Lufthansa Technik (Booth 2141) is diving headfirst into the cabin
management and entertainment business with an all-digital wireless
cabin environment that will be stamped with the Lufthansa Technik
(LHT) brand, marking the company's emergence as an OEM for both
the airline and business jet industry.
The system, which is now certified and has been flying on a privately
owned BBJ2 for three months, includes an 11 Mbps Ethernet backbone,
touch-screen passenger control units, digital audio and video
capabilities and options for telephone and data communications.
Called the Networked Integrated Cabin Equipment (Nice), the product
will come in two versions, one for large jets supplying 115 VAC
and 400Hz and one for general aviation aircraft with 28 VDC power.
The announcement puts LHT in direct competition with heavy hitters
in the cabin like Rockwell Collins with the AirShow 21 suite and
Honeywell's Ovation E-series system for the business aircraft
fleet.
LHT says the effort is not simply an integration of various commercial-off-the-shelf
products, rather the entire package has been built from the ground-up
with the help of partners Cisco Systems, Videon and Ideo. Cisco
Systems is providing the wireless technology, including security
protocols while giving LHT access to the latest research coming
from its labs. Videon is providing systems integration knowledge
for digital audio and video systems and Ideo is designing the
man-machine interfaces.
Bernhard Conrad, LHT's svp of engineering and production, says
Nice has been operating trouble-free on the BBJ2 for three months,
primarily on routes of 5,000 to 6,000 miles. Conrad credits the
success partially to LHT's decision to exercise the hardware and
software "around the clock" for an extended period in
a full-size cabin mockup of the BBJ2 about six months before delivery.
