Work on the STC began early this year, with Omni handling the engineering, testing, certification, and installation in-house, AIN reported in February. Galileo FDX connects to Eutelsat OneWeb’s low-Earth-orbit satellite network to provide global high-speed service.

Omni executive v-p of sales and business development Tim Lockerby told AIN the STC is “a huge deal” because the Challenger 300 series is “the most popular midsize aircraft.” Until now, he said, SpaceX’s Starlink system has been the only high-speed connectivity option for Challenger 300-series operators. 

The company also sells and installs Starlink hardware, and Lockerby said it doesn’t steer customers toward one system over the other. “People want a choice,” he said. Starlink’s decision to double its aviation subscription pricing earlier this year “didn’t go over too well,” Lockerby added, and Galileo’s subscription costs less in some cases.

Gogo allows the STC holder to charge other installers up to $25,000 to use it, so competing MROs that install FDX under Omni’s STC will pay that fee. The waiver applies only to installations Omni performs, though the work itself can happen in 2027 or later to coincide with a scheduled maintenance event. A separate kit fee still applies. Lockerby said several FDX installations are already presold.

Matching Aircraft to Connectivity Options

Also debuting at NBAA-BACE is an online connectivity upgrade selector. Operators enter their aircraft’s make and model, and the tool lists which systems are certified for that airframe, from Gogo’s L3, C1, LX5, Galileo HDX, and Galileo FDX to Starlink.

Lockerby said the idea grew out of the calls he fields daily. “Every day I get a call from somebody like, ‘Hey, I have a Hawker. We have really old connectivity in it. What are my options?’” he said.

Operators who use the selector and request a quote receive a $5,000 rebate on an Omni connectivity installation, and Omni says it typically returns quotes within hours.

During NBAA-BACE, anyone who completes the selector is entered in a drawing for a Starlink or Galileo installation with no labor charge; the winner pays only for hardware. Lockerby declined to estimate the prize’s value because labor hours vary widely by aircraft type, but he called it “a pretty significant value.”

Scratch-offs and an RC Airplane

Visitors to Omni’s booth can pick up a scratch-off card with savings on Omni services. “Everybody’s a winner at NBAA,” Lockerby said. Each card has three scratch-off spots, each revealing a discount worth up to 15% on an inspection or connectivity upgrade, such as 10% off Omni’s published labor rate. Recipients can scratch all three and choose whichever best fits their next project.

Attendees can also drop a business card in a fishbowl at the booth for a chance to win a radio-controlled airplane, a giveaway Lockerby has run at the show for about eight years. In addition, Omni avionics manager John Lopez will be on hand to help operators evaluate Universal Avionics upgrades to flight management systems, navigation, datalink, and recorders.

Flat-rate Pricing and Remote Installs

Omni Aircraft Maintenance grew out of the in-house maintenance operation of Tulsa-based charter and aircraft management company Omni Air Transport, which has maintained its own fleet since 1983. After becoming an FAA Part 145 repair station, the MRO began taking on outside customers, according to AIN’s 2023 MRO profile. In January, the company leased a 40,000-sq-ft hangar at Tulsa International Airport (KTUL) from Atlantic Aviation, more than doubling its hangar space. It also operates a location in McKinney, Texas, and focuses on Challengers, Learjets, Citations, and King Airs.

Through its “Your Hangar or Ours” program, Omni sends installation teams to an operator’s facility, sparing a ferry flight, or lets operators combine an upgrade with a scheduled inspection at KTUL. According to the company, VistaJet chose Omni to upgrade its Challenger 300 fleet with Galileo HDX, with FDX to follow, and Omni has completed more than 25 Galileo and Starlink installations this year.

Lockerby said Omni quotes connectivity upgrades at a flat, all-inclusive fly-away price after customers complained that other shops’ time-and-materials charges pushed final bills far past their quotes. “You’re not going to pay a penny more,” he said. “If we messed up, then we’ll eat it.”