Honeywell was
awarded a
Federal Aviation
Administration
(FAA)
supplemental
type certificate
(STC) for the
Aspire 200
satellite
communications
system on the
Airbus
Helicopters
AS350 and
Sikorsky UH-60
Blackhawk and
have applied for
an FAA STC for
the Bell 429,
while Transport
Canada has
certified the
system on the
Bell 429. The
European
Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA)
approvals for
those
helicopters are
also underway.
In addition,
EASA recently
approved the
installation of
the Aspire 200
system on the
Leonardo AW139
helicopter.
Honeywell's
system provides
reliable
connectivity
service for
helicopters,
enabling
constant
communication,
even when in
remote areas.
The Aspire 200
system, combined
with the
SwiftBroadband
High-Data Rate
(HDR) software
package, brings
high-bandwidth
connectivity to
the helicopter
cabin for the
first time while
allowing the
pilot or
operator to
mitigate any
signal
connectivity
issues.
"There has
always been a
need for
in-flight
connectivity on
helicopters,
particularly to
support VIP, air
ambulance,
police and
military ISR
applications,"
said
Mark Goodman,
product
director,
Honeywell
Aerospace. "The
small,
lightweight
Aspire 200
provides a
robust, reliable
link that works
through
helicopter
rotors."
To complement
Aspire 200,
Honeywell's
GoDirect Cabin
Connectivity
service includes
access to a
selection of
GoDirect apps,
such as GoDirect
Satcom Toolkit
and GoDirect
Global Mobile
Data, allowing
improved
productivity
with real-time
communications
through access
to emails,
videoconferencing
and higher-speed
broadband
transmission. In
today's
helicopter
environment,
Honeywell's
satellite
communication
systems and
services provide
a one-stop
connectivity
shop for fleet
owners and
operators.
