Teledyne Controls, the aircraft data management subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies, has obtained UK CAA Supplemental Type Certification (STC) approval for installation of its Aircraft Cabin Environment Sensor (ACES) on the Airbus A320 aircraft family. The system was also FAA certified for the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 series last year and has been implemented at four carriers in the US, UK, and Australia.
With wireless connectivity to a secure cloud-service portal, the ACES laboratory-grade sensor technology continuously and autonomously monitors, measures, analyses and records air quality in the cabin and flight deck for potentially harmful contaminants. The data is available in real‑time on any mobile device through the ACES mobile app, and users can gain secure web access to the ACES Cloud Service Portal.
Access to the portal provides configurable dashboards, custom alerts, and comprehensive reports that enable the operator to validate air quality in an aircraft, identify emerging issues, and document maintenance efforts.
“A recent flyer survey revealed that 87% of passengers would feel safer if their airline was monitoring cabin air quality,” said Mehrdad Radmehr, president of Teledyne Aerospace Electronics. “ACES is the only certified solution on the market today that can address this need and give airline executives, and customer experience and maintenance teams, the ability to monitor cabin air quality on their aircraft. By implementing long-term cabin air quality monitoring fleet-wide, aircraft operators will show leadership on this topic and demonstrate their commitment to the health and well-being of their passengers and crew.”
New operational software release for GroundLink connectivity suite
A new software release for ACES provides improved data security features, more options to interface with onboard SATCOM systems, increased flexibility for EFB applications integration, and enhanced capabilities to manage and control communications costs.
Steve Sammis, vice president of aircraft upgrade solutions for Teledyne Controls, said, “With access to expanded and real-time data, operators can better support wireless EFB applications, such as live graphical weather and trajectory optimization, to improve flight performance, detect and avoid turbulence, and reduce costs.”
For GroundLink AID+, a system that provides flight deck connectivity to enhance EFB systems functionality and data management capability, operators benefit from expanded access to aircraft parameters and more precise time stamping.
For GroundLink Data Link and GroundLink Broadband, which provide secure IP connectivity and the ability to send ACARS messages over IP while in flight, operators have more SATCOM and IFC hardware interface options, including the ARINC ACARS system.
The new software also includes several security-related improvements to streamline the management of digital certificates, providing better event monitoring in support of corporate security programmes.
The GroundLink Connectivity software is approved for use on the Boeing 737NG, 767, and 777 aircraft series; the Airbus A320, A330, and A380 families; and the Embraer ERJ 190.
More than 15,000 GroundLink Comm+ units have been deployed worldwide, supporting automated flight data downloads, wireless distribution of software parts and databases, real‑time data streaming, cabin/crew connectivity, ACARS over IP, and more.
