Dassault Falcon 2000 First Of Many Future Applications

ARINC Incorporated told ANN this week Pentastar Aviation of Waterford, MI has contracted to install the SKYLink broadband communications system on a customer's Dassault Falcon 2000 business aircraft. It will be the first SKYLink installation on any marque other than Gulfstream, which until now has been the exclusive SKYLink launch partner.

SKYLink has developed a new, slimmed-down avionics package designed to fit a range of mid-size and larger business jets. Pentastar Aviation is SKYLink's newest US channel partner. The company expects to obtain an STC for the Falcon 2000 and complete the first SKYLink installation in September. 

"We are pleased to partner with ARINC to satisfy our customer's requirements for broadband data and VoIP communications," stated Mike Baker, Vice President of Maintenance and Avionics, Pentastar Aviation. "We also see SKYLink as a growing business opportunity, since the broadband service is significantly faster and more affordable than other communications offerings for business jets." 

SKYLink's new slim avionics package is designed to fit radome dimensions of the Dassault Falcon 50 series, 900 series, and 2000 series, as well as the Bombardier BD100, Challenger series, and Global series. The main physical change is a narrower antenna mount, and performance of the SKYLink Ku-band avionics is unchanged. ARINC has started DO-160E testing of the new SKYLink antenna hardware and expects to finish by June. "Operators of many different types of business jets have expressed interest in SKYLink in the past year," stated Joe Inglisa, Director of ARINC's SKYLink Program. "With DO-160E approval of our antenna, their wait will be over."

SKYLink is the world's only satellite broadband communications system for business aircraft. With Ku-band satellite connectivity up to 3mbps to the aircraft, SKYLink permits the use of Internet applications and VoIP for multiple users on the same business jet. Most SKYLink customers are based in Europe and North America, and SKYLink's Ku-band satellite coverage now provides seamless communications for transcontinental flights from eastern Europe to the Pacific coast of the United States.

FMI: www.pentastaraviation.com, www.arinc.com