Can you Enhance Your Cabin Electronics?

Irrespective of the aircraft you fly, the cabin electronics options available to you are likely to be significantly improved compared to a few short years ago. Dave Higdon reflects on the market, highlighting a couple of interesting developments…

Once-upon-a-time, managing what few systems served the main cabin was largely the responsibility of the flight or cabin crew. There were no movies to watch, no Wi-Fi to use, no phone access, and not much more than a coffee cart and pre-packaged meals and snacks to enjoy on the flight.

With the dawn of the digital age, operators began to embrace options for in-flight connectivity (IFC) and inflight entertainment (IFE) systems. And with those systems came visions of one-day being able to do virtually everything it was possible to do back at the office on the ground.

Gradually the hardware and software needed to manage these new-to-the-cabin options arrived on the market; systems designed to simplify the job of controlling access to, and use of, both IFC and IFE systems.

And as the passengers embraced ever more electronic devices, the job of managing access became more complex. Indeed, passengers demonstrated a desire to access the devices they brought aboard, including their cell phones, tablet computers, and notebooks.

With so much technology to manage, it’s no wonder engineers today seem to constantly be working on newer, faster and simpler systems to control the access and use of all those devices. Throw in the variety of providers and it’s not difficult to see how challenging these design jobs have become.

Installation in General

The time and effort needed to install any of these systems – be it IFC or IFE – can vary widely, depending on the aircraft, the aircraft size, the size and space needed for antennae connecting the hardware to its data source, and any modifications needed to accommodate all the hardware.

Indeed, assuring that the antennae are properly spaced and shielded from other radio-frequency sources can be an issue dependent on what other hardware the aircraft already carries.

The smart solution, according to provider sources, is to schedule the installation for the downtime required by an annual inspection, or a C- or D-check.

Planning the installation around such downtime should give the maintenance technician ample time to gather the appropriate hardware, cabling, and to map the airframe’s other sources of radio-frequency emissions.

The Current State of IFC and IFE

How do you keep the executives and other passengers happy in the main cabin? By ensuring they have the access they’ve come to expect. Hopefully live television

or blockbuster movies will alleviate the discomfort of a long flight.

Unlike previous-generation IFE, however, watching a movie no longer means staring into tiny, monochrome screens on stems at each seat. Increasingly, aircraft can accommodate larger bulkhead-mounted screens and monitors.

Moreover, today’s passengers often bring their own entertainment preferences, loaded into their tablet and notebook computers, often with more movies than most multiplex cinemas. Most passengers expect to use what they bring via wireless Wi-Fi connections to those monitors, with content even available from their smartphones.

But today, given the relatively short time it takes to fly the average business aircraft mission, access is about more than just movies or music. IFE and IFC systems now include internet connectivity, interactive maps, surround-sound audio and SMS messaging.

The Goji Box

The enormous scale of developments in this market have also brought some outside-of-the-box thinking to in-flight entertainment and cabin management. One such solution in the entertainment field that’s guaranteed to give passengers a truly unique in-flight experience is Goji’s Geotainment.

Arguably also the simplest solution for keeping passengers entertained, Geotainment comes in a small box with the dimensions much like those of a paperback novel – and barely the same weight, and serves as a repository for entertainment programming, and locationkeyed, video-accompanied stories about the landscape, and points of interest on the ground below.

The hardware can be installed as a standalone system, or integrate with existing IFE systems. An integral GPS receiver provides the Goji box with location information that informs it of programming to match the aircraft’s position.

Goji provides the only airborne audio channel in the world filled with a continuous narration of unique stories. Thousands of visual stories display eye-catching images of the world below, each with a fascinating tale to tell.

And, thanks to the integral Wi-Fi, integrated into the hardware, passengers can pick and choose where and when to avail themselves of what Geotainment offers. The brains behind Geotainment and its stored content is a group of entertainment producers, not avionics engineers – though staff engineers did handle the design, testing and approval for use in aircraft.

Once installed and activated, the passengers are in control using their own devices to play what the Geotainment provides. It works with virtually any device capable of accessing and displaying the output of the 

Goji box, including smartphones, tablets, and notebook computers.

The box can be set up to wirelessly access updates to its stored programs whenever the aircraft is on the ground. Simple, effective, and inexpensive to install and operate, Geotainment provides a great opportunity to enhance the cabin entertainment options aboard business airplanes. More information from www.goji.aero FDS Avionics Smart Cabin CMS

Meanwhile, while the concept of a CMS working to give passengers control over their use of IFE and IFC systems installed in the aircraft may sound fairly run-of-the-mill going by today’s market standards, a system flexible enough to be installed in everything from Very Light Jets and Turboprops, up to – and including – Large Cabin business jets, and helicopters, too, does stand out.

FDS Avionics’ CMS allows users of smaller aircraft to create an in-flight cabin experience mirroring the essence of their office or living room, using mobile technology to connect and control components throughout the cabin. More information from http://fdsavionics.com

“But today, given the relatively short time it takes to fly the average business aircraft mission, access is about more than just movies or music.”

In Summary…

The market for cabin electronics will continue to grow in sophistication and out-of-the-box thinking and, with it, the opportunity to tailor and enhance the cabin experience of passengers on even the smallest of business aircraft will increase exponentially. Keep a close eye on this sector – don’t blink, or you could miss something significant! ❙

DAVE HIGDON

is a highly respected aviation journalist who has covered all aspects of civil aviation over the past 36 years. Based in Wichita, he has several thousand flight hours, and has piloted pretty much everything from foot-launched wings to combat jets. Contact him via Dave@avbuyer.com

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