LOADED. Talking Software for Connected Aircraft

Axinom

Aviation is undergoing a fundamental shift. Connectivity has arrived, software is separating from hardware, and the possibility of a truly software-driven cabin is within reach. The decisions made now will define how to control cabin software and benefit from technology. LOADED is the podcast setting the software agenda for connected aircraft. Each episode explores how software is reshaping aviation. Hosted by Ralph Wagner and Stefanie Schuster from Axinom, who both have spent years working with airlines and their software challenges. Honest, direct, and always with the airline in mind.

Episodes

  1. Jul 6

    The Cloud as the Brain (LOADED Episode 5)

    "The cloud becomes the brain, and the aircraft is just an edge node." It sounds like a slogan, until you ask what it actually means for an airline. Great connectivity that keeps passengers online mid-flight is nice. But if that is all an airline does with it, the benefit ends at passenger comfort. The real value starts when the cabin becomes part of the airline's cloud, not the other way around. In this fifth episode of "LOADED. Talking Software for Connected Aircraft", Ralph Wagner and Stefanie Schuster (Axinom) unpack cloud-first thinking for the connected aircraft: where the border between cloud and onboard really runs, why connection loss should be architected as an exception rather than the main flow, and which proven cloud technologies airlines can finally leverage instead of reinventing everything for the aircraft. They also lay out how an airline that isn't cloud-ready today can get started, why this matters for full-service and low-cost carriers alike, and what a single onboard infrastructure looks like where an oven, a seatback screen, and a crew app all connect the same way. Chapters:00:00 Intro01:11 Why Connectivity Is Only the Beginning04:13 Drawing the Line Between Cloud and Onboard Processing09:17 Bringing Proven Cloud Technologies into Aviation16:01 Getting Started: From First Steps to Airline-Wide Adoption21:19 Designing the Onboard Infrastructure26:54 Conclusion Watch now and let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don't forget to like and subscribe for upcoming episodes.

    The Cloud as the Brain (LOADED Episode 5)

  2. Jun 17

    Edge Caching, Edge Compute, and the Cloud (LOADED Episode 4)

    Ask around in aviation and you will hear the same promise: add edge caching, and your in-flight entertainment keeps running when the connectivity drops. It does not. Edge caching only exists as a combination of what sits on board and what stays in the cloud. So what is edge caching really, and where does it stop? In this fourth episode of "LOADED. Talking Software for Connected Aircraft", Ralph Wagner and Stefanie Schuster (Axinom) take edge caching back to its origins in OTT streaming and content delivery networks, then bring it into the aircraft. They lay out the triangle of edge cache, edge compute, and cloud services, draw the line between edge caching and over-the-air sync, and explain what a genuinely disconnected, resilient in-flight entertainment (IFE) experience actually demands on board. Along the way: mixed fleets and personal devices, the three ways to fill a cache (pull, predict, push), why caching reaches well beyond movies into IoT, crew applications, and transactions, and why an open platform is what lets an airline decide what to cache in the first place. Chapters:00:00 Intro01:34 What is edge caching? Cache, compute, and cloud services05:40 Edge caching on the aircraft vs. over-the-air sync11:12 Connectivity, resilience, and the disconnected case17:39 Mixed fleets and personal devices21:51 Filling the cache: pull, predict, push26:15 Decision variables, open platforms, and conclusionWatch now and let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don't forget to like and subscribe for upcoming episodes.

    Edge Caching, Edge Compute, and the Cloud (LOADED Episode 4)

  3. Jun 3

    Live Streaming to the Aircraft (LOADED Episode 3)

    Connectivity is changing what is possible in the aircraft cabin. And one of the biggest shifts it unlocks is live streaming – not as a niche add-on, but as a real part of the in-flight entertainment experience. The infrastructure is arriving. But there is more to it than flipping a switch.In this third episode of "LOADED. Talking Software for Connected Aircraft", Ralph Wagner and Stefanie Schuster (Axinom) discuss what live streaming really means for in-flight entertainment: from the shift away from traditional linear TV channels toward live events and FAST content, through the aviation-specific challenges of time-shifted viewing and DVR management, to licensing rights, content ingest infrastructure, and edge caching on board.Chapters:00:40 Intro04:52 From live TV to live events13:10 Licensing rights16:32 Content ingest19:42 Edge caching on board22:27 ConclusionWatch now and let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don't forget to like and subscribe for upcoming episodes.

    Live Streaming to the Aircraft (LOADED Episode 3)

  4. May 21

    The Cabin as Part of the Customer Journey (LOADED Episode 2)

    Airlines have more passenger data than ever. The connectivity is arriving. But knowing your passenger often ends the moment they board – and starts again only after they land. That gap is closing. In this second episode of "LOADED. Talking Software for Connected Aircraft", Ralph Wagner and Stefanie Schuster (Axinom) discuss how a connected passenger journey looks end-to-end: from managing passenger identity on the ground, through authentication and transactions on-board, to the cloud architecture that ties it all together. And how airlines should approach building it. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:08 Passenger identity and data on the ground 06:03 How connectivity changes cabin devices and data collection 11:36 Authentication, transactions, and crew context on board 15:07 Aircraft as one edge node in the cloud 18:35 Use-case-first vs. platform-first: how to approach the build 22:41 Managing a mixed fleet with one software architecture 27:16 Conclusion Watch now and let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don't forget to like and subscribe for upcoming episodes.

    The Cabin as Part of the Customer Journey (LOADED Episode 2)

  5. Apr 7

    Split of On-Board Hardware & Software (LOADED Episode 1)

    For decades, the aviation industry was used to buying hardware. Software was just an add-on. That is not what today's world looks like anymore. The technology is here, and airlines want to use it. In this first episode of "LOADED. Talking Software for Connected Aircraft", Ralph Wagner and Stefanie Schuster (Axinom) dive into decoupling software and hardware in the cabin, and how airlines can benefit from it: why it is happening, what connectivity is changing, what it means to combine cloud services with onboard infrastructure. And what it takes to begin that journey. Topics covered in this episode: Hardware/software decoupling in aviationConnected aircraftIn-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC)Cloud services and onboard infrastructureSoftware-defined aircraft and digital cabinWatch now and let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to like and subscribe for upcoming episodes.

    Split of On-Board Hardware & Software (LOADED Episode 1)
  • 5 Episodes

About

Aviation is undergoing a fundamental shift. Connectivity has arrived, software is separating from hardware, and the possibility of a truly software-driven cabin is within reach. The decisions made now will define how to control cabin software and benefit from technology. LOADED is the podcast setting the software agenda for connected aircraft. Each episode explores how software is reshaping aviation. Hosted by Ralph Wagner and Stefanie Schuster from Axinom, who both have spent years working with airlines and their software challenges. Honest, direct, and always with the airline in mind.

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