In an increasingly complex space, simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to in-flight connectivity on business aircraft.
That is Honeywell’s approach with its next-generation JetWave X satellite communications system, which will enable high-speed connectivity on aircraft produced by a variety of OEMs starting next year.
Jason Wissink, Honeywell’s president of services and connectivity, tells FlightGlobal that some operators feel overwhelmed by the choices currently on the market.
”When a customer decides they want to perform an upgrade on their airplane or they want to install connectivity, a lot of them feel like they have to be experts in what four or five or six different vendors are offering,” he says.
”What we’re really trying to do with JetWave X and with the services we offer is provide something that we think brings great value.
”But if they have an existing system on the airplane, or they have a secondary system, we’re making sure we’ve also provided the tools that make it easy to integrate and provide a simple experience for the user.”
Honeywell disclosed on 14 October at the NBAA-BACE show that JetWave X will roll out across Florida-based Slate Aviation’s fleet of MHIRJ CRJ200 and Bombardier Challenger 850 aircraft.
It also says that it will work to certificate JetWave X on several Gulfstream platforms, including the GIV, GV, G450, G500, G550, G600, G650 and G700.
Those deals come on the heels of previously announced partnerships with Bombardier and Dassault Aviation.
Setting Honeywell’s next-generation JetWave system apart is the Advanced Data Control system, which is a software package that “gives the integrator and an operator a lot of tools to customise what the experience is going to look like”, Wissink says.
“If they decide they want the principals and the crew to have a different set of connectivity available to them, they can set that up,” he says. “If they have multiple systems but they want it to work as one, it will allow for that. What we’re really trying to do is make sure that when the users get on the airplane, they just use that system and have a great experience, and all the complexity is being handled in the background.”
After all, the expectation from today’s customers is a stable connection across the globe, with no coverage gaps and the ability to link multiple devices per passenger.
When JetWave X enters service in the first half of next year – the roll-out’s timing will vary by platform – the system will be compatible with Viasat’s full range of satellites, including the former Inmarsat Global Xpress network.
The system is built with future compatibility in mind, minimising maintenance work required as new satellites are launched into orbit.
”It’s flexible enough that if five years down the road there’s a new Ka-band satellite network out there that people are interested in using for business aviation, our hardware will be compatible, so you don’t have to replace everything on the airplane,” Wissink says.
“Our real goal here is access to the best capacity we can get to right now, and have an eye toward the future as well so the operator can get a really long period of value out of this investment.”
