| News – Update #1 February 2017 |
Hello from Airtext!!
We have more and more people flying and using Airtext. The software and firmware continue to be tweaked and improved with several more features.
Dedicated Airtext Numbers
The data subscription includes two dedicated numbers. With a dedicated number, people on the ground can initiate a text conversation with you on the airplane. If you would like additional dedicated Airtext numbers those are available for $20 a year. Generally we see the pilot and owner having these numbers, the choice is yours.
Favorites
Located in the menu, this allows you to put a gaggle of people in a list. When you log into Airtext (by opening the app) our ground server will send out a message to everyone in your Favorites list that you are Flying. When you land, we will send a message to everyone in your Favorites list that you have landed. No action from you other than opening up the app. This might be nice for your family, business associates (i.e. C- level officers), or friends to get these messages. They are essentially now invited to text with you and you did not have to send each of them an iridium message.
Send a Message to a Group
Also located in the menu, this allows you to send a message from the airplane to a group of people. If you wanted to tell all your VP’s that you will be landing at 2 PM at PDK airport you could. All in that group would receive the message. No need to send the same message over and over.
This program allows a flight dispatcher to communicate bi-directionally from a PC to the airplane. This is particularly convenient for rerouting the airplane, getting ETE information, position information, and other data sent between the airplane and the ground. The concept is much like the old airlines ACARS system just a lot less expensive and probably more sophisticated. There is an additional charge for this capability, but significantly lower than anything that has been on the market to date.
Iridium Next Satellites
Satellites are now in orbit! As you may know by now, Iridium Next is the future of Iridium. I have put some videos on our website, www.Airtext.aero. One video informs you about some of the capabilities and the other shows the successful launch and landing of the Falcon 9 rocket. Essentially, what we are anticipating is a significant bandwidth improvement for Airtext and additional capability once the constellation of new satellites is in place. Unfortunately, that will not be until early 2018, but the future is GREAT!
Any questions, comments or suggestions please reach out to us. This is the best product we have made (we have made over 120 products in the past). Our new Airtext tagline is,
“Powerful Communication, 140 Characters at a Time!”
