Two weeks after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared, aviation safety experts continue to toil over plausible causes. But even if debris from the aircraft is recovered soon, it may be months before a clearer picture emerges about what happened onboard the Boeing 777.

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Honeywell To Be Exclusive Inmarsat Ka-band Satellite Provider For In-Flight Wireless Broadband Services Airtime Provider For In-Flight Wireless Broadband Services

A great deal of the recent focus has been on the benefits that Ka will bring to passengers, specifically in terms of enabling airborne connectivity similar to that which is experienced at home or in the office. The benefits of Ka, however, extend well beyond the cabin to the pilot, crew and maintenance professionals working behind the scenes to enable flight operations.

For commercial aircraft operators, the decision about putting connectivity onboard the airplane can be a complicated one. On one hand you want to offer a robust package that allows for connectivity for an entire aircraft of passengers and crew, but on the other, you want to provide the opportunity for that connectivity to become a potential ancillary revenue stream as well. And the habits of commercial passengers are different than business aviation travelers as well.

FAA remains positive about the long-term outlook for turbine business aircraft even as the agency continues to moderate its annual forecast and predicts a shrinking piston fleet. In the agency’s Aerospace Forecast for fiscal 2014-2034, FAA is predicting the general aviation fleet will increase at an average annual rate of 0.5%, from an estimated 202,865 aircraft in 2013 to 225,700 in 2034. The annual rate of growth matches that of last year’s forecast, but the total number of aircraft is down significantly.

The National Air Transportation Association, working with the Transportation Security Administration, is rolling out a Known Crewmember program that will expedite access to sterile areas of airports for Part 135 and 125 pilots. Known Crewmember, a risk-based screening system, has been in place for Part 121 pilots since 2011. NATA President Tom Hendricks helped develop the program during his tenure with Airlines For America (A4A), and worked with A4A and the Air Line Pilots Association to bring the program to on-demand pilots.