CMSes (Cabin Management Systems) have undergone a virtual revolution in their look, functionality, size/weight, power draw, and controls over the years. As they allow for intuitive digital control of lighting, video, audio, and even window shades, they also help operators create the ambience they want for their cabin, often mirroring their office or their home theater.
On the productivity side, flat-panel screens support crisp, HD graphics. Passengers can participate in video conferences and watch presentations from carry-on devices, such as laptops and smartphones, remaining productive in their cabin offices anywhere in the world.
On the entertainment side, advancements enjoyed in home theaters are now available to passengers with backlit, bulkhead-mounted LED displays that support video streamed from personal electronic devices such as iPads and smartphones, and theater-quality audio that let passengers forget they are away from home. Additionally, the thin form factors of the newer displays that are replacing older, obsolete monitors are lightweight and energy-efficient.
Installations of some early CMSes, such as Audio International, Honeywell Baker, Collins CES, Pacific Systems, and Collins ACMS, are now facing obsolescence, but there are retrofit options available. If you have any of those platforms in your aircraft, call a Duncan Aviation Avionics Sales Representative to find out what’s available for your make/model aircraft.
Whether you need to upgrade older components to take advantage of newer technologies, or you want an entirely new look and feel in your cabin, today’s CMSes are typically scalable, so you can buy just what you need now and add to it in the future. Most integrate with popular lighting and audio systems, so you can customize your cabin to suit your individual tastes.
Alto Cadence—This CMS provides customizable replacements and upgrades from most of the obsolete systems, and its audio components, switches, controllers, and HD monitors integrate with many existing CMSes. Duncan Aviation has installed full Alto Cadence systems and select audio components and switch panels, including the recent updating of switches on a CL605 at our Battle Creek, Michigan, facility.
Cabin Management Solutions—This company designed its system to take advantage of wireless communication, using intuitive digital, touch-screen controls. Its components are modular, allowing for fully customized upgrades depending on what you want your cabin to look, sound, and feel like. Earlier this year, our teams in Battle Creek, Michigan, installed a CMS system in a Falcon 900EX.
Collins Aerospace Venue—For many years, Duncan Aviation has been installing versions of this reliable system. After Collins unveiled its most recent iteration, featuring smart monitors with an upgraded GUI (graphical user interface) in October 2024 at the NBAA-BACE (National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition) in Las Vegas, Nevada, the system was installed in a Falcon 900EX at our Lincoln, Nebraska, facility in early 2025.
Earlier this year, Senior Avionics Sales Representative Steve Elofson worked with Duncan Aviation’s Video Marketing Team to update one of our popular How-To videos. As mentioned, the newest version of the Collins Venue CMS was released late last year, and we’ve updated our video, providing a step-by-step walk-through of the features and functions of the new system. View our video overview of the Collins Aerospace Venue Cabin Management System.