Boeing has delayed issuing a service bulletin (SB) to address the susceptibility of Honeywell Phase 3 displays to EMI, but that is not stopping the US airframer from prepping to deliver 777s equipped with in-flight connectivity systems.
Sources tell RWG that Boeing executives have internally accepted placarding of 777 cockpits as an interim solution until the Honeywell problem is resolved. The placards, like those used on Emirates' 777s and myriad Boeing 737NGs in the United States, will bear strict instructions that pilots are not to use connectivity on the flight deck.
Asked to comment on the situation late last month, a Boeing
spokesman said: "It looks like the SB will be delayed until next year. I would
contact the FAA about your placarding question." He noted that the FAA "decides
what is acceptable and what isn't".
Touché.
So, which carrier will see connectivity fully linefit to its 777s first? Right now, Turkish Airlines is pacing to be the first. Certification of Panasonic Avionics' Ku-band satellite-supported eXConnect in-flight Internet solution is being done on the line and the data is expected to be handed off to Boeing CAS so that they can offer the service bulletin.
There is also light at the end of the tunnel for Panasonic partner AeroMobile, which saw linefits of its GSM/GPRS connectivity system - branded as eXPhone - stalled when the news about Honeywell Phase 3 displays came to light.
Apparently comfortable with the placarding solution, the FAA, I'm told, is not throwing serious roadblocks in the way of linefitting eXPhone, which is good news for Turkish and other eXPhone customers, which have been waiting for the schedule to get back on track.
And what does the FAA say? Silence is deafening.
Recent Comments