SmartSky® STC issued for Citation 525B Series
FAA Certification makes award-winning inflight connectivity available on award-winning light jet
SmartSky, provider of one of the most advanced inflight air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity system for business aviation, has received another Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for its award-winning SmartSky LITE™ system on Cessna Citation 525B models encompassing the CJ3, CJ3+ and the award-winning CJ3 Gen2, manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company. The install package is available now for the CJ3+ with the CJ3 and CJ3 Gen2 revisions coming soon.
Cessna Citation CJ3+, with the SmartSky LITE antenna installed on the bottom of the fuselage.
Photo Credit: SmartSky Networks
Both SmartSky LITE and the Citation CJ3 Gen2 are 2024 recipients of Robb Report Best of the Best in Aviation awards, with SmartSky named the first-ever winner for best cabin connectivity and the Citation CJ3 Gen 2 named best light jet. The certification brings capability for streaming-level in-flight Wi-Fi performance to the more than 270 in-service aircraft in the series for the first time.
The engineering for the first article installation on a CJ3+ was provided by Liberty Partners of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and installed at the Textron Aviation Service Center in Wichita, Kansas. As part of a previously announced agreement encompassing more than a dozen Textron Aviation aircraft models, the ownership of the STC will be transferred to Textron Aviation. Installations may be completed at Textron Aviation Service Centers or by an authorized SmartSky dealer.
“This iconic series of aircraft are known for their performance in the sky. It’s only fitting that both the Citation CJ3 and SmartSky are Robb Report Best of the Best winners, further highlighting the value of this pairing. The owner and pilot of the aircraft has told us they are beyond pleased with the real-time communications for cockpit applications along with business and leisure tasks,” said SmartSky CEO David Helfgott.
The award-winning SmartSky LITE system has received multiple industry accolades including a 2024 Aviation Week Laureate award in addition to the Robb Report honor.
Photo Credit: SmartSky Networks
Along with the recent issuance of two new STCs (the other being for the King Beechcraft King Air B200-360 series), SmartSky has completed first-article installations on three additional models that are awaiting STC issuance. Six more STC installations are in progress as SmartSky continues to aggressively expand the diverse roster of certified airframes. SmartSky has STCs covering more than 6,800 in-service aircraft and the in-progress projects represent just under 8,000 more. Find the latest list at www.smartskynetworks.com/STC.
About SmartSky:
SmartSky Networks was founded to transform aviation through disruptive communications technologies, services, and tools. The network takes advantage of patented spectrum reuse, advanced beamforming technologies, and 60 MHz of spectrum for significantly enhanced connectivity. SmartSky Networks uniquely enables an “office in the sky” experience with unmatched capacity for data transmissions both to and from the aircraft. This real-time, very low latency, bidirectional data link makes SmartSky Networks the best in-flight user experience, and a key enabler for new and enhanced applications and services. For more information, visit SmartSkyNetworks.com
