In the beginning of 2024, Starlink was in its infancy in the Aviation world. Experts in the business aviation industry had many concerns about how the Starlink system would work in this niche market. Now, just over six months later, several aircraft maintenance companies have had the opportunity to begin to install Starlink into business jets. At Pro Star, we have been able to complete nearly 10 installations since the beginning of the year. In total, there are now over one hundred business jets in the field with Starlink. The early reviews are in, so to speak. The results, across the board, are even better than expected. Some would say they have surpassed the expectations set by the industry after seeing their impressive demonstration at the 2023 NBAA BACE.

One challenge for Starlink that still remains, is the amount of time it takes to complete the installation. When installing Starlink outside of a planned maintenance event or interior refurbishment, anything less than three weeks to completion is highly optimistic. Despite this lengthy downtime, there are ways to capitalize on it. For instance, aircraft owners could try to align any upcoming maintenance items, instead of waiting for a major planned event.

If there are not any maintenance items that line up with the installation downtime, one of the most popular options to do while most of the aircraft interior is removed, is a cabin management/entertainment system upgrade. Getting the cabin management to a point where there’s little to no obsolete equipment is a great use of that time. In fact, it is feasible to accomplish both at the same price or even less than a Satcom installation was five years ago. Additionally, there are many companies that have systems that don’t require much in the way of interior alterations of refurbishment.

While interior refurbishment might sound like a likely option to combine downtime efforts, typically the downtime and planning for that type of effort is even longer than getting on the queue to install Starlink. However, taking measurements for a replacement carpet or softgoods replacement in the future is a wise use of the time. Accomplishing deep cleaning, cabin detailing or minor repairs are also a great use of the time.

As far as installation STC status goes, there have been some recent changes. First, Bombardier has endorsed the STC from Nextant, while Embraer intends to do the same. Dassault is also in the midst of incorporating its own design for both the 2000 and the 7X/8X. Additionally Gulfstream and Textron are starting design efforts for their fleet of aircraft. All of these developments indicate that, before long, there will be OEM endorsed solutions for every major large business aircraft. Nextant is also looking into providing insurance coverage for any airframe warranty concerns for its current STC solutions on Gulfstream aircraft. Because of this, many of the early concerns relating to Gulfstream and other manufacturers are being put to bed, as they are either endorsing the solution or there will be insurance to allay concerns about warranty infractions.

Nextant has also begun work on creating a different antenna shroud that will better accommodate smaller aircraft, such as Challenger 300 series, Praetors and Phenoms. While there doesn’t seem to be a clear road map to the Starlink Mini system being retrofitted for aviation use, there have been talks amongst industry experts that introducing a smaller form factor for light aircraft will be imperative to capture that market sector. Despite these potential changes, the current antenna design will be here to stay for a long time and subtle changes in antenna design will be easy to adapt to the Nextant antenna shroud. In the satcom world size matters so the large format antenna will always produce better results than a smaller form factor. The mid-year reception is officially in, and the reviews are glowing. Starlink has maintained a high reputation within the field, despite a rocky and skeptical beginning. As someone who had concerns, myself, I am happy to report that there seems to be nothing but good things ahead for Starlink and in-flight connectivity as a whole. It appears that the future of Starlink will be long, fruitful, and bright.

In April of this year, I discussed the reservations I had with certain unanswered questions relating to the Starlink system designed for Business Aviation. In the months following, we have seen updates that have clarified some of my concerns. No update, however, has been quite as massive as the announcement made earlier this month. Both Starlink Aviation and Nextant Aerospace have been approved by the FAA to install their connectivity solution on all Gulfstream G650 aircraft.

While the STC approval is a huge success for Starlink and Nextant, it has become clear that Gulfstream has certain reservations about this recent authorization. In a Maintenance and Operations letter released on September 15, the company addressed these concerns to all Gulfstream operators. In the letter, they outline three specific points for operators to be aware of. First, Gulfstream discusses structural integrity: “Incorporation of this third-party STC will impact the fuselage structure with respect to the antenna installation; Structural Warranty may not apply to the affected areas of this modification”.

The following reservations both revolve around the lack of control Gulfstream will have over installation data and design. First, Gulfstream’s “technical operations and engineering teams will not have the data or ability to support any repairs…that may arise with the STC upon installation or afterward”. Similarly, their final concern focuses on “hardware and software configuration [which] will be out of Gulfstream’s control”. This means that Gulfstream may not be able to support in-service issues with the third-party installation without potential additional cost.

While Gulfstream may be suspicious of the FAA’s approval of Starlink and Nextant’s solution, it is important to recognize that they are not outright condemning it. In fact, it is quite standard for an aircraft manufacturer to have reservations in the face of a solution that they did not create. It is still an STC approved solution, and not every STC approved solution for all aircraft is always appreciated or validated by the aircraft manufacturer. Their hesitations do not make the STC any less safe or valid of an option for connectivity. In the letter itself, Gulfstream makes it clear that they do not fully disapprove of the solution, stating that they “will continue to work with Starlink to evaluate new technology, and…are committed to validating solutions on [their] aircraft when and if the data [they] gather supports the viability of the product”.

At Pro Star, we are starting to offer proposals for Gulfstreams, specifically G650s. The installations could begin as soon as Q4 2023. Quotes for the G650s can be requested now. Additionally, Gulfstream models G550 & G450, as well as the Bombardier Global Express solutions will become obtainable through the same conduit within the next two to four months. Subsequently, installations for these aircraft will be available for quotations. Since the April blog on Starlink Aviation, the cost of the hardware has remained stable, hovering at $150,000. The monthly cost for the service has also remained the same, ranging from $12,500 to $25,000 a month. Since there is not a formal Dealer Network, questions concerning hardware and service should be directed to Starlink directly. bizjets@spacex.com For aircraft owners looking to install this solution, you can expect the cost of installation to at least match the equipment cost. It could potentially be up to 1.5x the cost of equipment. This is to cover the cost of interior removal and reinstallation, installation labor, the STC, and custom installation kit. Additionally, many aircraft will also require existing equipment to be relocated to accommodate the Starlink terminal installation. All in all, this approval from the FAA is an exciting step forward for Starlink and Nextant. With more models closely following behind the G650s, this could truly be the beginning of a revolution in luxury connectivity for the world of aviation.