Thornton Aviation Installs Space X’s Starlink System on a Gulfstream 650

Thornton Aviation is the first West Coast MRO to install Starlink’s Satcom system on a Gulfstream 650. The Starlink project took three weeks to complete and was performed in the client’s hangar while the aircraft was down for maintenance. The aircraft is operated by a Van Nuys-based charter and aircraft management provider.

“Thornton Aviation is a big company with a mom-and-pop feel,” says Vince Russo, Thornton Aviation's director of avionics. “We understand that minimizing downtime is critical to an operator, so we worked side-by-side with the client in their facility. We also proactively sought ways to accelerate the project, including offering seven-day-a-week coverage with our avionics team.”

Thornton Aviation has been expanding its avionics and cabin-connectivity offerings, and its success is demonstrated by both the volume and complexity of projects it has been performing. Since completing the G650, Thornton Aviation has performed a Starlink installation on a Bombardier Global Express and has several additional Starlink projects scheduled for a variety of aircraft over the next 90 days. The company also recently completed three King Air Gogo L5 installations for a California-based operator. These aircraft were provisioned for Gogo’s upcoming 5G solution with the use of the new MB-13 antennas.

“In the past six months, we’ve performed more than 20 installation projects ranging from small cockpit USB upgrades to full-blown cabin management systems,” says Russo. “We work on all models, from the Citation CJs to the large-cabin Gulfstreams, Bombardiers, and everything in between. Being able to offer a full range of services while delivering a high-quality product makes us an appealing choice for operators.”

An FAA-certified repair station, Thornton Aviation offers aircraft maintenance and avionics services for nearly every business-aircraft type, including scheduled and AOG support. In recent years, the avionics team has grown to a dozen skilled technicians and has earned dealer authorizations from Honeywell, Collins, Garmin, Universal, Alto, Gogo, Viasat, Starlink and SmartSky.

“No matter what you fly or what cockpit and cabin solutions best fit your needs, we’ve got you covered,” says Russo.

For more information, call 818.787.0205 or visit www.thorntonaviation.com.