Aircraft Interface Device (AID) functionality without having to install a separate AID unit

Imagine a technology that connects commercial tablets and crew devices in flight with an aircraft’s existing onboard data system.

Consider what that could deliver in terms of improved operational efficiency, performance and safety, enhancing the management and the exchange of information between the aircraft, flight crew and the ground.

The new GroundLink® AID+ from Teledyne Controls achieves all this and more. It enables airlines to connect tablets to the GroundLink® Comm+ unit, wired, or wirelessly via the AID+ Wireless Access Point (WAP), for all flight phases.

The unit, which has been typically used as a Wireless Quick Access Recorder (WQAR), can now provide on ground 3G/4G and soon LTE IP connectivity for updating Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) and crew devices, while also providing interfaces to aircraft data and communications systems such as the FMS and ACARS.

The ACARS proxy in particular allows multiple EFBs to send and receive ACARS messages, supporting pilots with ground and air Flight Operations communications, the distribution of flight documents, and load sheets.

Crucially, the new technology provides Aircraft Interface Device (AID) functionality without having to install a separate AID unit. And with more than 14,000 GroundLink® units already flying, it is an easy transition for those with the technology already installed, protecting their legacy investment.