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Advanced Telecom Systems Utilized by World's Leading Business Aircraft Operators

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

San Jose, California (Dec. 8, 2011) — Sanmina-SCI Corporation, a leading manufacturing solutions company making some of the world's most complex and valuable optical, RF, electronic and mechanical products, and TrueNorth Avionics, a leading innovator in airborne telecommunications solutions for voice, Internet data and Wi-Fi, today jointly announced that Sanmina-SCI will manufacture TrueNorth's in-cabin telecommunications equipment for business aircraft at its Ottawa, Ontario, Canada facility.

TrueNorth Avionics Enters Distribution Agreement with Jet Aviation Basel

Tuesday, 01 November 2011

Mark van Berkel, left, signs distribution agreement with Wolfram Ewert
(click to enlarge)

Scalable “future-proof” Simphonē OpenCabin^™ system chosen for all cabin telecommunications, including HD Voice, Wi-Fi, high-speed data and smartphone support

Ottawa, Canada (October 10, 2011) — TrueNorth Avionics has announced its selection by Jet Aviation Basel to provide its full cabin telecommunications solutions for the latter’s world-renowned completions and maintenance facility for VIP Aircraft. Airborne telecommunications for these high-level aircraft is being supported by TrueNorth’s Simphonē OpenCabin system, which provides Wi-Fi, high-speed data integration, fax, HD Voice, corded and cordless handsets with credit card readers, along with worldwide Iridium^®, Inmarsat, and high-speed Ku Satcom on aircraft types ranging from the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) and Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) to Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Gulfstream aircraft types.

(For the full story on Aviation Today, click here.)

TrueNorth Introduces the Industry’s First Multilingual Handset

Monday, 10 October 2011

TrueNorth Stylus™ Handset
(click to enlarge)

New Stylus™ handset combines multilingual operation, HD Voice Quality and unlimited personalization features in stunning new design.

Ottawa, Canada (October 10, 2011) — TrueNorth Avionics has announced the introduction of business aviation’s first multilingual handset, the TrueNorth Stylus, which also incorporates TrueNorth’s intuitive, one-button interface; HD Voice Quality for near broadcast-quality voice communications; wired and wireless configuration options; and personalization options that include custom materials to match the décor of any cabin or aircraft interior. Designed to match the footprint of TrueNorth’s previous-generation handsets, the Stylus is the first sleek, modern interpretation of an airborne handset design, and can be programmed to operate in any language, including those with dedicated character sets such as Chinese, Japanese, Arabic and Russian.

TrueNorth Adds Andrew Nasmith as Director of Strategic Aviation Solutions

Monday, 10 October 2011

Andrew Nasmith, Director of Strategic Aviation Solutions

Experienced aviation sales manager also brings OEM program experience to TrueNorth’s growing sales team.

Ottawa, Canada (October 10, 2011) — TrueNorth Avionics has announced it has added Andrew Nasmith as Director of Strategic Aviation Solutions, representing the company’s full line of airborne telecommunications products. Nasmith brings more than 20 years of sales, sales management and implementation account management experience in the aviation, MRO, OEM and defense industries, most recently leading global enterprise software sales for maintenance, repair and overhaul at Ramco Systems Canada, Inc. His OEM sales background includes work with General Dynamics, EADS and Boeing.

TrueNorth Receives Organizational Part-145 EASA Approval

Monday, 10 October 2011

Company adds EASA acceptance to its existing FAA-recognized status as a Transport Canada Approved Manufacturer for Aeronautical Products and Transport Canada Approved Maintenance Organization

Ottawa, Canada (October 10, 2011) — TrueNorth Avionics has announced that it is now an EASA Part-145 Approved Organization, complementing its Transport Canada and FAA-recognized status as an Approved Manufacturer for Aeronautical Products and an Approved Maintenance Organization. This approval will enable TrueNorth to provide even better support to its growing base of customers and dealers in the European Union.

TrueNorth Appoints Thomas Marrocco As Vice President of Worldwide Sales

Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Thomas Marrocco, VP/Worldwide Sales

Ottawa, Canada (May 31, 2011) —TrueNorth Avionics, the fast-growing developer of executive airborne telecom solutions, has announced that Thomas Marrocco, an experienced sales executive with a strong background in global business development and go-to-market sales strategy, sales management and a proven track record for delivering long-term business growth, has joined the company as Vice President of Worldwide Sales.

Most recently, Marrocco led enterprise software sales for the global commercial aviation and MRO marketplace at Mxi Technologies, and previously held senior executive positions within the telecommunications and IT industry, including at two start-ups he helped cofound and at iSTAR Internet, Siemens and AT&T Canada.

“We consider ourselves fortunate to have a person of Thomas’s strong telecom, aviation and management expertise leading our sales team,” said Mark van Berkel, TrueNorth’s president. “Thomas is a results-oriented leader who has directed global sales campaigns and negotiated long-term strategic partnerships with such companies as Dassault, Boeing and a number of airlines, and I look forward to working with him as he brings TrueNorth’s products to an even wider audience of aircraft operators.”

TrueNorth Introduces the First Easy-to-Use, Certified Wi-Fi Cabin Networking System for Telecom and IFE

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

The new TrueNorth ExpressPlus™ manages all wireless devices used on business aircraft, including phone handsets, inflight entertainment units, smartphones and EFBs

TrueNorth ExpressPlus™

Ottawa, Canada (May 17, 2011) —TrueNorth Avionics, the fast-growing developer of executive airborne telecom solutions, has introduced a compact new Wi-Fi cabin networking device, the TrueNorth ExpressPlus, that easily, effectively, securely and affordably manages all wireless communications, IFE and cabin management devices. Using a built-in Ethernet-to-Wi-Fi link, the TrueNorth ExpressPlus interfaces with all FCC-approved airborne wireless devices, from communications units like handsets, intercoms and smartphones, to inflight entertainment (IFE) units like DVD players, music players and game consoles, to cabin control systems for lighting and ventilation, to electronic flight bags (EFBs) in the cockpit.

TrueNorth Introduces HD Voice™ for New Standard in Voice Calling

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

HD capability uses digital audio to improve both voice calls and faxes made over Inmarsat Swift Broadband®

Ottawa, Canada (May 17, 2011) —TrueNorth Avionics, the fast-growing developer of executive airborne telecom solutions, has introduced HD Voice (HDV), an enhancement to its advanced Simphonē OpenCabin® system that provides a significant quality improvement over other phone systems on calls made via the Inmarsat Swift Broadband and Swift64 Satcom links. Delivering crystal clear voice fidelity with less delay, TrueNorth’s digital HD Voice — another industry first from TrueNorth — also offers more robust and reliable faxing over Inmarsat Swift Broadband. The Airbus Corporate Jet Centre is the launch customer for HD Voice aboard its series of A319CJ aircraft, followed by a B777 business aircraft installation performed by AMAC. HD Voice can also be retrofitted to existing Simphonē OpenCabin systems, with no additional hardware units required.

TrueNorth Express™ Certified for Airborne E-Mail Communications

Wednesday, 09 February 2011

Transport Canada STC issued to Mid-Canada Mod Center for Falcon 50 installation

TrueNorth Express™
(click to enlarge)

Ottawa, Canada (February 9, 2011) —TrueNorth Avionics, the fast-growing developer of executive airborne telecom solutions, has announced that its TrueNorth Express, an affordable worldwide BlackBerry^® e-mail, BlackBerry Messenger^®, and BlackBerry PIN provider, has received Transport Canada certification via Mid-Canada Mod Center (MC2), Mississauga, ON. MC2, TrueNorth’s dealer of the year for 2010, performed the initial installation aboard a Falcon 50 aircraft and, as the STC certificate holder, is already planning a number of additional installations.

TrueNorth Growth Reflects Business Aviation Recovery

Tuesday, 01 February 2011

Record sales in 2010 mirrors growth in long-range and ultra-long-range jet fleet

Ottawa, Canada (February 1, 2011) — Confirming recent reports of a recovery fueled by the upper end of the business jet market, TrueNorth Avionics, the fast-growing developer of executive-class airborne telecom solutions announced that it doubled its sales in 2010. TrueNorth’s upturn was led by the introduction of its revolutionary Simphonē OpenCabin^™ system, introduced at the end of 2009. An enterprise-level cabin system that features all-digital hardware, an unlimited service life, a suite of upgradeable user-specified ‘apps’ that add unprecedented capability, and the ability to save up to 70% on service costs, Simphonē OpenCabin also helped TrueNorth set monthly and quarterly sales records in 2010.

TrueNorth Sets Reliability Standard with 50,000-hr. MTBF for Simphonē OpenCabin™

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Advanced airborne telecom system demonstrates reliability and durability in study of 1,200 products over 1MM hours of service

Ottawa, Canada (October 19, 2010) — TrueNorth Avionics has announced that its revolutionary Simphonē OpenCabin™ airborne telecom system has set a new standard for reliability, demonstrating a mean time between failure (MTBF) rate of some 50,000 hours after a review of 1,200 products in service for more than 1 million flight hours.

TrueNorth Introduces USB Charger for Airborne Smartphone Users

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

USB module provides aircraft power to recharge such popular smartphone models as BlackBerry®, iPhone® and Droid®, as well as other USB-connected Wi-Fi devices

Ottawa, Canada (October 19, 2010) — TrueNorth Avionics has introduced a USB smartphone charger module for business aircraft that uses aircraft power to recharge 5-volt BlackBerry, iPhone, Droid and other popular smartphones, as well as such USB-powered Wi-Fi devices as music players and gaming consoles. Eliminating the need for inverters or wall installations, the compact USB charger will typically be installed in the aircraft's cabin to provide a charging station for portable devices brought onboard by passengers.

TrueNorth Announces Money-Saving App to Help Operators Reduce Airborne Telecom Costs

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

InControlSM application enables Simphonē OpenCabin™ operators to limit their recurring service charges

Ottawa, Canada (October 19, 2010) — TrueNorth Avionics has announced it is developing InControl, a new software app for the Simphonē OpenCabin airborne telecom system that helps aircraft operators manage their in-flight broadband usage and reduce their recurring service costs.

TrueNorth Introduces New Simphonē Handset Model With Integrated Credit Card Reader

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

New handset maintains same size and profile while elegantly incorporating credit card reader slot and processing hardware

Ottawa, Canada (October 19, 2010) — TrueNorth Avionics has introduced a new Simphonē handset with a built-in credit card reader (CCR) that maintains the look, size and profile of its popular Simphonē handset product line. Integrating seamlessly with TrueNorth's Simphonē OpenCabin™ airborne telecom system, the new Simphonē CCR model supports real-time credit card billing in flight, a capability requested by fractional operators and other aircraft owners who deal with multiple passenger sets. The CCR design features a low-profile slot on the side that allows a credit card to be swiped, with approval service handled by Satcom Direct over the Inmarsat or Iridium Satcom networks. The launch customer is Gore Designs of San Antonio, TX, which has ordered 50 units.

TrueNorth App Provides Link to Yonder® Mobile Broadband

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Link to high-speed mobile Internet service provides business aircraft with a Ku-band Satcom option for worldwide data and digital voice services

Ottawa, Canada (October 19, 2010) — TrueNorth Avionics has announced it has developed a software application (app) link for its Simphonē OpenCabin™ airborne telecom system that links to the Yonder high-speed mobile Internet service, which offers a typical user experience of 1-2 Mbps to the aircraft, and 125k to 1024kbps from the aircraft. Yonder provides true high speed internet access, VoIP, and other office in the sky applications.

TrueNorth Expands Global Presence With Ten New Dealers

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Ottawa, Canada (October 19, 2010) — TrueNorth Avionics, Inc., has announced the addition of nine new dealers to represent its advanced airborne telecom products, including Simphonē (pronounced 'symphony') OpenCabin™ and the TrueNorth Express™ e-mail module. They are Comlux Completion, headquartered in Zurich; Constant Aviation, Cleveland, OH, and Birmingham, AL; Execaire, Dorval, Quebec; Flying Colours Corp., Peterborough, Ontario; Gama Holdings' Lees Avionics, Buckinghamshire, UK; JetCorp, Chesterfield, MO; Midland Instruments, Midland, Ontario; Ruag Aviation, Emmen, Switzerland; Skyservice, Dorval, Quebec; and Western Aircraft, Boise, ID.

TrueNorth Express™ Adds Two E-Mail Options for Magnastar® Aircraft

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Two compact units let Magnastar operators send and receive e-mail worldwide via smartphone using their current communication systems

TrueNorth Express™
(click to enlarge)

Ottawa, Canada (October 19, 2010) —TrueNorth Avionics, Inc., has introduced two new TrueNorth Express products designed specifically for Magnastar operators that enable passengers to send and receive e-mail through their current Magnastar systems using the LiveTV Airfone® network. The TrueNorth Express Portable™ is a modular, self contained, carryon solution the size of a 15-in. laptop computer that plugs into an existing Magnastar system to create a data link to the LiveTV Airfone network. The TrueNorth Express for Magnastar™ is a permanently installed box that does the same thing.

TrueNorth Teams with LiveTV and Satcom Direct to Introduce Next-Generation Magnastar System

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

New 'total solution' system with voice, data and global coverage offers cost-effective alternative to expensive, one-dimensional communications networks

Ottawa, Canada (October 19, 2010) — TrueNorth Avionics has announced it will team with LiveTV Airfone® and Satcom Direct® to develop and market a next-generation Magnastar system that will enable the first terrestrial network encompassing voice, data, Wi-Fi, smartphone support, e-mail, text messaging and multichannel VoIP for a complete business solution.

New TrueNorth Express™ Module Introduces Smartphone E-mail for Existing Airborne Phones

Friday, 03 September 2010

Compact plug-in unit lets aircraft operators send and receive e-mail worldwide — and more affordably — from their existing airborne phone systems

Ottawa, Canada (September 3, 2010) —TrueNorth Avionics, Inc., has introduced TrueNorth Express, a compact, plug-in hardware module that lets owners of virtually any brand of airborne telephone use their smartphones to send and receive e-mails worldwide over the Iridium® satcom network, for a fraction of the cost of other systems. Compatible with such systems as the single-channel Aircell ST3100 and multichannel Aircell Axxess systems, as well as phones from ICG and EMS Aviation, the TrueNorth Express unit offers walk-on-and-use-it support for all Wi-Fi enabled smartphones, including BlackBerry®, iPhone®, Android® and other popular brands and operating systems.

Simphonē OpenCabin Chosen for European Head of State Aircraft

Wednesday, 07 July 2010

TrueNorth’s popularity with VIP/HOS operators extends beyond North America to European Union government executive aircraft installed by RUAG

Ottawa, Canada (July 7, 2010) — TrueNorth’s new Simphonē OpenCabin has been selected as the cabin communications system for its first European Union head of state (HOS) executive aircraft, being installed aboard a Bombardier Challenger under an EASA certification. The initial order from a new TrueNorth dealer, RUAG Aerospace Services GMBH, the installation is being performed at RUAG’s Oberpfaffenhofen (Munich), Germany, facility. Ideally situated to support aircraft based in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, RUAG is a strong new strategic partner for TrueNorth as it continues to see worldwide growth and acceptance for its advanced Simphonē OpenCabin product line.

(Download the complete press release as a PDF here.)

TrueNorth’s Simphonē OpenCabin Selected for Second USAF VIP Fleet Program

Wednesday, 07 April 2010

Ottawa, Canada (April 7, 2010) — TrueNorth Avionics, Inc., has been selected to provide its Simphonē OpenCabin airborne telecommunications system for a second U.S. Air Force government VIP transport aircraft under the TARS (terrestrial aeronautical radiotelephone system) program, becoming the standard airborne telecom system for the Special Air Mission C-37A (Gulfstream V) fleet. The new contract, representing 9 aircraft systems (plus spares) in 2010 alone, is a significant follow-on to TrueNorth’s selection in 2009 for the Air Force’s C-37B (Gulfstream 550 model) VIP fleet. Under that contract, Simphonē OpenCabin is being installed in new aircraft, with C-37B completions done by Gulfstream/Long Beach. Initial installations for the C-37A retrofit program are being performed by Gulfstream/Savannah.

(Download the complete press release as a PDF here.)

Previous Press Releases

Friday, 01 January 2010

Click a link below to view a PDF of each press release: