Cobham

The reality of “real-time” Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) in the cockpit is one of a host of applications enabled by Cobham SATCOM’s next-generation SwiftBroadband-powered satcom systems.

By transforming the flight deck into a fully connected work environment, aircraft operatorscan address operational loads and allow pilots and flight crews to focus on flight management tasks more effciently. Thanks to data storage technology and computer application developments, conventional flight bags that weighed more than 40 pounds (18 kilos) have been replaced with tablet computers, virtually eliminating bulky paper documents and opening multiple opportunities for increasing overall flight crew convenience and productivity.

Taking the application of EFBs to a new level in 2016, Cobham’s AVIATOR 300D and Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) enabled for the first time in-air connected EFBs as part of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supervised technology evaluation with Hawaiian Airlines (HAL). This connectivity breakthrough will become the centerpiece of the enhancements enabled by the new AVIATOR S products, with system con gurations that can meet the requirements of all aircraft types.

AVIATOR S combines ACARS data for flight safety purposes with IP connectivity for the EFBs, allowing pilots to obtain re- al-time flight-relevant information while in the air, rather than downloading aged data while on the ground. Pilots will have access to more regular updates of rapidly changing weather or flight conditions and the crew can take advantage of more applications including telemedicine, passenger data, aircraft documentation and more.

Cobham SATCOM’s AVIATOR S will also save airlines up to 30 kilograms in installed weight, with real payback in fuel savings. With compliance to the latest security architectures, it is designed to resist cyber threats for the next 20 years.