SKYTRAC in partnership with Iridium Communications is introducing what it describes as an optimized Iridium Certus midband satcom solution for the general aviation market at EAA AirVenture.
The optimization, explains SKYTRAC, allows pilots to leverage efficient Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Iridium Certus satellite data with Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) applications for real-time weather information,including SIGMETs, AIRMETs, PIREPs, and NOTAMs,
The midband satcom service class, Iridium Certus 100, enables up to 88 Kbps of bandwidth through SKYTRAC’s DLS-100 and Blue Sky Network’s SkyLink 7100 portable terminals. It allows pilots and passengers to communicate through voice and messaging, while also enabling flight tracking and application updates such as graphical and real-time weather alerts.
SKYTRAC explains that, together with Iridium Certus 100 and Iridium Certus Connected terminals, pilots can bring intelligent connectivity to any airframe with powerful, small form factor devices that do not require costly installations or certifications.
“With this partnership, personal aviators as well as large operators can complement their cellular connectivity with satcom without its prohibitive cost,” said Iain Ronis, Director of Product Management, SKYTRAC. “With inflight connectivity, general aviation operators can stay connected to their apps, update flight plans, download the latest weather, and communicate through text and voice-based messaging, even in remote locations with no cellular service.”
Operators seeking to upgrade their operations with satcom can leverage SKYTRAC’s DLS-100 midband datalink and GPS system. SKYTRAC explains the DLS-10 is suitable for a variety of aircraft platforms and provides reliable midband satellite connectivity, globally. Operators looking to equip with both cellular and satcom can leverage Blue Sky Network’s SkyLink 7100, which uses 4G/LTE networks to create a low-latency, dual-mode, cloud-based service solution.
