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Duncan Aviation shared Tuesday that its Satellite shop in Houston, Texas had completed its first Starlink in-flight internet connectivity system installation in a Bombardier Global Express. The customer was pleased as the installation went ahead without issue and Starlink fired up immediately.
The customer flew home following the installation, streaming three movies simultaneously and facetiming with his wife. Duncan said the customer could not be happier with the speeds and bandwith achieved and the activity it allowed for with hardly any noticeable latency.
"Although this was our first installation, the avionics and structures teams were impressed by the well-organized Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) and kit that allowed us to perform the installation well within the three weeks we had allotted," Houston Satellite Manager Mark Winter said. "We expected to encounter some problems since it was our first Starlink installation, but it couldn't have gone more smoothly."
The Houston shop has seven additional Starlink installations planned in the coming weeks and months. This includes two additional aircraft for the GL-XRS customer. The Starlin installations require a short downtime due the internet-only system. This system has the capability to integrate with Cabin Management Systems or other systems on the aircraft, but this is not required. Using personal devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops, passengers can connect to their office's Virtual Private Network, stream media, play games or Facetime with family, enjoying coverage around the world.
The team in Houston has been installing avionics systems in aircraft for nearly three decades and are amazed by the revolutionary system and its ease of use.
"We performed power and ground checks, and as soon as we powered up the Starlink system and sent the serial numbers for the aeroterminal to Starlink, the system was active within minutes, and we ran our tests," Winter said. "We achieved significantly faster up- and download speeds than Starlink had told us to expect, and our customer was extremely pleased by that."
In early March, Duncan completed a dealership agreement to sell and install hardware for the Starlink high-speed, in-flight internet connectivity system on a growing list of makes and models. All Duncan full-service facilities and many of its Satellite shops are qualified and authorized to perform these installations.