Airtext+ Adds “Big Data,” Digital ATIS and Graphics
Latest enhancement to Airtext airborne messaging system offers high speed transmission of
documents and graphics, ATIS information
Las Vegas, NV—October 10, 2017—Airtext, the on-board system that allows
passengers to send and receive text messages anywhere in the world, at any
altitude, for 5 cents a message, has announced enhancements to its Airtext+ service
that includes high speed transmission of graphic images and crew access to Digital
ATIS information. Airtext+’s “Big Data” can be internally switched to a high speed
datalink in order to send and receive documents and pictures pertinent to the
passengers or crew. Pilots can also request what the FAA has designated as D-
ATIS, a textual copy of radio-based Airport Terminal Information for specific airports
which have the capability to transmit it in that format.

“These enhancements to our services are just the latest in an ongoing evolution of
customer-requested communication capabilities that we offer at extraordinary
savings compared to what owners and operators of business aircraft previously had
to choose from,” said David Gray, Airtext Chief Executive Officer. “We started with a
simple, Iridium-based text messaging capability that could accommodate up to 16
simultaneous users, eventually increased that to handle 64 concurrent users and
then developed the ability to add phone calling with Airtext +.
Now, we’re ‘taking it up a notch’ with high speed graphics and digital capabilities so
that passengers and crew members can use visual media to ensure precise and
accurate understanding of their messaging.

“For instance, while enroute to a meeting, a document can be sent to the airplane
for final review prior to the arriving at the destination. Or perhaps ,for an event at a

factory that requires the boss's advance approval, a photo can be sent to the
airplane.”

Gray also pointed out how “Big Data” could be used by the crew for service and
maintenance issues: “In the event of an in-flight anomaly, the pilot could take a
picture of an illuminated warning light and send the image to a maintenance
technician who would then secure the necessary replacement part or research the
remedy while the plane is in-bound, keeping the trip on schedule for the rest of the
day. Or, a flight plan could be filed while enroute to expedite the time spent on the
ground when an itinerary change is made while airborne. Keeping the pilots and
passengers productive while coordinating with the rest of their business contacts is
easy with Big Data.”

Pilots will definitely appreciate the availability of Digital ATIS information. Having a
textual version of the information will educe radio transmissions and distracting
events during critical phases of flight and significant’y increase safety.

Typically, ATIS information is only available within VHF frequency range of an
airport. That means it’s being collected during descent—at a time when the crew is
at its busiest. With Airtext's D-ATIS capability, ATIS information can be accessed
anywhere in the world at any altitude. Currently D-ATIS has been limited and
available to airlines or larger aircraft with very expensive legacy avionics. Airtext
utilizes Iridium satellites to request ATIS data from the FAA. It can then be shown
on the pilots’ PEDs, which are currently used for other NEXRAD and traffic
information, in the cockpit.

“I see this capability as a great feature that everyone will use,” Gray projects. “We
already had the capability to request worldwide TAF’s and METAR’s, D-ATIS just
adds to the WX request portfolio for the pilot. More and more airports are becoming

equipped with D-ATIS. A streamlined automatic process of requesting, transmitting
and receiving accurate information is a big boon to aviation safety.”

Expanding bandwidth will provide even greater advances for Airtext in the next year,
he noted. “Right now, Airtext works on a relatively small bandwidth, and yet we can
do so much. Iridium Next is coming in late 2018 and we will be increasing the
pipeline to the plane by 44 times —that’s a 4400% increase! There is also a huge
transformation in Bluetooth coming. At this point, we use a low power BLE solution.
Over the next year, new devices with BLE-5 will be released that will open up
bandwidth on phones and tablets. BLE-5 is twice as fast, enables further range and
can transfer 800% more data. With “Big Data, we’re already positioned to take
advantage of these improvements…and we’ll be able to do it economically and
efficiently. We’re just scratching the surface of helping our customers communicate
seamlessly from anywhere in the world!”