Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

By the end of this year,&nbsp;SmartSky&nbsp;will&nbsp;switch on its air-to-ground airborne connectivity service covering “80 to 90 percent of continental U.S. business aviation flight routes,” according to CEO David Helfgott.

 


“Interest is high, demand is very high, and after a long wait we’re getting excited [for the launch of service],” he added. "I've been here almost 11 months, and we’ve knocked out more than 30 technological milestones we had to accomplish from January to this point."

 


SmartSky (Booth 3820) is offering an alternative to the only existing air-to-ground connectivity service in the U.S.—longtime provider Gogo Business Aviation. According to Helfgott, SmartSky’s “beamforming” technology, which uses a “single beam per aircraft,” enables fast service speeds and reliability. During testing, SmartSky has demonstrated maximum speeds&nbsp;up to 15 Mbps, with consistent service in the range of 5 to 8 Mbps. The single-beam technology also helps ensure secure service, Helfgott added, because other aircraft aren’t sharing the same signals.

 


“We are in deployment mode,” he said, and there are 10 teams working in the U.S., installing antennas on cellphone towers to complete the SmartSky network. “We already have the majority of towers in place and selected,” he added. “All the fiber and the core network is complete, and the data center and NOC [network operations center] are complete. The last piece is the antennas on the towers.” By the end of the year or early in 2022, SmartSky should have completed 90 percent of the 330 towers needed for full continental U.S. coverage.

 


Meanwhile, SmartSky has already certified equipment installations on the Cessna Citation XL/XLS; Gulfstream IV, G350, G450, and G550; Bombardier Challenger 601 through 650; Embraer ERJ-135/145, and Beechcraft King Air 200 and 300 series. Certification programs for several additional aircraft types are in progress, but more than 4,000 airplanes are covered by those initial supplemental type certificates.

 


The airborne equipment is manufactured by Avidyne, and the antennas are&nbsp;made by AeroAntenna. There are two versions of the SmartSky system—one for midsize and larger jets with two antennas and one&nbsp;for smaller aircraft, which range from light jets to piston singles. Turboprop installations would be the single-antenna version, and this light version will be available later in 2022.

 


Buyers can use any of the already available airborne routers—for example, ones from Honeywell or Satcom Direct—according to Helfgott.

 


SmartSky has selected Honeywell and Avionica as service providers. Although SmartSky&nbsp;works well below 10,000 feet, that is the threshold where service will be promised. “It is 10,000 feet,” he said, “but we connect way before that."

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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