Among the companies making their NBAA-BACE debut this year is Aircraft CMS (Booth 2821), which is showing off its Aires subscription-based, in-flight entertainment system. The self-contained unit requires no STC for installation and is fully plug-and-play, needing only a standard 120-volt connection.
The server comes pre-configured and will work with or without an active internet connection. Fully portable, the unit can be easily removed from the aircraft in the case of personal private aircraft can be brought to an aircraft owner's vacation home to provide entertainment there. Quarterly updates of top television shows and movies are provided on a USB drive that plugs into the base unit, which has several terabytes of memory.
Users can access the programming content on their smart device by scanning a QR code provided on a card, and the Aires system can support up to 100 users independently at the same time, more than enough for business aircraft applications. It can also operate through the airplane’s existing displays by HDMI connection. The unit can also be configured with parental controls to limit access to content.
Subscribers receive dedicated remote support for the system, and in the unlikely case of catastrophic failure a fully preloaded replacement unit will be dispatched overnight.
