A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Having completed the first Ka-band satcom installation on an executive-configured Boeing 787 this year, GDC Technics (Booth C9425) arrives at NBAA 2017 “on track to deliver the STCs for installing the Honeywell Ka-band JetWave” on Airbus and Boeing executive airliners “from the 747 down,” said Mohammed Alzeer, GDC general partner. The company has invested $11 million in obtaining the approvals and now has STCs for JetWave on the BBJ747-300/400; BBJ777-200/300; BBJ737-600/700/900; and the ACJ319/320. The installation uses a JetWave terminal to link to Inmarsat’s Jet Connex satellite network, providing “in-flight connectivity that is as good as at home and in the office,” Alzeer said. Ka-band service supports video streaming, voice over IP, live TV, VPN and other bandwidth-intensive applications.

 


The system was installed in one of the two BBJ787 completions under way at GDC’s Fort Worth, Texas facility. GDC took delivery of a third green Dreamliner in September. Having verified its weight-reduction process for the completions, GDC is aiming for a 20-percent reduction in interior installation weight over Boeing’s recommended targets.

 


Noting the current slow pace of completions activity in the industry, Alzeer believes “customers right now are being selective. They like to be at centers that are innovating, that are developing and investing in new technology—not just building a beautiful cabin, which was always a requirement, but now [the interior] has to be technologically advanced and bring a lot of value to the asset.”

 


GDC has responded in part by investing in its satcom STC development effort rather than waiting for clients to request the work, Alzeer said. Earlier this year, GDC received organization designation authorization (ODA) from the FAA to perform design modification procedures.

 


Another example of GDC’s technological innovation is the eye-grabbing holographic display the company is showcasing here in Las Vegas, which debuted at EBACE in May. The system is a derivative of a transportable holographic tool the company is developing for cabin design work, which GDC hopes to integrate into the design package “in the next few months,” Alzeer said. “One of the biggest challenges is trying to get aircraft owners to fully immerse themselves into the cabin while it’s being designed,” said Alzeer. “With this, you don’t just see it; you’re physically inside the cabin.”

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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