ICG prides itself on the design and production of PBX and Transceiver systems that will be installed in dark and remote locations within the Aircraft, hopefully untouched by human-hand for many years.  Inevitably, however, there are times when the Operator may wish to make minor configuration changes to their routing tables or perhaps system monitoring or download of log files will be required.

Each of our systems provides a custom utility or emulation software that can be run on a standard PC, allowing the Operator or Installation Center to quickly configure or monitor the system.  In the unlikely event that you experience an issue our Support team will often ask, “Do you have the utility and programming cable available?”  Being prepared as the Boy Scout motto implies can save precious minutes when a critical flight schedule is looming; I would encourage everyone to do just that, be prepared for the unlikely.

All Products shipped from ICG are pre-boxed with the necessary Software CD, Programming cable and Installation manuals for just such events.  For those who wish to obtain additional copies, or perhaps are unable to locate this information, I urge you to logon to our Website and join myICG our Customer Portal.  Here you will find the most current versions of Utility software, Installation manuals and other useful information to help you keep up to date and maintain the knowledge to react if and when the time comes.

Our Support team have years of experience with regards to the best way to custom configure your installation to suit the Operators needs and can quickly talk you through system monitoring and troubleshooting techniques and we are ready to help.

As always, we are just a phone call or e-mail away!

ICG Customer Service & Technical Support – (800) 279-1991 Option 5 – +1 (757) 947-1060 Direct – techsupport@icg.aero or visit us on the web at www.icg.aero

Darren Emery

Manager, Customer Service, Support & Integration

It is acknowledged within the aviation industry, that the current Air Traffic Management (ATM) system is experiencing capacity issues with some popular routes reaching 100 % saturation during busy periods. With air traffic predicted to grow at the rate of five percent annually, the industry must find new solutions for the air traffic management system that provides greater capacity.  The FAA’s current solution to alleviate congestion in the North Atlantic is to encourage the industry to become Future Air Navigation System, or FANS compliant. FANS 1/A compliance offers a space-based method for handling increasing air traffic by reducing separations between aircraft permitting a higher density of aircraft in a route.  Direct flight routes, reduced separation, over-the-pole flights, and constant descent approaches decrease flight time, and increase fuel savings. For the ATM systems to be effective, a key requisite is that the Air Traffic Navigation Service (ATNS) providers responsible for directing aircraft in their assigned air space, be able to communicate with an aircraft 100% of the time for all ATS services.   On the operations side, reliable communications for AOC and AAC communications,  permit operators to obtain maximum efficiencies from their operations while ensuring safe conditions for their passengers.

FANS would be less expensive and less dependent on ground communications than the current air traffic management system. Currently, FANS mandates periodic and automatic position reporting and direct message deliveries to the MCDU.  These messages are handled through a program called Controller Pilot Datalink Communications or CPDLC. Using the CPDLC program, flight crews and air traffic controllers would communicate through digital data links based on satellite networks and a global positioning system. This equates to having an Instant Messenger (IM) address for the aircraft which allows ATC to send and receive messages seamlessly.  Aircraft would also send data link position reports using satellite communication networks.

Currently, when flying in oceanic airspace where there is no VHF coverage, the pilot's traditional method of communicating with ATC is via HF voice radio. HF voice messages from the aircraft are transcribed by a radio operator and sent to the ATC center. HF voice frequencies on the North Atlantic are often congested making it difficult for pilots to communicate efficiently with ATC. Poor HF transmission conditions mean that messages may have to be re-transmitted or relayed by other aircraft. This consumes time and effort by pilots, radio operators and controllers, and increases the risk for errors. A routine request to change flight level can take 20 minutes or more to process in this way. With FANS, the risk for mishearing or misunderstanding is almost eliminated and thus safety is enhanced. The CPDLC messages are delivered to ATC in near-real time and with higher reliability than HF voice.

Once FANS is implemented, operators are able to take advantage of several needed improvements such as reduced separation between airplanes, more efficient route changes, satellite communication, no altitude loss when crossing tracks and more direct routings (including polar routes).

The ICG NxtLink 120A and NxtLink 220A products, though initially developed for the Air Transport industry, operate equally well for Executive Jet and military aircraft CNS/ATM operations . The devices meet all ARINC, RTCA and ICAO industry standards and requirements to provide Flight Deck Datalink and Flight crew voice in support of safety communications services. Once installed on the aircraft the operator has the communications facilities to support ACARS, FANS 1/A, CPDLC, etc. The optimum configuration and NxtLink product selection will often depend on the capabilities of the flight deck avionics as well as the number of users who may have demands for communication services. Both the NxtLink 120A and 220A devices offer preemption and priority features to permit the flight crew to always have access to a channel.

In addition, the NxtLink 120A and 220A have recently achieved ARINC’s Avionics Qualification Program (AQP) certification and are currently being tested by SITA for VAQ certifications. These certifications are mandated for operations on the SITA and ARINC Datalink networks. In January, the devices also received FAA PMA approval which means that our Air Transport and business aviation customers can have the confidence that what they’re putting on their aircraft meet the industry’s highest standards for quality, reliability and performance.