Posted by John McHaleLONDON, 21 Sept. 2010. ARINC in Annapolis, Md., announced it deployed a new air/ground communications station at London Oxford Airport, serving north-west London and the Thames Valley region. The new VHF Data Link station will help ARINC to increase use of its GLOBALinkSM/VHF service.The new ARINC station will enhance both air and ground coverage for business aviation users of ARINC's GLOBALink/VHF service over a large portion of the British Midlands. "We are delighted to have this new ground station now in use for visiting business jets and regional airlines flying into Oxford Airport," says Mike Sparrow, Oxford Airport director. "It will make for far greater communications among the high number of ARINC-equipped aircraft serving our airport -- between flight crews, engineering departments, and air traffic service providers. ARINC's flight operations applications, such as graphical weather descriptions, electronic charts, and engine/aircraft health monitoring programs, will heighten flight efficiency and safety."Introduced by ARINC in 1978, data link provides improved operational control of aircraft compared with voice radio, and reduces the need for voice radio usage by airlines. Today data link is also being adopted increasingly by operators of large corporate and business aircraft. A newer, related technology -- VDL Mode2 -- is set to become a mandated requirement in Europe in January 2011, aRINC officials say."ARINC is making this investment today to serve a growing base of business and corporate aircraft in [Europe, Middle East, and Africa] EMEA who are now using data link," says Andy Hubbard, managing director, EMEA at ARINC. "The added coverage from this new station will benefit not only business aviation but many commercial airlines as well."
