Arinc has extended its business-aviation datalink service to include aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics, with Bombardier’s Challenger 300 super mid-size jet as the launch application. Arinc Direct services are already available for aircraft equipped with Teledyne Telelink and Universal Avionics Unilink avionics.
Whereas Telelink and Unilink use Arinc’s ACARS datalink, the Challenger 300 is the first aircraft to use the higher-bandwidth VDL-2 digital VHF datalink, says Bob Richard, senior director, business aviation services. Arinc Direct is also available for aircraft with Honeywell Primus Epic integrated avionics, but still uses the traditional ACARS link, he says.
Arinc Direct services include worldwide route planning, flight following, graphical weather and aircraft messaging. Air traffic control services handled by Arinc via datalink include departure clearances and slot requests. VDL’s 31.5kb/s capacity, compared with the 2.4kb/s of ACARS, allows for faster uploads of cockpit weather graphics, says Richard.
Arinc has completed the upgrade of its North American datalink ground stations with VDL-2 and has deployed a network in Europe. Although ATC services are still available via ACARS, Richard says there is a move under way to shift key functions such as pre-departure and oceanic clearances to VDL-2 because of its greater capacity and integrity.
Source: Flight International
