Airports’ vision at this year’s edition of the Airport Show, Dubai, scheduled from May 11 – 13, 2014. The company’s Smarter Airport concept enables airports to manage air traffic and airside resources safely and efficiently, while reducing environmental impact. To achieve this, ADB helps airports manage five key aspects from landing to take-off – Safety and Reliability, Design, Approach, AGL, Maintenance, intelligently.

The company is also displaying a host of products and solutions that tie into the Smarter Airport concept.

“Intelligent management of airside resources is at the very heart of our Smart Airports concept. We believe this is what airports will need to succeed in overcoming challenges today, and in the years ahead,” said Christian Onselaere, CEO, ADB Group. “Moreover, this concept aligns perfectly with our vision of being an end-to-end airfield technology provider, something we are moving towards at an exciting pace with the recent acquisitions of LUCEBIT and ERNI AGL*.”

ADB’s Smarter Airport concept envisages intelligent management of five key aspects – Smarter Safety and Reliability – what ADB aims to help its customers achieve, and Smarter Design – making the best use of the airport location, meteorological conditions, landing and take-off possibilities; Smarter Approach and Smarter AGL and visual guidance, including offerings from ADB Group companies – ADB Airfield Solutions, LUCEBIT and ERNI AGL, and ADB’s partners. Finally, Smarter Maintenance with its structured, ICAO-compliant and preventive approach to optimize airside availability and safety of maintenance staff completes the vision.

The company’s all-LED ‘Smarter Approach’** offering, which is on display, delivers smarter, greener and more reliable airport approach. It encompasses ADB’s proven LED AGL including its high-performance LED Approach, LED PAPI and Threshold, Runway End lighting (LEAP), ERNI’s LED Flashing lights and Approach Inset lights, and Exel’s frangible lattice masts and poles for approach lighting.
ADB is a market leader in the Middle East, with key references that include UAE Armed forces airbases, regional airports in UAE at Abu Dhabi, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujaira, Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh International Airport and major airports managed by GACA, the country’s civil aviation body. It has also supported Qatar’s New Hamad International Airport, Bahrain International Airport, and Kuwait International Airport, among others.