On the sidelines of NBAA-BACE 2025 in Las Vegas, business aviation operators demonstrated how Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system is rapidly gaining traction beyond the passenger cabin—with direct benefits for flight crews and operations teams.
During a demonstration flight aboard a Starlink-equipped Citation Sovereign, Ken Wiseman, director of aviation for Bryan Electric, described the system as a “game changer” for cockpit and operational communications.
“You can get access to all kinds of resources now, just like if you were on the ground, even better because it’s so much faster,” Wiseman said during an interview with FLYING. “If I have a problem with the airplane…I could get people on the phone immediately. I can text people. I can email. I can go online to some really serious resources about the jet or maybe the engines or avionics, whatever, and you pull it up quickly.”
Wiseman said the high-speed connection has enhanced in-flight crew resource management, enabling pilots to pull up digital resources, maintenance databases, and training references in real time.
Weather Data
Beyond communications, Wiseman pointed to improved situational awareness through real-time weather data. “It’s way better [than METARs],” he added. “Recently, I’ve been in Alaska and the Yukon Territories, where there aren’t good ground-based sources. But with Starlink, I can still look at radar and cloud formations regardless of what’s coming from the ground.”
On the installation and integration side, Anthony Wiederkehr, COO for AeroMech, said Starlink’s rollout in the business aviation market has accelerated through a growing list of Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs).
“We own the STCs for many of the Textron model airframes—basically everything from a Citation XLS and up is capable with the current antenna,” he said. “New products in development should allow for installations on smaller Textron airframes soon.”
Wiederkehr noted that installations typically take between one and two and a half weeks, largely because the Starlink system operates independently from onboard avionics. “It’s a standalone system,” he said. “It just uses aircraft power, and so it makes the installation really nice. In fact, a lot of it is just interior removal and reinstallation.”
AeroMech says it has completed about 100 installations so far, with strong customer feedback across operators.
“I had high expectations, but it’s even better than what I expected,” Wiederkehr added.
Regulatory approvals are progressing, with the FAA and international validations underway. “We’re pursuing every single validation,” he added. “Starlink’s constellation covers the entire world, and we want to make sure operators can use it everywhere—especially where no other connectivity options exist.”
During the 30-minute demo flight from Henderson Executive Airport (KHSH), passengers were able to connect 17 different devices at once with no latency. Some used FaceTime, while others streamed Paramount with no issues.
In one internet speed test, passengers were able to reach 395 Mbps in download speeds with all devices connected simultaneously.
Business aviation isn’t the only industry sector beginning to adopt Starlink. In the U.S., both Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines have installed Starlink on multiple aircraft types.
Just this week, United completed its first mainline flight—on board a Boeing 737-800—with Starlink enabled.
Starlink connects aircraft to a constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites that orbit far closer to the planet than traditional geostationary systems. Because the signal travels a much shorter distance, latency is lower and data speeds are higher—often comparable to broadband service on the ground. Each aircraft uses a flat, electronically steered antenna that automatically tracks multiple satellites at once, handing off between them as the airplane moves.
Many of the satellites are linked to one another by laser cross-links, allowing data to move across the network without always routing through ground stations. The system operates independently of onboard avionics, making installation relatively simple and enabling high-speed internet almost anywhere an aircraft can fly.
