SKYTRAC, a global leader in aerospace intelligent connectivity and satellite communications (satcom), in partnership with Iridium Communications, today introduced an optimized Iridium Certus® 100 midband satcom solution for the general aviation market at EAA AirVenture.

The optimization will allow pilots to leverage efficient Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Iridium Certus satellite data with leading Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) applications for real-time weather information including SIGMETs, AIRMETs, PIREPs, and NOTAMs, helping to improve flight safety and situational awareness when outside of cellular service.

The midband satcom service class, Iridium Certus 100, enables up to 88 Kbps of bandwidth through SKYTRAC’s DLS-100 and Blue Sky Network’s SkyLink 7100 portable terminals, allowing pilots and passengers to communicate through voice and messaging while also enabling flight tracking and critical application updates such as graphical and real-time weather alerts.

Together, with Iridium Certus 100, and Iridium Certus Connected® terminals, pilots can bring intelligent connectivity to any airframe with powerful, small form factor devices that don’t require costly installations or certifications.

“With this partnership, personal aviators as well as larger operators can complement their cellular connectivity with satcom without its prohibitive cost,” says Iain Ronis, Director of Product Management at SKYTRAC. “With inflight connectivity, general aviation operators can stay connected to their apps, update flight plans, download the latest weather, and communicate through text and voice-based messaging, even in remote locations with no cellular service – a game changer for the general aviation segment.”

Operators seeking to upgrade their operations with satcom can leverage SKYTRAC’s DLS-100 midband datalink and GPS system. Ruggedized, portable, and optimized for Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP), the DLS-100 is suitable for a variety of aircraft platforms and provides reliable midband satellite connectivity, globally. Operators looking to equip with both cellular and satcom can leverage Blue Sky Network’s SkyLink 7100 which uses 4G/LTE networks to create a low-latency, dual-mode, cloud-based service solution.

The two cost-effective Iridium Certus Connected terminals allow for pole-to-pole connectivity, 99.9% reliability, and low latency for a host of capabilities including telemetry streaming, two-way messaging, and more.

“We’re excited to extend Iridium’s reliable solutions to general aviation market, through our partners SKYTRAC and Blue Sky Network. Iridium Certus 100 is the first service leveraging our upgraded constellation for the GA pilot community, enabling a new era of affordable and more capable cockpit connectivity,” mentions John Peterson, Executive Director, Aviation Line of Business at Iridium. “With this optimized data transmission, GA pilots can benefit from using familiar messaging apps like iMessage or WhatsApp while also enhancing their safety and situational awareness no matter where their flight plans take them.”