Jet Aviation has completed the first
installation of the new ATG-8000 high-speed internet system in an Embraer
Lineage at its facility in St. Louis.
“This is the first ATG-8000 ever installed in
a Lineage, and it’s a very complex process,” said
Blake Hogge,
senior manager, Aviation Sales at Jet Aviation at St. Louis. “We had to strip
out much of the interior and even take the fuel tanks out of the airplane’s
belly. Basically, we had to take the right side of the aircraft apart.”
Hogge said the ATG-8000 is part of Gogo
Business Aviation’s air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity system - a package that
includes multiple modems, routers, and external directional antennae. It will
provide the customer with high-speed internet, Wi-Fi, and connectivity for
information and entertainment services such as email and video conferencing.
While the ATG-8000 is fairly new for business-aviation applications, Hogge said
it has been installed in hundreds of commercial airliners. He said the Jet
Aviation service center in St. Louis installed it in the Lineage under a
supplemental type certificate (STC).
Jet Aviation in St. Louis recently completed a
contract for a second ATG-8000 installation scheduled in April. |