PLANE SIMPLE: SATCOM DIRECT

Satcom Direct’s new Plane Simple Antenna System begins customer installations after STC approval.

Owners of Gulfstream G550, G450, GV and GIV models can now be equipped with the Satcom Direct Plane Simple Ku-band tail-mounted Antenna System. This powerful and versatile system has been awarded STCs (Supplemental Type Certificates), by the FAA (Federal Aviation Association) with Satcom Direct’s Gulfstream G550 being the first aircraft to carry the equipment.

In parallel, the European Aviation Safety Agency, (EASA) has released an STC for multiple Bombardiers, covering Global 6000, 5000, Express XRS and Express. Satcom Direct also collaborated with Alamo Engineering GmbH to generate the first EASA STC for the Global airframes. A privately-owned Bombardier Global Express is the first aircraft equipped with the Plane Simple Ku-band terminal outside of the US, with equipment installation completed by ACC Columbia Jet Service at its Hannover, Germany, MRO facility.

“We have taken our initial concept of a simplified connectivity hardware system, that can be easily installed, maintained and transitioned, and made it a reality,” said SD Founder and CEO, Jim Jensen. “We announced we would do it just over two years ago and, we have stuck to our plan as SD Avionics, our expert hardware team, worked with our production partner QEST, to create a whole new class of antenna hardware. It completes our connectivity puzzle adding to our existing software, ground infrastructure and hardware. More importantly, it gives our customers greater flexibility, cost-effective connectivity options, and a single resource to fulfill each and every connectivity need. It is what they were asking for and we have delivered it, I could not be prouder.”

Powered by the Intelsat FlexExec satellite network, the Plane Simple antenna technology is simple to install, requiring the fitting of just two-line replaceable units, the tail-mounted antenna and the SD modem unit.

“Until now high-speed connectivity options were limited by capacity, restrictive plans, invasive installation, and the complexity of transition pathways. With the Plane Simple tail-mounted antenna these needs are resolved in one simple step. We’re excited and extremely pleased to have worked with SD and ACC Columbia Jet Service to generate the first European STCs for this impressive new technology,” said Alamo Engineering‘s co-owner and Head of Design and Airworthiness, Jörg Gorkenant.

Multiple units are currently being delivered by SD Avionics to customers, who will join the in-service evaluation program.