SmartSky announced the issuance of an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate for SmartSky LITE on the King Air 350i. The certificate covers installation of the award-winning inflight Wi-Fi system for King Air models B200, B200C, B200GT, 250, 250C, 250EP, 260, 260C, 300, 350, 350C, 350CER, 350i, 350iER, 360, 360C, and 360CER representing over 2,000 in-service aircraft.
The first article installation was completed by Davinci Jets Services, a full-service MRO and FAA Part 135 charter firm operated by North Carolina-based aircraft management firm Davinci Jets. As part of previously announced plans to equip the majority of its managed fleet with SmartSky connectivity – due to SmartSky's ability to deliver the connected experience inflight customers have been demanding for years -- Davinci has already completed first-of-type installations of SmartSky systems on a Citation CJ4, Citation Latitude, and Pilatus PC-12.
SmartSky CEO David Helfgott commented: "Receiving this STC marks significant progress in the SmartSky STC lineup and in delivering our high-performance solution to a series of aircraft that has long been underserved by inflight connectivity. The pilots and passengers of this aircraft are absolutely delighted with the ability to connect to whatever is most important, without limitations."
This first King Air, which was previously equipped with Gogo Avance L3 before being replaced with the SmartSky LITE system. When the pilot was asked about the user experience compared to the L3 system, Captain Greg Mashburn stated, "So far, it's been way better, obviously. Gogo was pretty spotty and half the time our passengers or the crew couldn't even connect, let alone send a text. Now we can send photos, FaceTime, and stream videos really easily. Everyone's excited."
Along with the Davinci Jet Services installations, SmartSky has completed first-article installations on four additional models that are awaiting STC issuance with six more in progress as it continues to aggressively expand its diverse roster of certified airframes. SmartSky has STCs covering more than 6,000 in-service aircraft and the in-progress projects represent about 10,000 more.
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