AeroWave 100 Designed For Twins, Turboprops, Light Jets
BendixKing has unveiled the AeroWave 100, a high-speed in-flight Internet solution, at the Aviation Electronics Association International Convention & Trade Show. BendixKing says the AeroWave 100 system offers, for the first time, affordable in-flight Internet to general aviation aircraft, including twins, turboprops and light jets. In addition, the system utilizes low-cost service plans based on hours of use.
"We believe that fast, affordable, in-flight Internet connectivity will lay a foundation for the next generation of general aviation," said Kevin Gould, president of BendixKing. "The BendixKing AeroWave 100 is the first step in an ecosystem for general aviation aircraft, including light jets and turboprops, which inspires innovation in the cockpit and brings us closer to a fully connected aircraft."
The BendixKing AeroWave 100 lowers the barrier to entry for plane owners and pilots, finally allowing them to easily justify the cost of adding in-flight Internet to their aircraft while providing increased operational efficiency and safety.
Charter operators, specifically, can benefit from the BendixKing AeroWave 100 by giving pilots access to worldwide graphical weather service, flight planning tools and connectivity to operations. Passengers of equipped aircraft will have the ability to send and receive email and attachments, browse the Web, and access cloud services and other mobile applications, increasing their productivity and enabling them to stay connected with their businesses while airborne.
"As a charter operator, our customers want access to the Web while they're in the air, but until now it's been out of reach; the options available for turboprops and light jets were extremely limited, and installation costs for the solutions available could easily exceed $100,000," said Denise Wilson, president and CEO of Desert Jet. "With the BendixKing AeroWave 100, we'll be able to justify the cost of adding Internet connectivity to our planes because the system is affordable and simple. Being able to offer our customers in-flight Internet will give our business a competitive advantage."
The BendixKing AeroWave 100 offers Internet at speeds of up to 200 Kbps through an active low-gain antenna, utilizing satellites to provide worldwide, high-speed service in areas not capable of being served by terrestrial service. Satellite-based Internet service plans are typically measured by the amount of data transmitted, which can be difficult for end users to track and often result in bills that are significantly higher than expected. The BendixKing service plans for the AeroWave 100 alter this dynamic by basing service plans on the number of hours used, making charges easy to predict and understand.
BendixKing is now accepting orders for the BendixKing AeroWave 100, which will be available through authorized dealers in Q2 2014 at an MSRP of $19,999.
(Image from YouTube video)