Albatross One

Why do you guys have your own plane?

Good question. We get it a lot. 

By mid-2008 Row 44 knew we had a ready-for-primetime system for in-flight Wi-Fi.

We had tested the system on the ground and proven that it works. We had the exclusive aviation rights to the Hughes satellite network in North America, and we had several satellite transponders lit up, ready to transmit a signal to planes. We even had a major carrier signed on as a customer – Southwest Airlines.

All we were missing was a spare 737.

Without a plane, we couldn’t test our solution in an airborne environment until we began equipping our first commercial customers’ planes. But we wanted to subject our Wi-Fi service to actual in-flight tests ourselves, to be able to exhaustively check and recheck performance and reliability of components.

So we bought and restored a 1950s Grumman Albatross, a flying boat designed for the US Air Force for ocean search and rescue of downed airmen. It turns out our plane also has some unusual history – it was used by NASA as part of the training program for Shuttle astronauts. During their training, the astronauts signed one of the cabin walls, as you can see below. And although Row 44 has completely re-designed the plane’s roomy interior, with all-new cushy leather chairs and tables and even a refrigerator, we didn’t want to disturb this valuable piece of Albatross history.

We outfitted the Albatross with the identical system we’re installing in commercial aircraft, and we began testing it in-flight over Canada. We’ve since renamed the aircraft Row 44’s Albatross One and it has flown better than a hundred thousand miles of tests throughout North America as part of a rigorous test program.

We still fly the plane a great deal, and we expect to continue to do so for the foreseeable future, as improvements and new technologies are readied for market, and as new regions come online. Based on our experience, a constant program of test flying and improvement is essential to providing a dependable service, and our flight department is more than up to the task of maintaining, modifying and maximizing the flight testing return we see from the effort.

So that’s why Row 44 bought our plane. That, and because it’s one fun ride!