Avionics News December 2013 - 61

For the back cabin, Rockwell Collins also expects to begin
shipments of its new Airshow 500 cabin-entertainment package
by year's end. Targeted specifically at the light business jet segment, the package also is a lighter drop-in replacement for the
Airshow 410 package.
Among the Airshow 500 package features is the ability to use
both higher-quality digital monitors or existing analog monitors
already installed.
The company also is laying claim to the wireless-capable
Airshow 500 as the first 3-D moving-map system for light jets.
Rockwell Collins also announced enhancements to its successful Venue high-definition cabin management and entertainment system. For Venue systems installed with a wireless router,
the new AVOD capability can be installed with a software
update. AVOD, or Audio Video On Demand, lets passengers
control Venue through their Apple iPad, as well as both Android
and Kindle tablets.
Additionally, the company announced a launch airline customer for its PAVES on-demand in-flight entertainment system,
Sichuan Airlines. The carrier committed to installing PAVES
in 20 new A319, A320 and A321 single-isle jets on order with
Airbus.
Beechcraft
The Wichita, Kan., planemaker declared victory by returning
to this year's NBAA Convention, its first NBAA post-bankruptcy event that marked the resurrected company's burgeoning
growth.
Among some new offerings from Beechcraft is an upgrade
option for the Beechjet/Hawker 400 airframes flying. Beechcraft
hopes to sell off its Hawker jet lines - culled to the 4000 and
400 - by year's end. But that sale will not impact the company's
Beech Aircraft Services work on existing aircraft.
BAS is working to STC the Garmin G5000 touch-control
panel to offer as an option for its remanufacturing program for
the Beechjet/Hawker 400 called Hawker 400XPR.
The XPR program already includes a re-engineering program
to replace the original powerplants with Williams FJ44 engines.
Elliott Aviation recognized the appeal of the G5000 package and recently won STC approval to retrofit the package in
Beechjet/Hawker 400 models.
The Beechcraft service centers are also offering a new Gogo
Biz Wi-Fi package for installation in its business jets and turboprops.
Flight Display Systems
Flight Display Systems' Jet Jukebox in its third generation
has gone multimedia - and wireless - adding a new level of
Internet-independent capabilities for operators uninterested in
the expense and weight of a connectivity solution based on

orbiting satellites.
"Our vision is all about wireless," explained David Gray,
Flight Display Systems' CEO and founder. "People don't need
Internet access all the time, but they do want to use their personal electronic devices."
For about $27,000, an operator can opt for a Jet Jukebox system that works with all iOS and Android devices to stream the
user's choice of content - photos, to movies and music - to as
many as eight devices through the wireless router and a server
capable of storing as many as 100 films.
Additionally, Gray highlighted the company's Select cabinmanagement system and its slick new application allowing
complete control of the entire cabin's systems through an iPad
interface designed to mimic Flight Display Systems own cabincontrol module.
UTC Aerospace Systems
UTC Aerospace Systems' Tablet Interface Module and its
Aircraft Interface Device together make various tablet computers a new option for adding a Class 2 EFB to the cockpit.
According to the company, the AID is the key to the TIM's
ability to makeover tablets into full-functioning EFBs. Purposemade EFBs can connect to the AID directly while it serves as a
firewall for the avionics suite; tablets, however, need the translation services of TIM to connect with the avionics.
TIM supports as many as three tablets simultaneously, with
the ability to display aircraft data - position, speed and heading
- and to capture disparate aircraft information, such as enginedata logging and other aircraft-health information often stored
in onboard data loggers.
UTC Aerospace also introduced its new cabin media server at
NBAA 2013, highlighting it as an easy-to-use networked storage center for "the ultimate digital entertainment experience."
According to UTC Aerospace, the new hardware provides
for easy sharing of photos, music, and full HD 1080p movies within the In-Flight Entertainment system. Media can be
streamed from the server to media players and passenger personal electronic devices like Android or iPhone. A full 1080p
high-definition video output allows playback and distribution
to Platinum IFE systems using HDMI or 3G-SDI connections.
Finally, UTC Aerospace showed off its new Model 1 VIP
Seat, the latest addition to the company's VIP seating platform
offering many state-of-the-art options and features. Among the
new innovations created for the VIP seat are a patented environmental control system with heating and cooling; a scalable and
modular electronic control system for motorized seat function
for recline, leg rest, head rest, lumbar, tracking and swiveling
release, floor tracking lock and release.
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