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Taking the office aloft Business CMS more high-tech than ever |
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| Written by James Careless | |
There was a time when cabin management systems (CMS) in business aircraft were utilitarian and unremarkable. Using electro-mechanical relays and switches, CMS controlled the cabin temperature and lighting, and that was about it.
That was then; this is now. Today, a typical business aviation CMS supports in-cabin audio and video, plus satellite-connected voice, text, fax, TV, radio and Internet traffic, in the cabin and cockpit. And that’s not all: “Flight Display Systems [a business aviation CMS integrator] receives many requests for things such as Blu-ray players, iPod docking stations to allow for audio and video integration, and worldwide Moving Map displays,” says Nick Gray, the company’s international marketing manager. “Today’s business aircraft CMS is akin to a high-end home entertainment system in the sky,” says Paul Lafata, Honeywell’s CMS business leader. “Customers want HD displays in various locations, Blu-ray players, satellite radio and television, Surround Sound – everything they can get in their living room or sports car.” Businesspeople who spend a lot of time in the sky want to bring their offices aloft. As a result, their CMS systems have to support the full range of voice and data applications they rely on, plus real-time videoconferencing. “Today’s businessperson wants to be able to hold virtual meetings wherever they are,” says Lafata. “So we have to integrate installation of monitors and two-way communications to support high bandwidth videoconferencing and interactive multimedia.” How it works Today’s business aviation CMS is IP-based. In other words, the various features are all connected by wire and wireless Ethernet to a cabin interface unit. These features include HD monitors, DVD and Blu-ray players, audio amplifiers, speakers, 3-D HD moving maps, video cameras and microphones, fax machines, iPod/iPhone/BlackBerry docks, telephones, lights, heating and A/C units, custom user control interfaces, and remote controls. The cabin interface unit, or CIU, can be mounted virtually anywhere, which adds to ease of installation. The system is accessible for programming or diagnostics by qualified technicians, but kept safely out of the passengers’ reach.
Challenges Business aviation CMS vendors face a few key challenges in making their customers happy. The first challenge is space; even with today’s IP-based equipment and miniaturized electronics, CMS installers still have to contend with the limited space available in aircraft. There’s only so much room to run wires and install equipment, particularly in older aircraft that were built before the Internet and HDTV existed. Power is another issue: all of this entertainment and computer equipment requires electricity to function. To support this, an aircraft must either have some available power to spare from its existing systems or incorporate some new form of power generation system that, in turn, will eat up precious fuel when running. CMS-supported technology must always take a back seat to avionics. There must never be an opportunity for this technology to interfere with the aircraft’s control systems. This is where wireless systems can be a cause for concern. “Finally, CMS must also support equipment upgrades,” says Lafata. “Things change, and customers want to keep up. We have to ensure that any CMS we install is both future-proof and scalable, in that it can support additional devices being added over time.” Looking ahead As consumer and business technology continues to advance, so too will the capabilities and demands on business aviation CMS. This is why companies such as Flight Display Systems are looking ahead. In the near future, “We hope to add new features such as Video-on-Demand and iPhone integration,” says Nick Gray. In fact, the only limits to CMS evolution will be those associated with aircraft themselves; namely the space for such equipment to be fit, the cabling to connect it and the power to keep it running. Beyond this, only time will tell how much earthbound technology can be added to aircraft cabins!
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