Gogo secures more than 30 STC contracts for Gogo Galileo HDX
Chad Ostertag explains what this all means and why it matters to business aviation
To best address the topic of substantial number of Gogo Galileo HDX STCs, we have asked one of our in-house experts, Chad Ostertag, Senior Aftermarket Channel Manager at Gogo. With more than twenty years of experience in business aviation as well as a tenure in telecommunications, Chad is a wealth of knowledge.
To walk us through why securing Gogo Galileo HDX STCs is a crucial step and why it matters for the business aviation market, we asked Chad to share his insights.
1. What is a STC and why are STCs important?
A supplemental type certificate (STC) is a civil aviation authority-approved major modification or repair to an existing type-certified aircraft. Basically, what a STC means for a business or private jet owner is that the installation has been done to meet the Federal Aviation Associations (FAA) regulations. For the Gogo Galileo HDX antenna, our dealers will need STCs to guarantee that the installed antennas meet regulations.
Whenever you do any sort of antenna installation, it requires numerous other time and labor-intensive tests. A STC is an investment of time, taking on with an average from start to finish six months and of course it is also an investment of money, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
2. Why did so many dealers sign up so quickly for Gogo Galileo HDX?
Timing is everything. I like to call it the perfect storm. Our dealers recognize the impact that Gogo Galileo HDX will have on the global business aviation market and want to be a part of it. We have always had interest from a handful of dealers to develop STCs for our products, but Gogo Galileo is different. This is the only product that had the majority of dealers (close to 90%) asking to develop a STC for either HDX or FDX.
The first European maintenance organization to obtain a Gogo Galileo HDX STC will be Atlas Air in Germany for the Embraer Phenom 300. You can review the complete list of STCs in progress here.
“I believe that Gogo Galileo is going to be a game changer in the European market because of the low latency, high speed, and the size of the antenna.”
Radu Gigore, Maintenance Commercial Director Atlas Air
“We're excited to be an STC partner with Gogo Galileo, which is going to revolutionize business aviation connectivity, leveraging the proven track record of service and reliability that has been built up by ATG and now LEO satellites.”
Brad Bruce, CEO Pentastar Aviation
“Our customers are looking for a faster solution with a company that's credible that they can trust. With the Gogo Galileo HDX STC that we are developing, it's an antenna on top with speeds well beyond current speeds.”
Phil Stearns, Director of Sales at Stevens Aerospace
3. Why does Gogo Galileo matter for business jets of all sizes and missions?
The global business aviation market has been hungry for a cost-effective, high speed data solution for well over a decade or more. By leveraging LEO satellites and deep aviation expertise, Gogo Galileo is going to level up inflight connectivity for all business aircraft worldwide.