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Astronics Ballard Technology’s webFB® Selected by Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA for Fleet Data Acquisition

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A year-long trial of the webFB smart AID/server enabled airline to streamline data collection and improve operational efficiency

East Aurora, NY | May 15, 2018– Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace, defense and semiconductor industries, announced that Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS) has selected the webFB® Wireless Electronic Flight Bag device, offered through its wholly owned subsidiary Astronics Ballard Technology. NAS will install the webFB on all of its Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft to improve and automate aircraft data collection.

“We are very excited to be working with Norwegian Air Shuttle on this project. Their application is an ideal match for the high- reliability ARINC 717 data capture capabilities of the webFB,” said Jon Neal, President of Astronics Ballard Technology. “They also recognize the tremendous advantage of a simple, easy-to- install solution that minimizes aircraft downtime and allows them to quickly retrofit their fleet and gain immediate benefits.”

Aleksander Geist, Senior Avionics Engineer with Norwegian Air Shuttle, says, “For quite some time, we have been searching for a solution to improve and automate the collection of aircraft data, which currently is a manual process using physical media. The webFB, in conjunction with our EFBs, offer a very flexible and cost-effective solution. Astronics Ballard Technology has been very responsive in our aircraft trials and we are pleased with the data acquisition performance and the long-term benefit it will have for our organization. We are already looking ahead to future use cases that will allow us to further leverage our webFB technology investment.”

Astronics participated with NAS in a year-long operational trial of the webFB to validate the suitability of the device in operation and the economic benefits of the solution. In the application, the webFB gathers data from the aircraft’s ARINC 717 databus and wirelessly routes it to the electronic flight bags (EFBs), where it is automatically transferred by NAS to a data center and used for post-flight analysis. With the webFB already operating on 10 aircraft, NAS will install the product on all of their additional Boeing 737NG aircraft.

The webFB is the first approved wireless AID certified for use in the flight deck

East Aurora, NY | June 12, 2017– Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Astronics Armstrong Aerospace and Astronics Ballard Technology, announced today it has received installation approval by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Transport Canada, and Direccíon General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC Mexico) for its webFB® Wireless Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) device for use on Boeing 737 aircraft. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the initial Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the webFB in 2016.

“These approvals will enable installation of the webFB on aircraft not only in the US, but now throughout Europe, Canada and Mexico,” said Jon Neal, Vice President and General Manager of Astronics Ballard Technology. “The webFB is a game-changer in terms of size, cost and ease of installation. The wireless webFB device enables airlines to provide avionics data connectivity to their portable EFBs with a simple install requiring minimal downtime. A fleet-wide implementation could be completed in days rather than years.”
The ultra-compact webFB easily fits in the palm of the hand, yet incorporates the capabilities of both an Aircraft Interface Device (AID) and a wireless server. The built-in AID safely gathers essential data from an aircraft’s ARINC 429 and 717 data buses and conveys it to custom software or EFB apps hosted on its internal server. Using a wireless connection to portable EFB tablets, the webFB securely delivers valuable information right to the fingertips of the flight crew.

In conjunction with the newly issued validations, Astronics is currently working with airlines that are actively conducting trials using the webFB to increase operational efficiencies. Airlines and software partners are developing a variety of enhanced EFB applications for the webFB including flight optimization, electronic tech logs, and real-time Quick Access Recorder (QAR) monitoring and event notifications. For software vendors, the webFB provides a rapid and practical solution for developing applications and deploying them into the flight deck and beyond.

Astronics Armstrong Aerospace developed the installation design and provided regulatory certification services for the webFB. “The simplicity of our 737 test port installation design allows our airline customers to quickly install the webFB device during routine overnight maintenance visits,” said Rob Abbinante, President of Astronics Armstrong Aerospace. The STCs also approve the installation of the Astronics AES EmPower® Flight Deck USB UltraLite Power System, which charges portable EFBs while in flight.

Astronics Ballard Technology will spotlight the webFB at the EFB Users Forum (booth 25) in Vienna, Austria, June 13-15. The webFB is available now. For complete product details and to request a quote, visit Astronics.com/BallardTechnology/webFB.

Astronics Ballard Technology is the industry-leader for reliable avionics data bus interface solutions and world- class customer support. Astronics Armstrong Aerospace is an innovative aviation engineering, design and manufacturing company that upgrades aircraft with new technologies.