Since in-seat IFE screens were introduced in the late ‘80s and now installed on thousands of passenger seats, there has been an ongoing airline maintenance and customer service problem about scratched and damaged LCD screens in the seatbacks. IFE providers have done a good job providing good quality screens but the inevitable wear-and-tear scratching, and the less common screen vandalism, does occur. This lead-in brings us to the Hot Topic subject that began with an attempt to protect an iPad screen from the inevitable screen and scratch problem that plagues so many... [Read more]

At the last Aircraft Interiors Conference in Hamburg we met up with Mark Thompson-CEO and Heiko Wiedmann-CFO, of Thompson Aerospace respectfully. The technical whiz, Mark, gave us a bewildering tour thru their new system and because of the new spin they placed on the hardware and business model, we thought they would be a prime revisit for our Single-Aisle Solutions series. We think you will find their system worth a second look and be sure to visit them in Hamburg and tell them IFExpress sent you. Q: The last time we met you folks was at Aircraft Interiors some 9 months... [Read more]

Wi-Fi TESTING Inflight Wi-Fi is fast becoming the technology that fliers plan their flight by. One recent traveler told IFExpress that their flight was “ruined” by the lack of Internet on an overseas trip. As fliers depend on wireless services on planes, the responsibility falls on the airline techs to deliver a product that is difficult to test, especially on the flight line. Today, most WiFi testing is done with laptops with special software or USB dongles that require test runs in each location to be tested and this can run into schedule problems for the... [Read more]

This week IFExpress features Terrence Bonar’s, AIRVOD in the ongoing Single Aisle Solutions series, with a few IFE surprises to boot. We also got wind of a new book by non other than SATCOM-famed Liz Young and snagged a review for our readers – good stuff! Lastly, our call for 2012 predictions received the first input from Thales Chief Engineer, Ken Brady. Read on, reader: When we first ran into the AIRVOD SEATCENTRIC system at the 2011 APEX Conference we were taken a little aback at the system sophistication and seatback screen image quality. CEO Terrence... [Read more]

Happy New Year and we hope 2012 is an IFEC improvement over 2011! While looking for an image to accompany this Hot Topic, we scoured our files and found the fitting graphic theme in our coverage for the Wall Drug story we did this past summer. Our team thought with increasing inflation, the European financial mess, US political indecision, the Middle East turmoil, and the predicted Mayan Apocalypse, the “Do Lunch or Be Lunch” seemed fitting. Hey, if we cant predict the future, we are happy to invent it! This coming summer we will celebrate 20 years in this... [Read more]

In the IFE industry, delivering first editions are a big deal. Literally years can pass and millions of dollars are spent rolling the first unit out the door. But what if an IFE company delivered two first editions within 10 days of each other – one, an installed system (RAVE) and the other, a portable with a new operating system (EDGE)?! Hats off to IMS for setting the bar high. An exuberant Joseph Renton, IMS Founder and CEO told IFExpress, “Most IFE companies consider it a success to deliver one new system model in a year – the IMS team delivered two... [Read more]

Sometimes a bit of an enigma, InTheAirNet’s, Michael Rogerson told IFExpress at the latest APEX meeting in Seattle that ITAN was in the process of developing a few new tricks, “There are too many vendors chasing the same market.” As the interview went on, it was obvious that the ITAN team was thinking ‘outside the box’ and when we got our interview material for the latest “Single-Aisle Solution” we were sure they they were on to something – it ain’t your standard IFE! For starters, it uses an Android-based OS, extolls... [Read more]

IFExpress has talked with the busy people at Thales to get their spin on our Single-Aisle Solution series and without further adieu, here is our Internet interview with the Thales IFE team, and it might just possibly be the longest Hot Topic yet! Q: Please describe the Thales system destined for single-aisle aircraft? In 2010, Thales announced its new generation system, TopSeries AVANT, which is the company’s premier system for advanced platforms. It is a fully scalable, light weight, high performance system with sleek design and award winning capabilities.  For the... [Read more]

This week, we feature the Lumexis Single-Aisle Solution in our Hot Topic and the image above is the Lumexis team members who are in town this week. While we often picture hardware, we thought it time for IFExpress give a tip o’the hat to the folks who brought the product to life. Additionally, be sure to check out this link for a terrific hardware, installation, and block diagram slide show from Rich Salter first! As the second in the “Single-Aisle Solution” feature, Lumexis hit the narrow-body market with kickoff customer flydubai, a story we covered... [Read more]

This is the first in an IFE series dubbed Single-Aisle Solutions. Our goal is to give a little press time to the developers of IFE for planes in the short-to-medium haul aircraft markets. Why? There are at least two reasons: First, single-aisle planes occupy over 62% of the commercial aircraft market with over 12,000 in operation today. Second, this market is currently the least populated with IFE; however, with the advent of newer planes with greater range, it represents a very big growth potential for IFE. Furthermore, as range/payload for these planes continues to increase,... [Read more]

Part Three of the Never Ending Trilogy… Our interest in Bluetooth for aviation has been an IFE quest ever since we read the now-famous Intel report on Bluetooth for aviation published some eleven years ago. Knowing sooner or later that the proliferation of Wi-Fi would cause a bump in the road for connectivity usage on aircraft, we sought out a lower power, standard computer/cellphone, wireless signal standard for our airborne connectivity challenge. Sure, wiring solutions like USB 1, 2, and now 3 solve the problem, but who like wires? We haven’t given up on infra-red... [Read more]

On October 20, this year, one of the most important connectivity events occurred… certainly with respect to US inflight connectivity, that is. ViaSat-1 was launched and is now in geosynchronous orbit. Why significant? Operating at Ka Band, ViaSat-1 will deliver 100 times the capacity of its Ku counterparts. Over the US, where ViaSat-1 plans to provide bandwidth, it will be via their Yonder service (branded as WildBlue, by their reseller). Using the ViaSat network will allow jetBlue to begin Ka Band service later in 2012. “ViaSat-1 is the highest capacity satellite... [Read more]

As far as technology goes, NFC doesn’t, and this is precisely why it might be a great technology to watch for future inflight payment applications. But, lets start in the beginning. For a definition of Near Field Communications we first turn to Wikipedia: “Near field communication, or NFC, allows for simplified transactions, data exchange, and wireless connections between two devices in close proximity to each other, usually by no more than a few centimeters. It is expected to become a widely used system for making payments by Smartphone in the United States.... [Read more]

After the retirement of Tom Dickinson, CEO VT Miltope earlier this year, we asked the company about the new President and CEO, Julie Briggs and thought our readers might like to know a little more about the new president and hear her views on VT Miltope’s place in the IFEC industry. From a personal perspective, Julie has a strong background in rugged computer systems and products. Having previously worked for RCA/GE and BAE, her aerospace and defense experience includes program management, marketing, and business development. Prior to becoming CEO, Julie served as... [Read more]

As usual, the recent NBAA is a source of great story material if bizjets are your thing. Without a doubt, IFE takes a backseat to connectivity at this show, but the business aviation community is all about technology and its value to businesses. One theme that rings true for bizjets (and, no doubt commercial aviation) is “No Plane, No Gain”. While the value of business aircraft and their political ramifications are usually discussed in a “wink, wink, nod, nod” manner by us mortals, they do have their place in business. As an example, the growing... [Read more]

Let’s face it, the closest most of us get to business aviation flying is reading a news blurb about the rich & famous or going to the NBAA. Having said that, we thought our readers might enjoy a story on what the other one one-thousandth flies – business jet IFE. At the 2011 NBAA in Las Vegas (no gambling/flying pun intended), Cessna Aircraft rolled out their newest Citation M2 Light Business Jet. The $4 million plus plane has a range of 1300 NM for up to 6 passengers at a TAS of 400 knots. What we found interesting is in the cabin, but we will delve... [Read more]

Panasonic: The Panasonic team showed up and caught our eye in three areas – Wireless, eX3 product line, and the ‘Cool Room’. Enhancements to the basic line of eX3 IFE products include a new seat electronics box we called “the turtle” because it looks like one. Incredibly, the carbon fiber or metallic impregnated plastic box fits in the palm of you hand and between the struts of an aircraft seats – it uses up zero leg room and foot space! We saw a pre-production model and this box will change SEB’s forever. We got a look at their... [Read more]

Firstly, thank you vendors for your valuable time at the show. As we noted last week, because of space limitations we can only summarize; however, IFExpress plans to devote complete Hot Topic subjects on some of the big deals in the upcoming months. We also note that IFExpress planned to dedicated two issues for APEX summaries. Wrong! We now need three and the third is to come next week. APEX reports 2300 delegates and 73 airlines in attendance while most visitors enjoyed good, but unusual, Seattle weather. We again note that many show images are available by clicking... [Read more]

Seattle, Washington hosted this year’s IFE and content extravaganza and if you didn’t attend we hope to paint a summary picture for our readers in this edition and the next as well. Furthermore, we will cover many of the bigger stories in detail in the forthcoming months. Watch for show pictures on our website via Flickr. Lastly, we want to thank APEX and their management team for a great expo. Boeing, Panasonic, & Astronics for wonderful evening entertainment, and finally, all the vendors who pay for the show. You rock! Speaking of trends, here are a... [Read more]

Each year, for the last umpteen years, IFExpress has delivered readers a show preview based on a published invitation to all. This year is no different and we urge all attendees to be sure to visit their booth and tell them IFExpress sent you! Company: Astronics AES Booth: 701 Contact: Dennis Markert / dennis.markert@astronics.com / 425 442 8195 Astronics AES will be displaying their latest product addition to the world leading EmPower(R) In-Seat Power Systems (ISPS) product line. The new EmPower(R) In-Seat Power Supply produces an industry leading 200VA for each Personal... [Read more]

Typically, we do not like to write a story about how an IFE vendor made their system more reliable. Why? Inevitably, readers think the system was not reliable in the first place. Not so with Lumexis… read on reader. Lumexis Corporation has been building a strong reputation for robust performance and reliability of its FIBER TO THE SCREEN® (FTTS) network, with a dozen flydubai B737-800 already in service (increasing at about one new aircraft per month, headed toward a total fleet of 44). Despite being knee-deep in work preparing for FTTS installation into the first... [Read more]

‘GeoTainment’, is location triggered audio content for IFE. Never heard of it? Neither had we, not until we talked to Gotham Studio’s, Peter Nissen. Here is the story in his own words: “Stories about Hollywood celebrities, earthquakes, grizzly bears, cowboys – just a few of the things you’ll hear when you listen to GeoRadio, a GPS-triggered audio channel you can sample at the Thales booth at APEX. If this is where IFE is going, sit me down, crank it up, and take me on a journey: this is great new stuff.” Why hasn’t this been done before?... [Read more]

APEX & Aircraft Interiors, 12 -14 September, 2011 – Seattle, WA, USA APEX – Paid Need a webpage? Need to register? We have been writing about the APEX/Aircraft Interiors Conference and Exposition for over 20 years now (formerly WAEA) and we still find it to be the best source of the latest happenings in IFE. Period. Our readers know that the conference floor is chock full of players, deployers, airlines, inventors, dreamers, billion dollar suppliers, installers, winners, losers, and yes, even crazies. But it is still the best IFE show in town and Seattle... [Read more]

There is a war coming, a patent war, and the Android Operating System is at the center of it. We are talking about Android, the the largest user base of OS’s on mobile devices and fastest growing OS in IFE. Whether the war will touch IFE is anybody’s guess and is the subject of this Hot Topic. With companies like Panasonic (and others) planning on using Android in installed deliveries by 2013, we thought our readers should keep their eyes open on this one. Further, we invite any input or debate on this issue. One sure thing is the rise of the mobile device,... [Read more]

Back in June, we brought you some early results and information on Ron Chapman’s Bluetooth initiative to use lower power Bluetooth capability for inflight connectivity. Today, they are closer to the messaging solution and we thought our readers might like to see where Ron’s Bizjet/commercial aircraft system is heading. If you remember, the ASIQ System (now called BizjetMobile) basically sits between aircraft Satellite units (SDU) and passengers who use their Smartphones to communicate email, SMS, or voice on the plane.  The system utilizes a laptop/tablet... [Read more]