Jet Aviation in St. Louis accomplished the first ATG-8000 high-speed internet installation in an Embraer Lineage.
“This is the first ATG-8000 ever installed in a Lineage, and it’s a very complex process,” said Blake Hogge, senior manager, Aviation Sales at Jet Aviation at St. Louis. “We had to strip out much of the interior and even take the fuel tanks out of the airplane’s belly. Basically, we had to take the right side of the aircraft apart.”
Hogge said the ATG-8000 is part of Gogo Business Aviation’s air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity system – a package that includes multiple modems, routers, and external directional antennae. It will provide the customer with high-speed internet, Wi-Fi, and connectivity for information and entertainment services such as email and video conferencing. While the ATG-8000 is fairly new for business-aviation applications, Hogge said it has been installed in hundreds of commercial airliners. He said the Jet Aviation service center in St. Louis installed it in the Lineage under a supplemental type certificate (STC).
Jet Aviation at St. Louis is a full-service aircraft maintenance, modifications and completions provider certified to AS9110B, ISO 140001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 standards. It employs more than 600 people at its St. Louis Downtown Airport location, has in-house design and engineering departments, along with on-site cabinetry, upholstery, composite, avionics, sheet metal, and paint shops. Jet Aviation at St. Louis is an Embraer and Gulfstream authorized service center and a Dassault Falcon and Hawker center of proficiency. It also serves as an authorized service center for GE, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell engines. The location also offers FBO services. Jet Aviation in St. Louis recently completed a contract for a second ATG-8000 installation scheduled in April.
