CABIN Electronics 1.qxp_Finance 18/07/2022 15:54 Page 1
CABIN ELECTRONICS
Installing USBs in BizJets: An Unexpected Challenge Looking to ensure your cellphone, iPad and laptop stay fullycharged aboard your business jet? Then you’ll need to install USB ports. Before you do, though, there’s a bit for you to consider. Chris Kjelgaard speaks with Duncan Aviation and Garmin…
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ircraft owners choosing to install rapid-charging USB ports at each passenger seat are creating a trend that has important implications for aircraft electrical power-generation requirements — both in itself, and in what it could presage for future aircraft power needs as new technologies make their way into the cabin. One of the most noticeable trends in Business Aircraft cabin refurbishment today is for owners to ask MRO providers to install rapid-charging USB ports at every passenger seat in the aircraft, to allow passengers to use their personal electronic devices in flight and keep the devices fully charged. These installations are often accompanied by similar installations of USB rapid-charging ports on the flight decks of the aircraft, as owners and pilots replace traditional flight bags with lightweight, easy-to-use, easy-to-access tablet devices. Moreover, aircraft owners usually want installations of dual ports, rather than single ports, at each seat and pilot position, according to Duncan Aviation’s Avionics Sales Representative Adrian Chene. Also notable, according to Bill Stone, Senior Manager for Aviation Business Development at Garmin International (a leading manufacturer of aviation-grade USB charging ports), is that owners usually choose to have the most powerful USB rapid-charging ports installed, rather than the less powerful ports that the manufacturers also offer. 80 ❘ Vol 26 Issue 8 2022 ❘ AVBUYER MAGAZINE
The desire to install dual USB ports at every passenger seat is a natural one for owners when passengers in Business Aircraft cabins increasingly are consuming personally selected video, graphic and audio content by means of their PEDs, rather than everyone watching or listening to the same video or audio content at the same time, on bulkhead monitors and whole-cabin sound systems. USB ports at each seat not only provide each passenger with individually tailored entertainment and communications, but also the major convenience of keeping each passenger’s PED batteries topped up to allow immediate use when the passengers disembark from the aircraft. However, there is a cost associated with the increased individuality and convenience that USB ports at each seat provide. The direct cost of installing certificated aviation-grade dual USB rapid-charging ports at each seat is not major in terms of the notoriously expensive business of buying and installing aircraft equipment. But neither is it insignificant… Such units — which, unlike ordinary consumer USB ports have hardened, specially tested electronic circuits to ensure they do not create radio interference with flight deck avionics and radios, and are designed specifically for use in aviation environments — are priced at around $300 each. And they require installation, at a price, by an MRO provider which knows what it is doing. www.AVBUYER.com
