If you’re looking for high-speed 4G Wi-Fi in your business airplane, you shouldn’t have to wait too much longer. Several companies are working on STCs for Gogo Business Aviation’s recently announced 4G service, which is expected to be available soon.
Gogo expects its 4G service to deliver more reliable connectivity over the continental U.S. at speeds that will enable passengers to watch movies and TV episodes through Gogo Vision. Gogo Text & Talk will allow passengers to make calls, send text messages, stream video and audio and have face-to-face conversations using their personal smartphones. Web browsing and emailing with attachments will also be possible with 4G.
Gogo’s 4G system, which lives in a single lightweight box, was specifically designed for the business aviation market. It incorporates dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi service and more, Gogo says. The first version is expected to be released in the next few months, with a next-generation system coming next year. With the system being available soon, several Gogo Business Aviation dealers are working on STCs for a variety of bizjets.
Duncan Aviation, which has several locations around the country, is developing STCs for Gogo’s 4G system for Gulfstream’s 200, Dassault’s Falcon 900, and Bombardier’s Global Express and Challenger 600 aircraft.
Constant Aviation will offer the 4G installation at its four locations, with STCs for the Embraer 145 series Shuttle, Legacy 600/650, Phenom 300 and Gulfstream V.
The most recent announcement came from Western Aircraft, which is working on an STC for Dassault’s Falcon 2000 series.
Textron Aviation will also develop STCs for the 4G system to be installed in its Citations, Hawkers and King Airs, though no specific platforms have been announced yet.
In addition to the specific STC offerings, all of these dealers will participate as partners for hardware sales and installations for Gogo’s 4G system on other business aircraft.
