January 2013

Published on June 2016 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 63 | Comments: 0 | Views: 548
of 34
Download PDF   Embed   Report

Comments

Content


October 2012 October 2012
FUTURE OF GPS
October 2012 October 2012
FUTURE OF GPS
What’s next for the network?
TEST EQUIPMENT
Standards push development
January 2013
www.avionicstoday.com
Commercial Avionics
BUSINESS CONNECTIVITY
New systems, services to hit the market
PRODUCT FOCUS:
SWITCHES
Touchscreens coming to
a cockpit near you
Visit Aviation Today’s Job Board and get
access to our job bank featuring more than
2,500 job postings and many other career sources!
Visit www.aviationtoday.com and click on our
Job Board link on the left hand side to get your
search going in the the right direction.
Post your resume anonymously and get
connected to aviation employers who
are looking for someone just like you!
AviationToday.com — we’re bringing
employers and employees together!
Searching for a
career in aviation?
17824
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 3
inside
The editors welcome articles, engineering and technical reports, new product information, and other industry news. All editorial inquiries should be directed to Avionics Magazine, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., Second Floor, Rockville, MD
20850–4024; 301-354-1820; fax: 301-340-8741. email: [email protected]. Avionics Magazine (ISSN-1085-9284) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, LLC, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., Second Floor, Rockville, MD 20850.
Periodicals Postage Paid at Rockville, MD, and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly involved in the avionics industry. All other subscriptions, U.S.: one year $99; two years $188. Canada: one
year $129; two years $228. Foreign: one year $149; two years $278. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Avionics Magazine, P.O. Box 3092, Northbrook, IL 60065-3092. Change of address two to eight weeks notice requested.
Send both new and old address, including mailing label to Attn: Avionics Magazine, Customer services, P.O. Box 3092, Northbrook, IL 60065-3092, or call 847-559-7314. Email: [email protected]. Canada Post 40612608. Return
Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: PitneyBowes, P.O. BOX 25542, LONDON ON N6C 6B2 ©2011 by Access Intelligence, LLC Contents may not be reproduced in any form without written permission.
Printed in U.S.A.
magazine
also in this issue
January 2013 • Vol. 37, No. 1
www.avionicstoday.com
Visit www.avionicstoday.com to begin a
subscription to the digital edition of Avionics.
■ E-Letters
• Review of top developments in the civil
and military aircraft electronics industry
■ Webinars
www.aviationtoday.com/webinars
• Beyond Line of Sight: Using Satcom
Datalinks to Enhance UAV Operations
• Navigating the Skies: The Future of GPS
• Driving Innovation: A Software-Centric
Approach to Avionics Development
• Harnessing the Power of Social Media
in Avionics
• Enhancing Your Flight Operations with
Global Voice and Data Connectivity
■ Online Resources
• Aerospace Acronym Guide
www.aviationtoday.com/av/acronym/a.html
• White Papers, Tech Reports
www.aviationtoday.com/at/otherdocs/
• Aviation Today’s Job Board
www.aviationtoday.com/aviationjobs/
Editor’s Note
Fiscal Cliff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
System Design
Mysterious Noises Re-Visited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Departments
Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
New Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Commercial Avionics Outlook ................. 10
Airspace modernization mandates in the United States and Europe are
prompting a round of cockpit equipment upgrades for commercial airlines
by Charlotte Adams
commercial
Business Connections ............................. 14
New slate of satellite service offerings provides a variety of in-flight
connectivity choices for business aircraft operators
by Emily Feliz
business/ga
product focus
18
Cockpit Switches ..................................... 18
Touchscreen technologies are coming to cockpit display systems, but experts
don’t see them replacing traditional switches and dials just yet
by Ed McKenna
Follow Avionics Magazine on
Twitter and Facebook:
twitter.com/AvionicsMag
facebook.com/pages/Avionics-Magazine
editor’s note
by E mi l y F e l i z
Fiscal Cliff
A
s I write this, the country is perched
on the edge of the so-called “fiscal
cliff,” a series of deep budget cuts
prompted by an impasse in budget
talks. Politicians on both sides are point-
ing fingers, both saying the other side won’t
budge and claiming the other’s plan will lead
to economic ruin for the country.
And, again, as I write this in mid-Decem-
ber, Congress is lodged in a fierce debate on
the topic. The clock is ticking down, but I do
believe Congress will come to an agreement
to avoid falling over the fiscal cliff. No politi-
cian wants to be associated with “falling” or
“cliffs” after all.
“We’re getting closer to a ‘Thelma and
Louise’ moment, when we careen off into
the void,” Aerospace Industries Association
(AIA) President and CEO Marion C. Blakey
said in early December at the association’s
annual forecast luncheon. AIA has been par-
ticularly vocal in recent months in its urging
of Congress and the President to reach an
agreement to avoid sequestration.
Politics and rhetoric aside, the picture
of the aerospace industry in the aftermath
of sequestration is cloudy, to say the least.
The industry, in a sense, has been holding its
breath since before the presidential election,
and may only pause to take a quick breath
after the first of the year. Sequestration has
been avoided. Now what?
“Sequestration would, of course, hit the
aerospace and defense industry very hard as
it will be difficult to address the irrational
approach to these cuts in the short term,”
said Northrop Grumman President Wes
Bush. “But it will also have very negative
impacts in the long term as it will also dam-
age our industry’s ability to attract and retain
the kind of highly-trained technical talent
our nation needs to help keep its technologi-
cal superiority in security and defense second
to none.”
The U.S. aerospace industry has become
so tentative in recent years that it seems
unwise to think about anything longer-
term than the next quarter. Resources are
stretched so thin that even a hint of uncer-
tainty has the potential to lead to layoffs
and/or share price drops. Worse yet, the
uncertainty seems to have many in the indus-
try paralyzed, unable to move forward until
something, positive or negative, happens.
“Sequestration has created uncertainty in
the marketplace over the past year and has
had a real impact on jobs, investment and
innovation. Uncertainty is forcing compa-
nies to defer investments and hiring today,
when we need it most. And, if sequestration
goes into effect, the long-term impacts could
prove devastating to our national defense,
economic well-being and global competitive-
ness,” said David P. Hess, president of Pratt
& Whitney. Hess was one of 130 aerospace
and defense CEOs who signed a letter to
President Obama and Congress in early
December “urging them to work together on
a deal to avert sequestration and adopt an
approach that addresses the country’s long-
term fiscal challenges.”
I don’t believe that once sequestration
is avoided, and again, I think it will be, that
companies’ money bags will magically open
and they’ll begin spending billions in new
product development, hiring sprees, etc.
But when the election, sequestration, and
for that matter, the long-awaited, long-term
FAA funding paradigm passed in early 2012,
become part of the past, rather than the
future, I think it’ll go a long way to providing
some stability to the industry. And, outside
the fire-and-brimstone sequestration talk,
there are some reasons for optimism for
this industry. AIA said 2012 aerospace and
defense industry sales are projected to increase
by 3.4 percent from $210.8 billion in 2011 to
$217.9 billion. The sales increase, along with
a healthy expansion of aerospace and defense
exports from $85.3 billion in 2011 to an esti-
mated $95.5 billion in 2012, is largely due to
strong civil aircraft sales, AIA said.
This is all speculative on my part, of
course, because I’m writing this on this side
of the financial cliff. The news on Capitol
Hill changes by the minute. I could be com-
pletely off base, and we could careen off the
cliff, ala Thelma and Louise. Regardless, I’ll
see you on the other side.
When the elec-
tion, sequestration,
and for that matter,
the long-term FAA
funding paradigm,
become part of the
past, rather than the
future, it’ll go a long
way to providing
some stability to the
aviation industry.
4 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 301/354-2000
Fax: 301/340-3169
For photocopy or reuse requests:
800-772-3350 or [email protected]
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 5
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Emily Feliz
301-354-1820
[email protected]
DIRECTOR, SATELLITE/AVIONICS/DEFENSE ONLINE
Julie Blondeau Samuel
301-354-1770
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Frank Colucci, Ed McKenna,
Robert Moorman, James W. Ramsey,
Charlotte Adams
ADVERTISING & BUSINESS
PUBLISHER
Randy Jones
972-713-9612
[email protected]
SALES MANAGER
Susan Joyce
480-607-5040
[email protected]
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Gretchen Saval
PRODUCTION MANAGER Sophie Chan-Wood
301-354-1671
[email protected]
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
FULFILLMENT MANAGER George Severine
[email protected]
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES/BACK ISSUES 847-559-7314
LIST SALES
Statlistics
Jen Felling
203-778-8700
[email protected]
REPRINTS
Wright’s Media
1-877-652-5295
[email protected]
Access Intelligence, LLC
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Don Pazour
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Ed Pinedo
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES
& ADMINISTRATION
Macy L. Fecto
DIVISIONAL PRESIDENT
Heather Farley
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & GROUP PUBLISHER
Jennifer Schwartz
VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING
Michael Kraus
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Sylvia Sierra
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
Robert Paciorek
VICE PRESIDENT FINANCIAL PLANNING AND INTERNAL AUDIT
Steve Barber
VICE PRESIDENT/CORPORATE CONTROLLER
Gerald Stasko
Visit us today at www.aviationtoday.com.
For over ten years, Aviation Today has been your Internet-hub for
market intelligence and business resources, offering up-to-the-minute
news and expert analysis in all aspects of the world of aviation.
17279
ĹSラノuuラミゥ ヵv Þラwer Cabノe ĹSラノuuラミゥ ⁄S8 Þラwer ÞラrL
ĹMラuミLイ ÞrラducLsぎ Sエrラud wキLエ Sノキder MラuミLが 1キノL MラuミLが aミd ÞキvラL MラuミL
Carlisle Interconnect Technologies キs fラcused ラミ prラvキdキミェ sラノuLキラミs
fラr advaミcキミェ fノキェエL ラperaLキラミsく WエeLエer seノecLキミェ aミ キÞadイ ラr ラLエer
Ll8 dキspノayが we エave Lエe Ll8 キミsLaノノaLキラミ desキェミが cerLキfキcaLキラミが aミd ニキL
マaミufacLurキミェ experLキse エeノpキミェ Lラ eミsure Lエe success ラf yラur Ll8 prラテecLく
Β ヰ ヰ く ン ヲ Α く Γ ヴ Α ン
saノesをCarノキsノel1くcラマ
www.Carl i sl eI T. com
ĹMラuミLイ 1abノeL Cradノe
6 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
LiveTV, Greenwich
AeroGroup Bring Iridium’s
OpenPort to the Skies
industry scan
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

L
I
v
e
T
V
/
R
o
b
e
r
t

C
o
m
b
s
L
iveTV and its partners are mov-
ing forward with a system to
bring global connectivity ser-
vices to business aircraft opera-
tors, commercial airlines and
helicopters.
OpenPort Aero is a modified version
of Iridium’s maritime satcom platform
which provides high-speed data and
voice connectivity on the aircraft. The
companies said the system’s relatively
simple architecture and high bandwidth
capability make it a lower cost alterna-
tive to Inmarsat airborne systems. The
system, which weighs about 30 pounds,
provides bi-directional speeds of up to
134kbps and includes three independent
phone lines, enabling simultaneous voice
and data connectivity.
Greenwich AeroGroup, based in
Wichita, Kan., sells, supports and
installs the system; JetBlue Airways sub-
sidiary LiveTV is the system integrator
and developer of the onboard equipment
and Iridium is the service provider.
Components of the system include a
seven-panel, phased array antenna; satel-
lite-modem line replaceable unit (LRU);
and a wireless access point.
In October LiveTV and Greenwich
AeroGroup began flight tests on Chal-
lenge 604 business aircraft belonging to
Dean Foods. During the hour-long test,
the flight crew used four iPads and two
smartphones to test speed levels, access
Websites, download data, email, text and
make phone calls over the Iridium net-
work. Dean Foods is the launch custom-
er of the system on a business aircraft,
the partners said.
“To have this system installed for the
first time, fly with it for the first time,
and have it come off flawlessly was a very
exciting,” said LiveTV Flight Engineer
Chris Brown. “The pilot was download-
ing weather information onto his iPad.”
The first business aviation supple-
mental type certificate (STC) is expected
to be completed by the end of the year
for the Bombardier Challenger 601-
3A/3R, 604 and 605 models. The
system has already been certified for
use on A320s.
“With our first STC in-hand for the
terminal, this really opens the door for
airlines looking for low-cost connectiv-
ity solutions to support crew and pas-
senger connectivity such as [electronic
flight bags] and wireless in-flight enter-
tainment,” said Mike Moeller, vice
president of sales at LiveTV.
Greenwich AeroGroup said the
next planned STCs for the OpenPort
Aero system are the Falcon 2000 model
aircraft and the Gulfstream IV, 450,
V and 550 model aircraft with tail
radomes by mid 2013. Additionally,
the company said it is starting its first
STC in a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter at
its Summit Aviation facility in Middle-
town, Del.
“We see a big market for OpenPort
Aero’s Wi-Fi system on helicopters.
Since Iridium’s satellite system is not
hampered by the rotor of the helicopter
as other satellite systems have discov-
ered, our recent testing of the OpenPort
Aero system in the rotorcraft environ-
ment worked flawlessly,” said Mark Fis-
cher, Greenwich AeroGroup’s director
of avionics products. —Emily Feliz
This is an exercept of a story that
appeared in Avionics Magazine’s digital
e-zine In-Flight Connectivity Insider.
Visit www.aviationtoday.com/av/in-flight-
connectivity/
Dean Foods is the first business aviation customer of the Open Port Aero
System. The company’s Challenger 604 aircraft, above, was part of the
October flight tests involving LiveTV and Greenwich AeroGroup.
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 7
s
COMMERCIAL
Thales to Acquire Sysgo
Thales capped November with a pair of
acquisitions, the most recent one being
the purchase of Sysgo AG, the German
supplier of operating system products,
middleware, and software services for the
real-time and embedded market.
Thales said the acquisition will
strengthen its leadership in embedded
computing solutions for mission-critical
applications. At the same time, it will
bring Sysgo access to the market for Thal-
es solutions, consolidating the company’s
position as Europe’s leading provider of
safe and secure operating systems while
supporting its capacity to expand into
new markets such as automotive.
Luc Vigneron, chairman and CEO
of Thales, called the acquisition “an
excellent opportunity to bring on board
dynamic teams of experts in advanced
software technologies. This will accelerate
the development of the next generation
of operating systems, particularly for
avionics applications. All of our markets
will benefit from the key competencies
of Sysgo, as the group addresses growing
safety and security requirements with new
generations of multi-core processors.”
Sysgo, which employs 80 people in
Germany, France and the Czech Repub-
lic, will be a subsidiary of Thales, with its
headquarters in Klein-Winternheim, near
Frankfurt, Germany. Sysgo customers
include Airbus, EADS, Raytheon, Rock-
well Collins and Rohde & Schwarz.
Earlier in November, Thales
announced plans to acquire the helmet
mounted display and motion tracking
businesses from Gentex Corp., based in
Carbondale, Pa.
Carlisle Acquisition
Carlisle Companies, based in Charlotte,
N.C., will pay $265 million to acquire the
Thermax-Raydex business, a supplier of
hook-up, data and coaxial wire and cable
for mission-critical applications for
commercial aerospace, defense and indus-
trial customers.
With annual sales of about $112
million, the Thermax-Raydex business,
which is a unit of Belden, of St. Louis,
Mo., designs, manufactures and sells
customized wire and cable for transmis-
sion of data and power on aircraft and
defense platforms, as well as in high-end
industrial equipment. The business will
operate as part of Carlisle Interconnect
Technologies.
“We are excited about the acquisition
of Thermax-Raydex, as the company
adds capabilities and technology to
strengthen our interconnect products
business in very attractive aerospace
and industrial sectors. Thermax-Raydex
expands our product, technology and
service ranges to our customers. This
acquisition is consistent with our focus on
higher margin, highly engineered prod-
ucts and is an excellent fit with Carlisle,”
said David A. Roberts, Carlisle chairman,
president and CEO.
Etihad Launches Wi-Fly
Etihad Airways in December launched
its Etihad Wi-Fly in-flight Internet and
mobile connectivity service, powered by
the Panasonic Avionics Global Com-
munications Suite. The airline’s first
aircraft equipped with Panasonic’s com-
munications technology, an Airbus A330-
200, took flight on Dec. 4 for Brussels,
offering high-speed broadband Internet
connectivity as well as data and mobile
phone services, the airline said.
The A330-200 will be used for long-
haul destinations across Etihad Airways’
network, such as Brussels, Dublin, Man-
chester, Munich, Frankfurt and Milan.
Etihad Wi-Fly is a result of the 10-year,
$1 billion agreement we signed with
Panasonic Avionics in November 2011,
according to the airline.
“We continue to invest in our product
and consider ways to offer our guests
the most engaging and dynamic in-flight
entertainment options. The broadband
Internet is high-speed, in line with what
our guests would experience at home or
at work, so we believe this will be hugely
popular,” said James Hogan, Etihad Air-
ways president and CEO. “By the end of
Q1 2013, we will have 10 ‘Etihad Wi-Fly’-
equipped aircraft, and I am pleased to
announce that by the end of 2014, every
single Etihad Airways aircraft will be
equipped for in-flight connectivity.”
All Etihad Airways narrow-body
aircraft will be outfitted with data
and mobile phone connectivity, while
wide-body aircraft will be additionally
equipped for broadband Internet services.
The “Wi-Fly” connectivity solution is
offered to guests at a cost of $13.95 for
one hour or $24.95 for 24 hours.
Etihad Airways also currently operates
six connectivity-enabled aircraft under
an agreement with OnAir: three Airbus
A320s and three Airbus A330-300s.
ITT Exelis Buys C4i
ITT Exelis in early December signed a
definitive agreement to acquire C4i Pty.
Ltd., based in Melbourne, Australia,
from the Longreach Group Limited, for
$16.8 million.
C4i provides advanced communica-
tions software that is central to the needs
of air traffic management systems and
mobile communications solutions for
commercial, homeland security and
defense systems around the globe. Its
Internet Protocol (IP)-based voice con-
trol and switching solutions allow for
large networks of radio devices to be
seamlessly integrated. This technology
provides operators with a fully integrated
command and control system enabling
enhanced safety and efficiency for air
traffic control.
“C4i’s interoperable communications
solutions and engineering talent will
complement Exelis’ strong and success-
ful record of integrating, deploying and
operating large scale communications
networks for our air traffic management,
commercial and defense customers,” said
Michael R. Wilson, president of Exelis
Information Systems. “This acquisition
expands our portfolio of critical infra-
structure solutions, builds on our pres-
ence in Australia, and brings us closer to
our customers and markets of interest.”
Pending shareholder approval, the
transaction is expected to close in the first
quarter of 2013 subject to customary clos-
ing conditions and regulatory approvals.
UNMANNED SYSTEMS
UAS Partnership
AeroVironment entered into a strategic
relationship with Sweden-based CybAero
AB to develop and distribute a Tier II
vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL)
unmanned aircraft system. The relation-
ship gives AeroVironment exclusive
rights to provide CybAero AB systems
to U.S. customers and to government
customers in NATO and other countries.
AeroVironment has agreed to purchase
up to $3 million in convertible notes from
industry scan
8 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
CybAero to facilitate the company’s
growth.
U.S. military customers typi-
cally segment the numerous types of
unmanned aircraft systems they employ
by size, weight, endurance and range
into different tiers. Man-portable, hand-
launched systems such as AeroViron-
ment’s RQ-11B Raven, RQ-20A Puma
AE and Wasp AE that weight less than
20 pounds comprise the Tier I segment.
Tier II UAS include heavier, larger and
longer endurance systems with longer
range, such as CybAero’s VTOL offer-
ing. Tiers III and IV include air vehicles
of increasing size, capable of even lon-
ger endurance and range and requiring
larger support teams and infrastructure
requirements.
“CybAero is a pioneer and leader
in the Tier II VTOL market. Our joint
team has demonstrated this reliable,
cost-effective Tier II UAS solution that
will build on AeroVironment’s family
of small UAS, expanding our customer
offering,” said Roy Minson,
AeroVironment senior vice president
and unmanned aircraft systems
general manager.
“With its significantly greater endur-
ance and payload capacity, small foot-
print and ease of use, this new system
will join our family of UAS and deliver
a robust vertical takeoff and landing
capability to current and new customers
seeking that Tier II solution.”
“We are working with CybAero to
integrate their product into our system
solution and will invest to add critical
capabilities required to bring the most
competitive offering to market,”
Minson added.
RTOS on Pro Line Fusion
LynuxWorks, based in San Jose, Calif.,
said its LynxOS-178 Version 2.2.2
real-time operating system (RTOS)
has been certified for use by Rockwell
Collins in its Pro Line Fusion integrat-
ed avionics system.
Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion
was granted certification this year
from Transport Canada (TC) on the
Bombardier Vision Flight Deck, mark-
ing the first certification of Pro Line
Fusion on a customer aircraft. The sys-
tem features synthetic vision on a head-
up display, which leverages LynxOS
as part of the Pro Line Fusion avion-
ics system on the Bombardier Vision
Flight Deck.
“The latest certification of LynxOS-
178 by Transport Canada in the Rock-
well Collins Pro Line avionics system
is another major milestone for Lynux-
Works in the avionics market,” said
Robert Day, marketing vice president
for LynuxWorks. “This further demon-
strates that a standards-based approach
for software reuse in airborne systems is
viable and can significantly reduce the
time and cost of achieving certification.”
Earlier this year, LynuxWorks
received Advisory Circular AC 20-148
approval from FAA for reusable soft-
ware components authorized for the
LynxOS-178 product used in the Rock-
well Collins Adaptive Flight Display
Runtime, Common Computing Module
Runtime, Data Concentration Module
Runtime and Synthetic Vision Module
Runtime for Pro Line Fusion.
CONTRACTS
➤ Rockwell Collins has been selected
by the Naval Air Systems Com-
mand (NAVAIR) to provide a suite
of avionics equipment for the U.S.
Navy C-130T Avionics Obsolescence
Upgrade program. The equipment will
be installed on 20 aircraft with work
scheduled to begin in 2013. The select-
ed equipment includes the MultiScan
Hazard Detection Weather Radar, the
software-defined V/UHF radios, along
Garmin Selected for Firebird
Northrop Grumman selected Garmin to supply the avion-
ics suite for its Firebird optionally piloted vehicle (OPV)
designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
(ISR) missions. The Firebird is equipped with a tailored ver-
sion of Garmin’s touchscreen-controlled integrated flight
deck system.
“Commercial avionics are an increasingly compelling
option for government and military aircraft because they
offer excellent features with significant time and cost sav-
ings,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin’s vice president of aviation
sales and marketing.
The Firebird cockpit is equipped with three 14-inch, HD
widescreen displays. Primary flight information is displayed
to both the pilot and co-pilot along with additional displays
capable of showing sensor data, moving maps, charts, engine
indications and other important flight information. In addi-
tion, the cockpit is equipped with two touchscreen display/
controllers that provide a centralized and intuitive interface
to the system, giving pilots rapid access to the flight informa-
tion they want. The touch controllers also allow for the con-
trol of external missions systems.
The Firebird is also equipped with Garmin’s Synthetic
Vision Technology, which presents a 3-D depiction of ter-
rain, obstacles, traffic and the runway environment on the
flight displays. Garmin’s GWX 70 Doppler-capable weather
radar and GTS 850 Traffic and Collision Avoidance System
(TCAS I) are also on board the aircraft.
The triple widescreen displays, dual touchscreen display/
controllers and flight management systems are also used
in the ground control station that is used to fly the aircraft
when it is operated as an UAV.
Northrop Grumman Firebird optionally piloted vehicle
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 9
with other communication equipment.
➤ Rockwell Collins has been awarded
a $54 million full rate production con-
tract, with unexercised options valued at
an additional $241 million, by the U.S.
Navy to upgrade 11 aircraft as part of
the E-6B Block I Modification program.
The initial $54 million award covers the
procurement of the material, installa-
tion and associated activities for the
next three aircraft. The total program
includes production engineering sup-
port, field service support, operator and
maintenance crew training classes and
maintenance trainer updates.
➤ Curtiss Wright Controls signed a $1.6
million contract with Northrop Grum-
man to provide rotary actuators for the
U.S. Marine Corps Ground/Air Task
Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) program.
The rotary-geared actuators are being
delivered to Northrop Grumman. The
actuators transmit power from an elec-
tric motor to lift and lower the G/ATOR
system’s flat-screen antenna array, Cur-
tiss-Wright said.
➤ Luxemburg carrier Luxair has signed
a seven-year avionics by the hour agree-
ment with Thales to provide spares pro-
visioning and component maintenance
services for its fleet of Bombardier
Dash8-400s. The agreement will provide
advance exchanges and access to a pool
of avionics components based in France.
➤ Piper Aircraft has selected Garmin’s
G1000 integrated flight deck for its
Archer and Seminole models.
➤ LAN Airlines and U.K.-based IFE
Services have signed a new in-flight
entertainment agreement. The agree-
ment covers the provision of IFE con-
tent across its fleet of wide and narrow
body aircraft, the company said. IFE
will also manage digital encoding and
audio visual on-demand content for
LAN.
➤ Saab Sensis has been selected as the
air traffic control Decision Support Tool
developer subject matter expert for the
NextGen Institute’s Trajectory-Based
Operations research. The research will
involve providing current and future air
traffic demand scenarios and system-
wide simulations to evaluate current and
future air traffic management concepts.
➤ Airbus ProSky has teamed with the
Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
(CAAS) to support the modernization
of the air transportation system in Sin-
gapore and throughout the Asia Pacific
region. The partnership resulted from
a series of joint technical workshops
between the two entities, where they
determined that it was necessary to mod-
ernize the air traffic management (ATM)
practices in the Asia Pacific region to
support the growth in air traffic. Under
the new partnership Airbus ProSky will
assist CAAS in building the Center of
Excellence for ATM in Singapore, which
will host companies that are looking to
develop and adapt new ATM concepts.
➤ United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based
Bayanat Airports Engineering & Supplies
signed a strategic partnership agreement
with Frequentis AG to provide airports
air traffic management systems for civil
and defense markets, airport technol-
ogy products, tower automation, and
aeronautical information management
systems in the UAE. Under terms of the
partnership, Frequentis will install a bi-
directional flight plan format converter
for Abu Dhabi Airports Company.
commercial
10 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
By Charlotte Adams
D
espite the seemingly nonstop
economic crisis, avionics
developers continue to gener-
ate safety-enhancing, cost-
effective systems that airlines
want to buy.
And while the overall economic outlook
might be murky, there is some cause for
optimism for the avionics community. Gov-
ernment mandates are driving demand for
upgrades and new equipment. Additionally,
a mature data link technology is helping to
bring cloud computing to real-time flight
operations. Two remote processing applica-
tions target safety and efficiency.
The expected convergence of NextGen
in the United States and SESAR in Eruope
airspace requirements, augmented vision
adoption and cathode ray tube (CRT)
obsolescence also will brighten the outlook
for large-format displays, predicts Craig
Peterson, director of avionics and flight
control marketing in commercial systems
for Rockwell Collins.
A wild card is the iPad, which airlines
are increasingly adopting as a lower-cost
Class 1 or 2 electronic flight bags (EFB) to
store flight manuals and other data. But
much more seems possible. One company













DAL10
+10
+20
QH13
-10
-20
UAL23
+20 UAL10
-20
TRK 060
Alt
ITP distance and location may not match plan view range
Commercial A
Airspace modernizat
United States and Europe
of cockpit equipment upgrades
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

J
e
t
B
l
u
e
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

R
o
c
k
w
e
l
l

C
o
l
l
i
n
s
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

H
o
n
e
y
w
e
l
l
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 11













Status:
30
Formulate ITP CLNC
Flt ID: AF320
Alt: FL340
ITP Distance: 80 nm
Gspd Dif f: 5 kt
Equip: ADSB
+040/-040 Alt Band:
ITP distance and location may not match plan view range
Alt : REL
Settings
al Avionics
modernization mandates in the
Europe are prompting a round
upgrades for commercial airlines
has even developed a means of plugging
iPads into the ARINC 429 data stream.
Although FAA currently opposes the in-
flight presentation of own-ship position on
airline Class 1 and 2 EFBs, the agency has
shown itself open to this for Class 2 EFBs
in ground operations.
Here’s a look at some of the other
technologies under consideration by
U.S. airlines:
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-
Broadcast (ADS-B)
Although the most immediate focus of
airspace mandates is Europe, automatic
dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-
B)-Out will be required in the United
States, as well. Forward-fit and retrofit
aircraft must be compliant there by 2020.
The mandate allows air traffic control
to monitor aircraft position and other
parameters, eventually replacing radar
as the primary method of surveillance.
ADS-B-In, the logical successor to ADS-
B-Out, will enable pilots to access traffic
data, such as position, altitude, speed,
heading and distance.
ADS-B-Out basically affects the tran-
sponder and the navigation system, Peter-
son explains. GPS, for example, has to
meet certain levels of accuracy, availabil-
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

R
o
c
k
w
e
l
l

C
o
l
l
i
n
s
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

A
l
a
s
k
a

A
i
r
l
i
n
e
s
12 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
ity and integrity. Rockwell Collins and
Honeywell, among others, have products
supporting the mandate.
JetBlue Airways, for one, said it looks
forward to ADS-B implementation as an
aid to operations in its crowded airspace.
The airline is part of a FAA program
to explore the benefits of ADS-B-Out.
Phase 2 of that program, when it goes for-
ward, would demonstrate the advantages
of ADS-B-In.
Honeywell’s SmartTraffic product is
an interesting application of ADS-B-In.
Certified with Airbus, SmartTraffic merg-
es traffic collision and avoidance system
(TCAS) and ADS-B data for presentation
on an EFB or multifunction display, says
Carl Esposito, vice president of product
marketing at Honeywell. A software
upgrade to Honeywell’s TCAS system,
SmartTraffic can help pilots obtain the
most efficient altitudes in transoceanic
flight, reducing fuel burn.
Remote Processing: Runway
Condition Monitoring
An unusual emerging technology involves
using aircraft as data collectors for run-
way condition calculations. The Aviation
Safety Technologies (AST) software
application promises to provide more
objective and accurate information —
and to deliver it more quickly — than is
currently possible. Data from aircraft at
the end of rollout — along with other
inputs — is processed by a remote server
and the results are posted to a Web portal
in near real time.
“We add a small piece of software to the
aircraft condition monitoring system that
allows us to buffer up a little data report”
which is sent to a carrier’s aircom server
via ACARS data link, cellular or Wi-Fi,
said Mike Dahl, senior managing director
at Chicago-based AST. The report is then
routed to AST via a virtual private network.
“We use the flight data, along with environ-
mental and tire/surface interface data, to
compute the total available friction on the
runway during that landing.”
Dahl says the computation takes
about a second and is immediately
posted to a company Internet site. He’s
seeing a 55-60-second turnaround time
from the end of rollout to report publi-
cation. “There are no other methods that
provide friction data, except by the use
of ground-based devices which require
shutting down the runway. And the
ground device readings don’t correlate
to aircraft braking performance.” That
said, the technology is still being fine-
tuned and probably would be brought to
the market in partnership with a larger
company.
Alaska Airlines, a carrier known for
its challenging operating environment,
has a prototype agreement with AST
to evaluate its technology product, said
Linda Chism, fleet engineer, flight oper-
ations. Along with other airlines, Alaska
automatically sends AST information to
help calculate the available landing fric-
tion on a runway.
Alaska also is participating in a
cooperative program with AST and the
Anchorage and Juneau airports. This
program, which runs until March 2013,
will collect and compare aircraft mea-
surements, facility measurements, mete-
orological conditions and pilots’ reports
of braking action.
The primary benefit of a mature
technology would be safety — knowing,
particularly at high-volume airports,
that you have very tight, science-based
numbers, Chism says. “The safety benefit
for an airline operation of having better
intelligence on braking action could be
priceless,” she adds. “When mature, this
system would be useful to an airline’s
dispatch operation for assessing the air-
port’s condition for future operations.”
For the next aircraft to land, the facil-
ity and air traffic control, the mature
product will provide valuable near real-
time information on the runway condi-
tion, Chism says.
Remote Processing: Cockpit
Calculations
Other crucial calculations can be executed
promptly but remotely, saving pilots’ time
and even enhancing revenue. JetBlue, for
example, is moving aircraft performance
calculations from pilot laptops to a
remote server-based application provided
by AeroData.
So just before pushback pilots will
enter data, such as passenger, fuel and
cargo weights, and submit it via an
ACARS message. The system will cal-
culate performance numbers and weight
and balance, says Chuck Cook, the car-
rier’s manager of fleet programs and tech-
nology. The results of the calculations are
returned via ACARS in about 30 seconds.
The system also will do automatic tail
verification, he says, “to ensure the right
aircraft has the right release and crew.” It
even provides an excess capacity number
right before pushback, enabling pilots to
safely add a couple of standby passengers
or more cargo on a flight.
The server-based system central-
izes several operations center business
processes. “We are streamlining many
different workflows in the dispatch and
load planning stages,” Cook says. “Addi-
tionally, we expect our pilots will spend
one to two minutes less time during the
very critical time window, waiting to push
back from the gate.”
Cook said he expected to have the
application up and running by early 2013.
Augmented Vision
Rockwell Collins, the first in the corpo-
rate market to offer synthetic vision on
a head-up display, describes a “synthetic
world” concept, involving greater situ-
ational awareness head-up and head-
down. The company envisions not only
the integration of synthetic and enhanced
vision technologies but also the expansion
of synthetic vision — head-up and head-
down — to show traffic and weather, as
well as terrain, obstacles and runways.
Peterson sees technologies like synthetic
and enhanced vision starting to arrive in
airline cockpits in the next two years.
“The day that happens is the day the
value proposition of the technology sub-
sumes the cost,” he says. Two things will
happen to make that possible, he says.
First is the “Moore’s Law” effect, where
the technology gets smaller, faster and
JetBlue said it is planning to retire its current Class 1 EFBs — pilot laptops — and
replace them, in part, with iPads.The carrier planned to launch a test group of some
50 iPads in late 2012 and, if all goes well, to deploy them early in 2013.
Photo courtesy JetBlue Airways
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 13
cheaper as it progresses until it reaches the
point where affordability favors adoption.
As the cost trends downward and as
tangible and quantifiable benefits culled
from experience in business aviation trend
upward, the affordability and advantage
of the technologies will spur adoption.
Peterson sees airlines with challenging
conditions, such as low visibility, moun-
tainous terrain and high-cost-of-diversion
airspace, as potential early adopters.
Among the expected benefits of synthetic
vision technology are lower approach
minimums, more stabilized approaches,
more consistent touchdown points and
fewer diversions. Rockwell Collins, Hon-
eywell and other avionics companies have
invested heavily in augmented awareness
technologies.
iPads in The Cockpit
Consumer technology is also making a
hit in the cockpit. One airline executive
jokes pilots call the built-in, Class 3 EFBs
expensive docking stations.
Despite current regulatory constraints,
the devices probably have legs. The
big advantage is that they are so easily
mobile, says Marcel Versteeg, managing
director of Netherlands-based VZM Man-
agement Services. He envisions iPads not
only as flight bags but as electronic tech
logs, where the pilot can report mainte-
nance issues and send the information to
the ground.
JetBlue sees a bright future for the
devices. It is planning to retire its cur-
rent Class 1 EFBs — pilot laptops —
and replace them, in part, with iPads.
Although JetBlue is technology-agnostic,
the iPad form factor, Internet connectiv-
ity, search and display capabilities are
attractive, Cook says. JetBlue said it
planned to launch a test group of some
50 iPads in late 2012 and, if all goes well,
to deploy them early in 2013.
“I see the iPad as the pilot’s mobile flight
kit that he takes with him in and out of the
cockpit, that has his manuals, e-mails and
information-changing notices — an Inter-
net resource to grab information.”
Other airlines are also announcing
iPad EFB programs. In September, FAA
approved American Airlines’ expansion
of its iPad EFB program, making it the
first commercial carrier to receive FAA
approval to use the iPad in the cockpit
during all phases of flight. Ameri-
can pilots will use the FAA-approved
Jeppesen iPad application to replace
the 35-pound standard bag from each
AA plane, which will save the carrier an
estimated $1.2 million of fuel annually.
Additionally, in August, Mesa Air Group
received FAA approval to begin a six-
month validation process using iPads as
Class I EFBs. Qantas Airways will be the
launch customer for the Airbus iPad EFB
“FlySmart with Airbus” application.
The next big business case could
be cockpit digital charting, Cook says.
The logistics support chain for paper
charts can be very expensive and time-
consuming. iPads could transform an
up-to-two-week distribution cycle to “a
simple button click” and a few minutes’
wait, he says.
JetBlue has an application from WSI
that lets you update the weather before
departure. The graphical display is much
easier to interpret and tell where turbu-
lence is than the textual description used
in the carrier’s flight release system now.
Avionics & Systems Integration
Group (ASIG) is in the forefront of the
iPad push. It has developed the flyTab
Class 2 implementation, including crash-
worthy mounts, power conditioning and
a converter box that allows the iPad to
display data from the 429 bus. The abil-
ity to hook into the wire eliminates the
latency issue, says Luke Ribich, ASIG
managing director. The company’s
FlightTab application is able to show
things like own-ship position on maps,
moving maps, chart centering, time to/
from destination or waypoint, route and
traffic, he says.
The company is working on three
supplemental type certificates (STCs) for
applications involving a “quasi-govern-
mental” operator in Canada and a Part
125 operator, Ribich says.
There are, however, limitations to
iPad use even if the device is connected
to the avionics system. Current regula-
tions prevent tethered devices from dis-
playing an aircraft’s own-ship position
while airborne, ruling out display of sys-
tems such as traffic avoidance and radar.
Ribich acknowledges the regulatory
hurdles facing in-flight, own-ship dis-
plays in commercial aviation. However,
“based upon the FAA’s own NextGen
roadmap and other public statements,
we believe it is only a matter of time
(less not more) until the FAA capitu-
lates on this issue, provided the source
of position data for things like taxiway
incursion and other ships position[s] …
is predicated upon ships systems[and]
sensors,” he adds.
ASIG envisions applications such as traf-
fic overlays, weather overlays — based on
radar information, not Internet connectivity
— terrain awareness warning and cockpit/
cabin security. The iPad could even replace
displays for non-flight-critical functions, the
company says. And, in the instance of instru-
ment failure, an iPad would certainly be bet-
ter than nothing.
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

A
l
a
s
k
a

A
i
r
l
i
n
e
s
In 2011, Alaska Airlines announced plans to issue iPads to all of its 1,400 pilots
for use as electronic flight bags (EFB), becoming the first major domestic airline to
do so. Other airlines, including American and United Continental, have followed.
‘I see the iPad as the pilot’s mobile flight kit that he takes
with him in and out of the cockpit, that has his manuals,
e-mails and information-changing notices — an Internet
resource to grab information.’
Chuck Cook, manager of fleet programs and technology at JetBlue
business/ga
14 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
New slate of satellite service
offerings provides a variety of
in-flight connectivity choices for
business aircraft operators
Connectivity
Business
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 15
By Emily Feliz
T
he decision of whether to
install a connectivity system in a
business aircraft is relatively easy;
in our always-connected world,
it’s the cost of doing
business. However, the selection of
which system to install and when can
be more complicated.
The connectivity market, particularly
for business aviation, has undergone a
period of very rapid change as the tech-
nologies in the consumer market have
transitioned to the aircraft. New avionics
systems, seemingly, were being intro-
duced every week, adding new capabili-
ties and support for the latest tablets and
smartphones. And that continues. But in
the coming years, the service end of the
connectivity equation will be catching
up, including the enhanced services of
Iridium, Gogo Biz air-to-ground network,
Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband and Ku-band
satellite services. There are also three
emerging technologies –– Ka-band satel-
lite, Iridium NEXT and Aircell’s ATG-4
— which are in various stages of develop-
ment for business aviation –– which prom-
ise to bring huge amounts of bandwidth
and fast speeds to business aircraft.
Additionally, the authorization of use
of the Iridium network for safety-critical
services, for oceanic services over the
North Atlantic and others, is ramping up
demand as well.
It’s a dilemma we all face on the ground
or in the air –– is it the right time to buy
the next-generation technology or wait
until the next one? Buy the iPhone 5 or
wait for the 6? Buy the latest tablet prod-
uct, or wait until next year when all the
bugs have been fixed?
“Staying current on what network
services are available now — and what’s
on the horizon — is perhaps the best way
to ensure you continue to make the best
decisions for your flight operation,” Aircell
said in a technology brief in October.
The challenge for business aircraft
operators becomes choosing a system that
can be future-proofed and/or one with
a clear upgrade path for future systems,
according to the installers and maintainers
of these systems.
“Virtually every aircraft we touch that
does not currently have a system is asking
to have one installed,” said Rick Brainard,
vice president of business development at
West Star Aviation, a maintenance and
installation company headquartered in
East Alton, Ill. The company averages
about five connectivity system installs a
Connectivity
month. “We see most customers want-
ing connectivity now. New or enhanced
systems coming out in the future are not
really seen as a deterrent to getting the
connectivity that fits their needs.”
That drive for connectivity presents
a challenge for avionics companies to
develop cutting edge systems, but being
ever mindful of upgrade possibilities
for operators.
“Clearly if you’re buying an ultra-
range range, large cabin aircraft today
and you want high bandwidth capability
to the cabin, you’re unlikely to hold off.
We see sales of Ku-band based systems
continuing and I think the broad market
sees that as well,” said Bob Ellis, director
of flight information solutions marketing
at Rockwell Collins.
The other half of the connectivity
equation is the services side.
“Over the last 12 months the prod-
ucts have somewhat stabilized. Service
prices, which have impeded sales, have
come down quite a bit. No, we don’t have
people waiting for the next system, they
either perform the installation or decline
due to services and/or installation costs
and some feel the speed is too slow to
satisfy the boss. Most systems designed
today require just an antenna change
to increase the speed, which makes the
upgrade path quite simple and economi-
cal,” said Brian Wilson, director of avion-
ics at Banyan Air Services, based in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla. Banyan said his team
averages about 2 or 3 connectivity system
installs a month, typically done during
regular maintenance inspections of
the aircraft.
Maintenance, repair and overall
(MRO) facilities around the world are
adding supplemental type certificates
(STC) for the installation of these sys-
tems. Earlier this year, Banyan was
awarded a FAA STC for the installation
of a Honeywell Aspire 200LG satcom
system on Gulfstream GII/GIII/GIV.
Other Banyan STCs include installation
of Thrane & Thrane AVIATOR 200
Inmarsat Satellite Communication on
Citation, and recent retrofit installations
include Rockwell Collins Tailwind 550
airborne TV system and Venue cabin
management system. West Star Aviation
was awarded STC approval to install
Wi-Fi on the Gulfstream V. The certifica-
tion includes connectivity via both or
either Inmarsat SwiftBroadband and
the Aircell Gogo Biz networks using the
Aircell CTR wireless router.
Generally speaking, smaller busi-
ness aircraft opt for the smaller, and less
expensive, air-to-ground networks while
the super midsize aircraft and larger
opt for larger, and more expensive,
satellite systems.
“The faster the speed, the pricier the
installation,” Wilson said. “The faster the
speed, the size of the antenna increases
which eliminates the small and mid-size
airframes. Passengers want capabilities
similar to what they have on the ground
and in their office or home. But this is
where the misconception starts; tech-
nology today can’t provide that service.
Checking email, making calls from your
smart phone, light browsing of the Inter-
net is what the masses can have. YouTube
videos, social media, large attachment
files are limited to the large airframes
with clients who can spend $500,00+ for
the installation and up to $8,000 a month
for the service.”
Among the next generation connectiv-
ity services:
–– Inmarsat’s global GX Aviation
network is slated for launch in 2013 with
initial service available in 2014. Earlier
this year, Honeywell signed a $2.8 billion
exclusive agreement with satellite opera-
tor Inmarsat to provide global in-flight
connectivity services via Inmarsat’s GX
Aviation Ka-band network.
“Ka capability will not be considered
a nice to have function in the aircraft, it
will be considered a minimum to operate
in a more and more data intensive busi-
ness and personal entertainment environ-
ment,” said Paul Lafata, cabin systems
business leader at Honeywell.
–– Iridium’s NEXT constellation, with
satellite launches are scheduled to begin
FalconCabin HD+ cabin management
system (CMS) aboard Dassault’s Falcon
7X, 900LX and 2000LX, leverages technol-
ogy from Rockwell Collins’ Venue CMS,
including including Skybox Apple TV
system and Airshow for iPad.
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

R
o
c
k
w
e
l
l

C
o
l
l
i
n
s
The Gulfstream Elite interior, as seen on a G450, includes streamlined passenger ser-
vice unit, HD entertainment system and Gulfstream Cabin Management System.
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

G
u
l
f
s
t
r
e
a
m
16 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
in 2015 with service availability expected
in 2017, will provide voice and data ser-
vice via an all-new constellation of low-
earth orbit satellites. “Iridium NEXT is
on track to further Iridium’s position as a
vital player in the global communications
infrastructure. Our organization and its
ecosystem of partners around the world
are very excited about the influence this
tremendous, next-generation network will
have on continuing to connect organiza-
tions and people in ways never before
thought possible,” said Scott Smith, exec-
utive vice president, Iridium NEXT.
–– ATG-4 is a higher-capacity incar-
nation of the current Gogo high-speed
Internet service. “For operators of larger
business aircraft that seek bandwidth
capabilities beyond Gogo Biz service,
ATG-4 is worth watching,” Aircell said.
Operator Weighs In
From the operator’s perspective, even the
smallest upgrades can yield big gains for
the end user. General Mills’ Air Trans-
portation department, based in Minne-
apolis, operates a fleet of three Citation
Xs installed with AVIATOR 300 Swift-
Broadband system, developed by Thrane
& Thrane, now a part of Cobham.
Eric Olson, aircraft maintenance man-
ager at General Mills Air Transporta-
tion, said the company’s upgrade plans
include the addition of a new onboard
router developed by Satcom Direct,
the Satcom Direct Router (SDR),
which “will increase the user experi-
ence of the system both in the cabin
and the cockpit,” Olson said.
“Our passengers are typically in
meetings all day and once onboard the
aircraft, have the opportunity to catch
up on communications while traveling
to the next destination or back home.
The feedback we receive from our pas-
sengers indicates they are extremely
happy with the availability of Internet
on the aircraft,” he said.
“We operate in a manner that
everything we do has some positive
effect on our core mission. Connectivi-
ty for our passengers is part of the user
experience we offer for them. Acces-
sibility for the flight crew and mainte-
nance is one of many tools we use to
support the operation,” he added.
Commercial-off-the-shelf sys-
tems, namely iPads, are also helping
operators wring new efficiencies out
of their current systems. Olson said
his company is operating with iPads
in the cockpit, which provide flight
crews and maintenance technicians
with applications that have “a direct
positive relationship on the increased
safety of our operation,” including
using satcom systems to transmit vital
information on aircraft discrepancies
from the flight crew to maintenance.
“Just the other day, one of the
cockpit displays was indicating the
digits backwards and inverted. It hap-
pened only for a short time, but the
crew was able to snap a picture of it,
send it to maintenance and we had the
opportunity to troubleshoot the issue
prior to the aircrafts arrival. In many
cases, having the Internet onboard and
the ability to send the maintenance
group a picture or note on an issue has
saved valuable troubleshooting time,”
Olson said.
Business Aviation
Looks Flat in 2013
Thanks to the sluggish global economy, business
aviation is expected to remain soft in 2013, ac-
cording to market forecasts, with some growth in
the larger, longer-range jets, but decreases across
other categories.
The Honeywell Business Aviation Outlook,
which was released ahead of the National Busi-
ness Aviation Association’s (NBAA) annual event,
predicted 10,000 new business jet deliveries
worth about $250 billion from 2012 to 2022, a
9 percent increase in terms of dollar value from
last year’s forecast. However, the number of jets
forecasted is roughly the same as last year; the
9 percent comes from pricing increases and a
change in expected jet mix toward larger business
jet models. The company sees 2012 deliveries of
about 680 to 720 business jets, a single-digit in-
crease over levels reported in last year’s forecast.
“Next year’s totals are anticipated to be of simi-
lar magnitude, reflecting the protracted nature of
the global economy,” said Rob Wilson, president,
Honeywell Business and General Aviation. “Over
the medium term, a return to historical growth
conditions supported by globalization, wealth
creating in developing nations and new aircraft
development should boost orders and support ac-
celerated growth beginning mid-decade. Despite
the economic challenges our industry has been
dealing with for the past 40 months, we believe
some progress is being made. “The trend toward
larger cabin aircraft with ever-increasing range
expectations and advanced avionics continues to
be reflected in this year’s survey,” Wilson added.
Additionally, Honeywell said the overall demand
from outside North America continues to increase
as well. This year, roughly 53 percent of projected
demand comes from North American operators,
down two points from the 2011 survey.
Additionally, Rockwell Collins executives in Oc-
tober expressed similar flat projections for 2013.
“As bad as the timing of the recovery has been
for business aviation, the only silver lining is here”
in upgrading aircraft with you systems, said Colin
Mahoney, vice president, Commercial Systems
Marketing and Sales for Rockwell Collins. “What
you’re seeing is people saying I can’t sell their
aircraft, it’s not worth anything or I don’t want to
sell it for what it’s worth, so I’m going to put some
money into it. We see some increasing interest in
updates of all kinds — flight decks and cabins.”
Other forecasts echoed Honeywell’s relatively
soft predictions. Avinode, which calls itself a mar-
ketplace for air charter professionals, predicted an
even more dour forecast, showing a 0.1 percent
decrease is business jet activity in the United
States; Europe is shown posted a 3.2 percent
overall decrease. The company pointed to the
sluggish global economy, with operators looking
to downsize their aircraft and fleets to save mon-
ey. “We see entry level jets taking market share
from light jets, super lights taking business from
midsize jets, super midsize taking from heavy
jets,” said Avinode Business Unit Director Magnus
Henriksson. “Only ultra long range aircraft show
little, if any, price sensitivity.” —Emily Feliz
Cessna’s Citation X midsize business
aircraft features Clairity, Cessna’s
proprietary cabin technology system.
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

C
e
s
s
n
a
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 17
‘Virtually every aircraft we touch that does not
currently have a system is asking to have one
installed.’
Rick Brainard, vice president of business development at West Star
Aviation
20 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
military trainers and PilotView Electronic
Flight Bags (EFB) deployed on variety
of commercial aircraft. It is also looking
at deploying touch control on its Smart-
Deck Integrated Flight Controls System.
“The technology deployed on the demo
is resistive, (but) final technology is still
under evaluation,” said McKay.
The company “has discussed (its)
touchscreen intentions with the Canadian
certification authority in general terms,
and … (currently expects) to open a
program for touchscreen certification in
(2013),” said McKay. To gain certifica-
tion, the touchscreen controls must be
fully redundant with traditional hard and
soft key functions, he said. “So should
the touchscreen fail for any reason, there
will be no loss of functionality from the
system, and the pilot will simply continue
operations using the bezel keys, voice
activation, and rotary controllers.”
In fact, the company plans “to provide
pilots with options for control methods
that will complement each other seam-
lessly and allow pilots to select their
preferred control methods based on the
situation, tasks at hand, and personal
preferences,” said McKay.
In addition to being more intuitive,
especially for those accustomed to using
mobile touch devices, the touch technolo-
gy allows pilots who are “using (it) in the
primary field of view” to keep their heads
“in closer proximity to out-the-window
views” making it easier “for pilots who
are transitioning between the instruments
and visual flying,”
Otto said.
In a new software
load for its GTN prod-
ucts last year, Garmin
added, among other
features, the ability to
display digital weather
radar, Alpiser said. “We
are also optimizing the
software to take advan-
tage of some of the
ADS-B In technology
that will soon be avail-
able,” said Alpiser. The
Garmin Pilot app can
also now display and
post charts and section-
als and bring in weather
and ADS-B traffic and
weather information
and use it for preflight,
he said.
The company has
also added support “in
the GTN 750 and its
accompanying GMA 35 audio control-
ler for … what we call Telligence Voice
Command,” which permits the pilot “to
speak to the GTN itself and command it
to do different things,” said Alpiser. The
pilot can, for example, activate audio
panel functions in response to spoken
commands, according to Garmin. By
pressing a push-to-command button on
the yoke and saying “Comm One,” for
example, the pilot can select the radio.
The use of voice recognition will continue
“to expand, but it is going to take a little
closer cooperation with the approving
agencies” to boost the comfort level with
the use of the technology, said Alpiser.
Voice recognition has attracted the
interest of many vendors. “We continue
to monitor the technology,” said Otto. “It
is challenging in the noise environment
we are in and still there are challenges
with dialects and other things from a
spoken standpoint,” he said. “It will get
there and when it does I think there will
be some good applications.”
With all this momentum for change,
is the transition to at least the expanded
used of touch technology a fait accompli?
“Clearly pilots must say they want it,
but I’m curious how it will be accepted
over the long haul,” said Bruce Maxwell,
president of Luma Technologies. There
are still obstacles its broader use includ-
ing overcoming the impact of turbulence
but also “concerns over pilot distraction
with all the gadgetry, and … how are they
going to lean forward and manipulate
the screens if they’re tightly belted into
their seats?” Based in Bellevue, Wash.,
Luma offers its Lumatech 2000 Series
low profile (less than a half-inch deep)
sunlight readable hall-effect switch to the
LRU and Control Panel OEMs making
products ranging from Audio Control
and Terrain Awareness Systems all the
way to flight critical Mode Control and
Autopilot Systems.
“The touch systems are definitely
coming in some applications,” but the
industry is “still evolving” on what those
uses will be, said Steve Edwards, vice
president of product development at
Aerospace Optics.
The one certainty is that these technol-
ogies will mean a decrease in the number
of mechanical switches in cockpit. The
cutback has already been well underway
with the introduction of digital technol-
ogy and the multifunction display. These
displays have existed for some time but
now can contain more information “and
are producing a reduction in analog
switching, said Bryan Bakker, product
manager for integrated systems at Ester-
line Control Systems. Furthermore,
touchscreen “puts commands onto that
screen that used to be a discreet switch.”
“In the next five years, there will prob-
ably be … a mixed mode introduction”
of touch along with mechanical switches,
“and it will move slowly like we saw
with (the introduction of the) digital …
signal,” said Bakker. “The information
that goes to the touchscreen may not be
as critical … so if I am doing things like
turning off and on lights or taking care
of temperature in the cabin … that can be
put on the display as a touchscreen, but if
I am transferring fuel or another type of
(critical function) I am still going to need
some analogue hardwire to interface the
device,” added Mark Cochran, Esterline
Control Systems’ vice president of prod-
uct management.
Meanwhile, push button switch pro-
viders like Aerospace Optics are refining
their products to address the changing
circumstances. Responding to the growth
of multifunction display, Aerospace
Optics developed a “multifunction
body assembly on our switches” which
has proved quite successful, said Craig
Morgan, senior vice president of sales
at Aerospace Optics. “We have sold a
significant number of what we call the
electronic latch, which adds functionality
to the traditional push-button switch, and
based on that success, we have evolved it
(adding) four or five additional features,
including a pulse timer “which allows the
Esterline CMC Electronics Cockpit 4000 NexGen technology
demonstrator includes a 20-inch by 7-inch large area dis-
play with touchscreen capabilities and head-up display.
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

E
s
t
e
r
i
n
e

C
M
C

E
l
e
c
t
r
o
n
i
c
s
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 21
old, traditional push-button switch to be
an edge detector and then … produce an
outbound signal.” With these versatile
products, “we are now able to provide
more capability with less space, weight
and power than ever before.”
The company is also targeting new
opportunities, such as providing switches
for the growing number of night vision
cockpits used by civil operators in emer-
gency medical services, police and fire
departments and homeland security. “In
fact, over half of our business right now
is going to night vision compatible prod-
ucts,” said Edwards. Aerospace Optics
helped facilitate the use of night vision,
which is common place on military air-
craft, on civilian platforms by develop-
ing a “new color of red that matches the
commercial aviation’s (expectations),”
Edwards said. The military “red” was
more an orange color.
Aerospace Optics and others are
seeing a surge in the retrofit market,
supplying older, sometimes hard to get
products for the growing number of
legacy aircraft in the fleet. With a weak
economy, “everybody is … updating
legacy aircraft, and we see that as a very
attractive market niche for some time to
come,” said Edwards.
A growing problem within this mar-
ket is specific product shortages caused
by the “original manufacturers that
are no longer supporting the line or
worse yet may be out of business,” said
Luma’s Maxwell. “Combine that with
their being incandescent and somewhat
fragile, and you have a pretty pricey
problem.”
“The opportunity to address these
shortages will stay strong in the near
term,” (but the number of companies
capable of meeting this demand “has
been shrinking,” said Morgan. “You
can count the companies that can play
on this field on one hand … so that is
an attractive market for those of us that
will remain in it.”
Meanwhile, a mainstay for many
companies for several years has been
replacing incandescent switches with
LED technology. “LED is the stan-
dard in the industry now,” and since it
is “really a solid state illumination we
developed a solid state switch to accom-
modate that,” said Bakker. Esterline
Control Systems introduced its “Opti-
con” line of low-profile, low weight
cockpit solid state switches about three
years ago. The retrofit process can be
challenging, so operators upgrade only
those “systems are used more often
than others in the aircraft” such a land-
ing gear panel, said Cochran.
“All of our products are form fit
function compatible with each other,”
said Edwards. “If you want to switch
over from a incandescent to an LED you
can do yourself in about 30 seconds with
no training; all you have to do is take
one cap out put the other in.”
Other industry developments:
➤ Staco Systems, based in Irvine, Calif.,
in August was selected by Panasonic Avi-
onics to provide custom designed 64-key
panel mount keyboards for Panasonic’s
eX3 in-flight entertainment and con-
nectivity system. This custom keyboard
will be used with the In-Flight Enter-
tainment (IFE) Remote Control Center
that will be installed onboard the Airbus
A350 series.
This compact USB keyboard has 64
keys. The keys are LED backlit and the
illumination levels are controlled by a
5-step dimming control circuit, the com-
pany said.
➤ Astronics Luminescent Systems in May
was selected by Learjet supply LED cock-
pit instrument panels for the Learjet 70
and Learjet 75.
Next month: Synthetic Vision Systems
Avionics Magazine’s Product Focus is a
monthly feature that examines some of
the latest trends in different market seg-
ments of the avionics industry. It does not
represent a comprehensive survey of all
companies and products in these markets.
Avionics Product Focus Editor Ed
McKenna can be contacted at
[email protected].
Companies
Aerospace Optics www.vivisun.com
Ametek Aerospace www.ametek.com
Aspen Avionics www.aspenavionics.com
Avionics International Supply www.avionicsinternational.com
Astronics Corp. www.astronics.com
Avtech Corp. www.avtcorp.com
Cole Instrument Corp. www.cole-switches.com
Crane Aerospace & Electronics www.craneae.com
Dallas Avionics, Inc. www.dallasavionics.com
Ducommun Technologies www.ducommun.com
Eaton Corp. www.eaton.com
Electro-Mech Components www.electromechcomp.com
Electro Switch Corp. www.electroswitch.com
Esterline (CMC Electronics, Leach, Korry) www.esterline.com
Flame Enterprises www.flamecorp.com
Garmin www.garmin.com
HS Electronics www.hselectronics.com
Honeywell www.honeywell.com
Interface Displays and Controls www.interfacedisplays.com
Luma Technologies LLC www.lumatech.com
Marine Air Supply Co. www.marineairsupply.com
Peerless Electronics www.peerlesselectronics.com
Rockwell Collins www.rockwellcollins.com
Spectralux Corp. www.spectralux.com
Staco Systems www.stacosystems.com
TE Connectivity www.te.com
Teledyne Relays www.teledynerelays.com
Zodiac Aerospace www.zodiacaerospace.com
Garmin’s GTN 650 and 750 series
touchscreen avionics system has
received FAA and EASA certifications.
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

G
a
r
m
i
n
new products
22 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
AS9100 Certification
Sandel Avionics, based in Vista, Calif.,
received its AS9100, Rev C and ISO
9001:2008 certification from NSF Inter-
national.
The Quality Management System
standard (AS9100) is designed to meet
stringent, complex and unique demands
of the defense and commercial aerospace
industry. With nearly 100 additional
requirements specific to aerospace, being
certified by an accredited AS9100 and
ISO9001 registrar provides organizations
with a comprehensive standard focused
on areas directly impacting air worthi-
ness, safety and reliability.
Visit www.sandel.com.
West Coast Location
WireMasters, based in Columbia, Tenn.,
expanded its operation to include a ware-
house facility in Mesa, Ariz.
The company said it has experienced
consistent growth in the western United
States, western Canada and Mexico in
the last few years. The 10,000-square-
foot warehouse will stock about $1 mil-
lion worth of Mil-Spec wire, cable, con-
nectors and tubing available for same day
shipments, the company said.
Visit www.wiremasters.net.
HUD Availability
West Star Aviation, based in East Alton,
Ill., announced the availability of the
Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS),
known as HUD Vision Access (HVA) for
the Challenger 604 and Challenger 605.
The HVA system consists of three line
replacable units. Benefits of the system
include safer operation in low visibility,
enhanced situation awareness, terrain
avoidance, runway incursion detection
and lower landing credits to minimums
of 100 feet above the ground.
Visit www.weststaraviation.com.
Satcom Support App
Satcom Direct, of Satellite Beach, Fla.,
launches Unity, a mobile satcom support
product that allows avionics technicians
to connect to multiple satcom systems
for troubleshooting, diagnostic and con-
figuration management.
The Unity product kit includes a
selection of terminal adapters and the
new Get Satcom mobile application,
which accesses data from the satcom
systems. The Get Satcom app supports
and operates on the latest Apple iOS and
allows customers to use their iPhones
and iPads to interface with satcom
equipment.
Visit www.satcomdirect.com.
EFB App
The FliteDeck Pro Electronic Flight
Bag (EFB) system from Jeppesen, of
Englewood, Colo., is now available for
the iPad.
Flight information, including world-
wide navigation charts, is delivered to
Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro through the
Jeppesen Distribution Manager Pro
system. The system distributes encrypted
and virus-free operational data and
documents across a Web-based system.
The system also provides for grouping
of devices and configuration reporting,
and supports the needs of operators for
regulatory audits.
Visit www.jeppesen.com.
Pro Line 21 Upgrade STC
Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer
Support (GCS) received FAA supple-
mental type certification for the Rock-
well Collins Integrated Display System
(IDS) flight deck upgrade for the Beech-
craft 1900D. This upgrade removes the
factory installed Pro Line II EFIS 84 sys-
tem, as well as other analog instrumenta-
tion, and replaces it with an integrated
three-display Pro Line 21 IDS system.
The Pro Line 21 IDS utilizes three
10-inch by 8-inch LCDs. The Primary
Flight Display combines attitude, alti-
tude, air speed and heading references
with a graphical interface. Its multifunc-
tion display enables pilots to quickly ref-
erence information in order to facilitate
strategic decision making, the company
said. Visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com.
Air Data Test Set
Barfield introduces an automated and
Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum-
compliant air data test set, model
DPS1000.
Features of the product include
automated operation, a user-friendly
interface with color touchscreen and
customer programmable test routines,
according to the company.
Visit www.barfieldinc.com.
Airborne Processing Unit
Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solu-
tions (CWCDS) announced the avail-
ability of its SYS-C365 Deployable
Rugged System, a rugged commercial-
off-the-shelf (COTS) system for airborne
platforms.
Designed for a specific military pro-
gram, with more than 500 units already
Standby Attitude Module
Mid-Continent Instru-
ments and Avionics, of
Wichita, Kan., intro-
duced MD302 Standby
Attitude Module
(SAM), a 2-inch by
5-inch standby display.
This self-contained,
solid-state instrument
provides attitude, alti-
tude, airspeed and slip
information to the pilot
during normal operation or in the case of primary instrument failure, according to
the company.
Mid-Continent said the unit is designed to fit in less panel space than a standard
set of 2-inch mechanical attitude, altitude and airspeed indicators. Its two-screen
display features selectable horizontal and vertical orientation. Visit www.mcico.com.
www.avionicstoday.com January 2012 Avionics Magazine 23
deployed in airborne platforms worldwide,
the SYS-C365 is a Power Architecture
(PowerPC) based processing unit that
provides an array of I/O and standard
multi-protocol communication channels,
the company said.
Designed for deployment in harsh mili-
tary environments, the SYS-C365 features
a fully rugged conduction-cooled enclo-
sure. It has been designed to operate in a
temperature range from -40 ºC to +71ºC,
with specific emphasis on avionics require-
ments, according to the company.
Visit www.cwcdefense.com
Flight View Camera
Flight Display Systems, based in
Alpharetta, Ga., introduced a high-def-
inition glareshield color camera. When
mounted in the cockpit of an aircraft,
this camera will provide passengers with
the opportunity to observe taxi, take-off
and landing, the company said.
The camera produces 1080p output at
30 frames per second and 720p at 60 fps
via HD-SDI. The effective pixel resolu-
tion is 1944(H) x 1092(V). Optics include
a 6mm, f=3.6 lens. The minimum illumi-
nation is 0.1 Lux. Camera will include a
mounting base.
Visit www.FlightDisplay.com.
Cabin Lighting
Heads Up Technologies, based in
Carrollton, Texas, added RGB and
Variable White LED lighting systems
to its family of cabin lighting products.
These products integrate with Heads
Up Technologies’ Lumin Cabin Man-
agement System (CMS), the company
said.
The RGB and Variable White LED
lights communicate with the CMS
via RS-485 data buss protocols. The
onboard intelligence provides a greater
degree of control over real time color
control and dimming, creating notice-
ably better responsiveness than previous
designs, the company said.
Visit www.heads-up.com.
New Facility
LCR Electronics, a Norristown, Pa.-
based manufacturer of backplanes and
ruggedized integrated chassis, electronic
control products, and EMI filters for
military, telecommunications and com-
mercial applications, opened a Systems
Integration Design, Development and
Test Facility in Ridgeland, Miss.
Visit www.lcr-inc.com.
Transponder
Garmin, based in Olathe, Kan., intro-
duced the GTX 3000, a remote-mount,
Mode-S transponder designed to accom-
modate the environmental and operation-
al demands of transport category aircraft.
The GTX 3000 meets the require-
ments for TCAS II/ACAS II compatibil-
ity and also meets the latest standards for
full automatic dependent surveillance-
broadcast (ADS-B) Out compliance,
the company said. The GTX 3000 has
received TSO/DO-260B authorization
allowing it to meet current compliance
standards as a certified ADS-B Out solu-
tion, when paired with a compatible posi-
tion source. The GTX 3000 broadcasts
on the 1090 MHz ADS-B frequency.
The GTX 3000 will be standard equip-
ment on several new aircraft platforms
including the Cessna Citation X, Citation
Latitude, Citation Longitude and Citation
Sovereign, the Bombardier Learjet 70 and
Learjet 75, the company said..
Visit www.garmin.com.
Power System
Astronics Corp., based in East Aurora,
N.Y., added USB charging capability to its
EMPOWER System line of products for
the business jet market.
The EMPOWER 28VDC to 115VAC
System supports power requirements for
passenger and crew portable electronic
devices.
The company said the flexibility of a
combined AC/USB outlet conserves valu-
able cabin space and provides customers
with two modes of available power at each
seat location. Should customers desire,
the AC and USB outlets can be installed
separately.
Visit www.astronics.com.
Wide-Screen ESIS
L-3 Aviation Products introduced its
GH-3900RSU Electronic Standby
Instrument System (ESIS) . Slated to
be certified in 2013, the new system fea-
tures a 4.2-inch diagonal high-resolution
display (DU-42) and a separate Remote
Sensor Unit (RSU).
L-3 has developed a two-part system
that separates the display from the sen-
sor array, allowing technicians to install
the system behind the aircraft’s panel,
including areas with limited space. A
RSU houses rate/level sensors, air data
transducers and optional accelerometers,
which deliver attitude, altitude, air-
speed and navigation data to the DU-42
display. The GH-3900RSU allows the
installer to define data I/O interfaces,
Static Source Error Correction and
Velocity Maximum Operating values, as
well as customize display parameters.
Visit www.L-3com.com/aviationproducts.
Leak Detection System
Spectroline, based in Westbury, N.Y.,
introduced OPTI-LUX 365, a LED leak
detection flashlight for all aviation fluid
system applications.
The OPTI-LUX 365 works with Spec-
troline Aero-Brite universal fluorescent
dye. The flashlight has an inspection
range of up to 10 feet. Powered by one
rechargeable lithium-ion battery (extra
battery included in kit), it provides 4
hours of continuous inspection between
charges. Visit www.spectroline.com.
AFIRS STC
FLYHT Aerospace Solutions, based in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, received an
activation Supplemental Type Certificate
(STC) for its Automated Flight Informa-
tion Reporting System (AFIRS) 228 on
ATR 42/72 model aircraft from Trans-
port Canada.
AFIRS 228 provides a fully certified
avionics platform capable of meeting all
24 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
air navigation communications require-
ments in Europe, the United States and
other jurisdictions around the world, the
company said. Additionally, it will also
provide the input and outputs necessary
to enhance the value of real-time data for
FLYHT’s customers globally.
Visit www.flyht.com.
Pitot Static Tester
Laversab, based in Sugar Land, Texas,
introduced the model 6300 Automated
RVSM/Pitot Static/Air Data tester.
The system meets RVSM requirements
and needs to be calibrated only once a
year. Using a small remote a user can
operate the tester from the cockpit and
safely test the entire pitot and static sys-
tem of the aircraft, including altimeters,
encoders, climb indicators, airspeed/
Mach indicators, air data computers and
auto-pilots, according to the company.
The model 6300 Pitot Static Tester
includes built-in vacuum and pressure
pumps and emergency manual bleed-
down valves.
Visit www.laversab.com.
Avionics Partnership
Marilake Aerosystems, a U.K.-based
avionics and instrument repair company,
formed a strategic partnership with RGV
Aviation to offer light aircraft owners and
operators a full workshop-based avionics
and instrumentation repair capability.
The partnership allows RGV to offer
avionics and instrumentation component
repair capability for its customers in addi-
tion to the many avionics installation
and support options already offered at its
facility at U.K.’s Gloucester Airport.
Visit www.marilake.com.
Communications System
ARINC Direct introduced its DirectCon-
nect Onboard Communications System.
The new system offers distinct capabili-
ties in one portable device –– complete
ACARS messaging (including graphical
weather), utilizing an iPad app as the
user interface, high-quality voice using an
iPhone or Android device, and managed
email via Iridium or Inmarsat satellite
networks.
The company said the system enables
global connectivity and seamless opera-
tion of common communication forms
for both pilots and passengers. With two
channels, the system supports simultane-
ous voice and data communications or
even two simultaneous voice calls.
Visit www.arinc.com.
UAV Avionics
UAV Navigation released its LCAP GPS
and Air Data System (ADS)-aided avion-
ics system for mini UAV targets, hand-
launched helicopters, and other types of
high performance UAVs.
According to the company, the LCAP
avionics system can survive any single
sensor failure, including GPS outage, and
still provide adequate navigation capabili-
ties. The system includes a Flight Control
CPU that hosts the control software, a
high-performance GPS module, ADS
and a set of interfaces including Digital
and Analog IOs, CAN and Ethernet. It
can also be fitted with additional external
sensors such as radar altimeters or mag-
netometers.
Visit http://uavnavigation.org.
XMC Card
Data Device Corp. (DDC), based in
Bohemia, N.Y., introduced the BU-67112
Mil-Std-1553 XMC card designed to
meet the data demands of mission critical
military aerospace applications.
The card’s advanced I/O incorporates
DDC’s Total-AceXtreme Mil-Std-1553
component with low-power ASIC design.
By combining protocol, transceivers and
transformers all in one component, the
Total-AceXtreme utilizes significantly
less parts compared to other designs,
enabling the card to deliver significant
power savings and increased performance,
along with a greater MTBF, and a high
channel count, according to the company.
Visit www.ddc-web.com.
Field Guide
Duncan Aviation, based in Lincoln, Neb.,
released a new field guide, “HD Cabin
Entertainment Upgrades: Requirements,
Upgrade Paths and Alternatives,” which
aims to answer common questions about
creating an HD-capable entertainment
system for business aircraft, image qual-
ity, upgrade alternatives and equipment
selection.
Written by industry experts, the field
guide includes comparison charts that
illustrate factors that influence image
quality. Visit www.DuncanAviation.aero/
fieldguides.
Turret Simulator
L-3 WESCAM launched its MXTM-
Sim, a training product that simulates the
complete operations of WESCAM’s MX
Series of electro-optical and infrared imag-
ing turrets.
L-3’s MX-Sim, developed with INSY-
EN AG, based in Germany, connects to
multiple L-3 WESCAM standard control
systems, including hand grips, joysticks
and mission grips. Pre-planned scenarios,
including improvised explosive device sur-
veillance, search and rescue, and counter-
terrorism missions have been created to
better replicate expensive in-flight training
experiences, the company said.
Visit www.wescam.com.
LCD Monitor
Aircraft Cabin Systems, based in Red-
mond, Wash., and Gulfstream developed
LCD video monitors and touchscreens
that interface with the Gulfstream Cabin
Management System (GCMS).
Three new HD LCD Video Monitors
have been developed — 26-inch credenza
monitor and two bulkhead monitors (26
inches and 17 inches) are strategically
placed in the cabin to facilitate passenger
crew rest viewing, the company said.
Two touchscreens, one using a 10-inch
LCD screen is located in the Galley and
the other using a 5.7-inch LCD screen
is located in the Vestibule. The 10-inch
monitor is also used for pre-screening
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 25
video sources as well as controlling a mul-
titude of cabin functions such as window
shades; video programming presented to
the cabin video monitors, etc.
Visit www.aircraftcabinsystems.com.
Signal Recording
Pentek, based in Upper Saddle River,
N.J., introduced the Talon RF/IF signal
recording and playback system; Model
RTR 2727 rugged portable recorder is
suitable for military and aerospace appli-
cations.
The system features recording and
playback of IF signals up to 700 MHz
with signal bandwidths to 200 MHz. The
RTR 2727 has up to eight hot- swap solid
state drives (SSD), front panel USB ports
and I/O connections on the side panel.
The aluminum alloy case is reinforced
with shock absorbing rubber corners and
an impact-resistant protective screen. cles,
ships and aircraft. The drive
Visit www.pentek.com.
Site Acceptance Test
Frequentis passed Site Acceptance Tests
(SAT) for the implementation of its Com-
munication Solutions in the Air Traffic
Control Center and the Control Tower in
San Andres, Colombia.
The signing of this acceptance enables
the Colombian ANSP “Aeronautica Civil
de Colombia” to operate with technology
for Voice Communication and Record-
ing combined with synchronise replay of
voice and local recorded 3rd party radar
data, the company said. The Frequentis
Voice Communication System is also
equipped with a IP Backup System for all
radio and telephone connections.
Visit www.frequentis.com.
Mobile Phone System
TrueNorth Avionics, based in Ottawa,
Canada, introduced its GSM-based
mobile phone system called Simphone
Mobile, which enables business jet own-
ers and operators to offer airborne voice
and text services, allowing passengers
and crew to talk and text with their own
mobile phones from the moment they
board the aircraft. Simphone Mobile
leverages TrueNorth’s Simphone Chorus
system, which provides Internet access,
Wi-Fi enterprise email, and high defini-
tion onboard voice capabilities.
Simphone Mobile is a single line
replaceable unit (LRU), in an ARINC
600 form factor, GSM phone solution.
The LRU is installed alongside the
TrueNorth Simphone Chorus system,
which already provides Internet, email
and Wi-Fi capabilities, as well as high
definition onboard voice. The addition of
Simphone Mobile provides new voice and
texting capabilities.
Visit www.truenorthavionics.com.
WAAS Sensor
The NexNav mini GPS WAAS Class
Beta-1, developed by Accord Technology
of Phoenix, is now available for the Trig
TT31 transponder.
U.K.-based Trig Avionics recently
gained FAA Approved Model List
(AML) of the Supplemental Type Certifi-
cate (STC) that incorporates the NexNav
mini sensor line replaceable unit (LRU)
as a qualified position source. The flight
test program was successfully completed
by Peregrine of Englewood, Colo., using
a Mooney M20 aircraft.
Accord Technology received TSO-
C145c for its NexNav mini in 2010 and
fully qualified as GPS source per the
FAA Automatic Dependent Surveillance-
Broadcast (ADS-B) Advisory Circular
20-165.
Visit www.accord-technology.com.
Data Management System
International Communications Group
(ICG), based in Newport News, Va.,
announced the development of a new
product series designated the eRouter, a
data management system and communi-
cations access point.
A baseline product called the ERT-100
and ERT-120 will perform data routing
functions while the ERT-140 provides
enhanced features such as VoIP, analog
and digital telephony and data transfer
enhancements such as acceleration and
compression.
The eRouter is a small (12 inch by
8 1⁄2 inch by 3 3⁄4 inch) flange mount
device that offers will provide airborne
connectivity for Electronic Flight Bags,
passenger PCs, Smartphones and other
IP devices.
In addition to Wi-Fi connectivity, the
eRouter offers 4G GSM service that can
be used for file transfers when the aircraft
is on the ground. Visit www.icg.aero.
Attitude Training
Stallion 51 Corp., of Kissimmee, Fla.,
offer real-time, real-life Unusual Attitude
Training in a specially equipped L-39
turbojet.
The newly formed UAT Company
aims to train pilots to recognize and
respond accurately and quickly before the
situation progresses into one from which
they may be unable to recover.
The UAT L-39 is outfitted with an
Electronic Flight Instrument System
with the design capability to withstand
extreme flight attitudes. The EFIS equip-
ment closely simulates current corporate
and executive aircraft cockpit layouts.
The UAT L-39 is also equipped with
specially designed onboard cameras
that allow for accurate visual and audio
debriefs of the training from both inside
the cockpit and outside the airplane, the
company said.
Visit www.stallion51.com.
Completion Center
OnAir, a joint venture of SITA and Air-
bus, expanded its network of completion
centers, with the addition of Boeing Busi-
ness Jet (BBJ) specialist PATS Aircraft
Systems, of Georgetown, Del.
The first joint project is the installa-
tion of Mobile OnAir on a Boeing 737-
900ER BBJ, due for delivery in the first
half of 2013, the companies said.
Visit www.onair.aero.
9001:2008 Certification
MGT Trading Aeronautics, a landing
gear parts sales and distribution company
based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., achieved
certification to the ISO 9001:2008 quality
management system. American Systems
Registrar (ASR), of Wyoming, Mich.,
will serve as the company’s registrar.
Visit www.mgt-trading.com.
system design
by Wa l t e r Sh a wl e e 2
Mysterious Noises
Re-Visited
M
any years ago, I put together an index of airframe
problems and published it as an article titled
“Mysterious Noises.” A lot of people have used
that information to good effect since then, but
with so many technological changes, I thought it was over-due
to re-examine the whole problem of how systems interfere
with each other, and how this set of problems manifests in the
airframe, especially as audio interference.
There are several paths for interference to occur between
systems, it can happen by ground or power interaction,
emission and susceptibility, transient behavior, magnetic
interference, cable coupling, bad airframe positioning, poor
equipment design and improper antenna loading. These situ-
ations combine and magnify in the small environment of any
airframe to have some impact on all systems, and the balanc-
ing act of every avionics designer and installer is to minimize
the effects so that airframe operation is as good as possible.
Perfect operation under all circumstances is not a realistic
outcome, as the implicit limits of the airframe generally pre-
vent that, but it is possible to have system operation at a level
that makes the shortcomings invisible and irrelevant to the
flight crew.
To really understand the airframe environment and avion-
ics systems, we have to start with an understanding of the
primary power architecture, distribution and grounding struc-
ture. Power has to come from somewhere, and in an airframe,
it is derived mechanically from the engine via generators or
alternators, and distributed after regulation either via DC and
AC busses and into a storage battery of some kind. Right at
this moment, certain problems are injected into the airframe
environment that have to be considered both as design issues
and installation problems.
To understand how noise creeps into the audio system, let’s
look at the basic power interconnect of the airframe, as this is
where many problems first appear. Ideally, this is how we pic-
ture the power distribution takes place in a typical airframe:
Unfortunately, the real life system has many parasitic ele-
ments, and interactive systems. As composites displace alumi-
num, or distances increase, the ground return path becomes
much higher in resistance, and more importantly, as ground
resistance rises, each ground resistance in turn becomes a volt-
age created by changing load currents.
It is very common to see both AC and DC voltages
impressed on the ground return, and values can be from mil-
livolts to volts across the length of the airframe. Why is this
important? If our audio signal is single ended, and shares a
ground return path with these noises, then these signals mix
with our audio signals and appear as noises, hums, buzzes,
clicks and transients in the headset. Since a full microphone
signal is only 150-250mV, it’s easy to see how even a few mV
of noise can seriously contaminate the intercom and every
outgoing transmission. In addition, every audio signal running
through the ground also creates a related current and voltage,
so this in turn causes cross-talk or the reception of unwanted
audio signals when you thought they should be switched off.
26 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
The Real World
Idealized Power Distribution
In a perfect world, DC power is sourced from a large battery
charged by a vast generator (or alternator), and then distrib-
uted to individual loads that do not interact with each other,
and get their return DC path from the airframe ground.
This is the origin of ground loop noise. It is the translation of
ground resistances into voltages due to load currents. These
voltages then add or subtract from audio signals (which are low
level) that share the same grounded audio return path.
The key to controlling noise in an aircraft audio system
is to fully understand the cause of each type of noise, and to
learn to identify them correctly. It is also very important to
understand the limits of the system you are installing, and the
impact of each wiring and routing decision you make during
installation. The final results are the sum of all these factors,
some within your control, and some always out of your con-
trol because of design limits, customer decisions and funda-
mental airframe limits. Very high performance is possible, but
not always with every system, and not always with every ship.
These problems all fall into these two important groupings:
— Issues you can influence: system selection (if you pick
it); wiring and routing
— Issues you can’t really influence: system selection (if the
customer mandates it); composites; immovable locations and
ambient noise
For the most part, audio system noise is literally anything
you didn’t want or expect to hear. It can be in-band acousti-
cally coupled noise from the ambient cockpit, or 400Hz AC
accidentally coupled via the ships wiring. It can also be out-
of-band AM RF transmissions detected and processed as
demodulated audio, or cross-talk from an un-selected radio
you thought was turned off. Most unexpected and objection-
able to the flight crew are usually noises linked to other air-
craft systems, such as alternators/generators, strobes, pumps
and other electromechanical devices, which make their way
into the audio stream via ground loop problems, and just
never seem to go away, becoming perpetual audio noise thorns
in your headset in every flight.
The shared ground signal path with ground loop noise
voltages is the entryway for many audio problems, and it high-
lights why it is important to use a floating or balanced system
for audio signals, rather than a single ended or grounded one
to create the cleanest possible audio. This is not critical when
only one audio panel or station is used, and if few radios or
headsets are involved, but as multiple stations, users, and scat-
tered radios appear, the ground loop noise begins to escalate
quickly, and soon makes the system’s resulting high noise
floor very irritating for the crew.
Audio system design plays a key role at this stage, because
the ultimate ability to reject unwanted signals is firmly set at
the design stage, not defined at the installation. In particular,
factors like power supply noise rejection, cross-talk isolation
and signal grounding set the base line performance, it can
only deteriorate from there through bad installation practice.
How significant can these design differences be? Single-ended
designs typically have cross-talk and noise rejection figures of
about 30dB, while floating systems typically achieve 60dB, or
are a thousand times better at reducing noise and unwanted
signals. This difference is not always serious with a single sta-
tion, but quickly escalates when 2 to 4 stations are distributed
through the airframe.
If your system is floating (the audio lines do not actually
share a common path with the airframe ground), you can
expect to see very significant reductions in ground loop and
common mode noise, and if the design supports it, much
lower cross-talk, especially in multi-station installs. Wiring
technique comes into serious consideration at this point, as
the final cross-talk and noise are now ultimately influenced by
shielding and routing, no matter whether it is an analog, digi-
tal or a hybrid design.
Microphone lines are always the weakest part of any air-
craft installation, because the signal level is so low, typically
150-250mVrms with a “carbon equivalent” microphone. Even
very small amounts of signal contamination (literally 1-2mV)
are quite audible, and will affect all radio transmissions and
intercom operations. For this reason, correct grounding and
shielding of these runs are of critical importance for over-all
system performance. These lines are easily influenced both
electrostatically and electromagnetically, which makes them
very vulnerable to proximity cabling problems, especially AM
RF lines, high current lines and 400Hz wiring. Low imped-
ance dynamic (8-50 ohm) microphones are even more difficult
to wire, as they have only ~250-700 microvolts of signal, and
are very easily contaminated by stray magnetic coupling and
RF. Use of special co-netic mu-metal foil shielded cable is
usually required on these lines.
All systems start with an un-avoidable “noise floor,” which
is the self-noise of the audio system itself, and which generally
rises with increasing volume settings. You can only influence
this factor by equipment selection. Next is the problem of
acoustic ambient noise. Again you cannot usually alter the
airframe, so your choices again involve the equipment selec-
tion if it has noise reduction properties, and particularly the
headset/microphone selection. Considerable improvement in
the user’s happiness is possible by making good choices at this
stage.
Signals couple mainly electrostatically between wires
(capacitive coupling), unless significant currents are involved,
and shielded twisted pair wiring is very good at rejecting this
adjacent signal coupling. Single conductor shielded wire is less
effective because one of the conductors is also serving as the
“shield.” Coupling primarily moves from high level signals to
lower level ones, and increases in voltage as victim wire imped-
ances go up.
If high currents are present, coupling is electromagnetic
(speaker lines, inverter input currents or output currents,
amplifier output or power lines, etc.). This inductive coupling
is a serious problem, as conventionally shielded wiring is
totally ineffective at stopping this type of interference. Spe-
cial mu-metal co-netic shielded cable can provide some relief,
but distance is the best solution to reduce coupling in these
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 27
Changing loads impress a voltage across the “ground” propor-
tional to their load current.
28 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
instances. High current lines should never be run with any
low level audio wiring. Interestingly, the twisted pair shielded
wiring does off both some capacitive and inductive coupling
rejection, which makes it the most robust possible signal path.
In fact, if you can do nothing else, and have no other tools or
methods available, twisting audio line pairs together can often
reduce coupling significantly.
No matter what topology you have, it can be seriously
compromised by bad routing and wiring decisions, as once
unwanted signals (in-band) are physically present in the audio
system mixed with audio signals, they cannot generally be
processed out. The most serous wiring/routing mistakes to
avoid are these:
1. Never combine ANY 400Hz power or indicator wiring
with ANY audio lines, even if shielded.
2. Never route AM Comm coax cables with low level audio
wiring for any distance. This interference effect is called audio
rectification, and occurs when AM RF signals encounter any
non-linear junction (diode, transistor, etc.) and detect the
envelope modulation, usually in a distorted way. If it is physi-
cally impossible to avoid tight cable coupling, use tri-axial
cable (TRF-58 for example) for the RF feed line, with the
outer shield grounded at one end only, this can dramatically
reduce the coupling and interference effect.
3. Never route any high current wiring with audio lines.
These high currents will magnetically couple, and conven-
tional electrostatic shielding will not work, only distance is
effective (remember the inverse square law).
4. Never run any audio line unshielded, unless the distance
is short, and coupling is unlikely.
5. Do not ground mic/headset jacks to the airframe unless
absolutely essential for some reason, as this will only increase
ground loop noise. Return the signal commons to the audio
system, and float the jacks.
One especially ugly combination of problems can occur
with largely composite ships: the direct contamination of
dynamic microphones (amplified or otherwise) to unblocked
ambient RF. It is very difficult to shield microphones, and
overhead RF sources with too much window or composite
area surrounding the antenna sites can lead to direct RF injec-
tion into the microphone, which is basically a loop antenna.
Lack of good airframe grounding and the RF transparency of
composites increases both ground loop noise, and the oppor-
tunity for un-shielded direct RF interference. This is very
hard to correct in a post-manufacturing environment, so
we can only hope newer airframes will take these issues into
better account to yield better avionics installations down the
road.
Other radio-based problems that can manifest as audio
interference include:
1. AM comms talking to each other, even when set to
different frequencies, producing false sidetone or distorted
audio. This can be complex to solve, but usually involves
antenna re-location to opposite sides of the airframe, or to
locations with no line-of-sight path.
2. FM comms coupling to each other harmonically,
(150Mhz to 450MHz for example), producing phantom
sidetone or distorted audio, or squelch breaking. Again,
antenna relocation and breaking the line-of-sight may be
required.
3. P-static discharge producing unwanted noise on ADF or
AM comm radios. This is particularly troublesome from com-
posite airframe structures, which are easily charged but not
easily discharged quetly.
Typical Floating System Topology Typical Grounded Audio System Topology
Typical airframe signal paths, from worst at ground loop
and capacitive cable coupling noise rejection (un-shielded
grounded) to best, (shielded twisted pairs).
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 29
4. AM comms are highly susceptible to “rotor-modulation”
caused by the rotating blades overhead in helicopters. This
can make transmissions almost unintelligible, and garble
incoming signals. Moving the AM Comm antenna to an
underside surface with ground area between it and the blade
system is usually the best solution.
The aircraft world is a strange mix of good and bad practices,
with many hold-over techniques from 50+ years ago and early tele-
phone technology. It also contains a large pool of older, marginal
installations where everything was tied to the airframe, and where
antenna siting was not well implemented. Sometimes, it is hard to
dislodge these practices because of so much inertia and history.
To get the best system performance today, it is important
to move past these early bad techniques, and look for areas
where improvement is possible though better wiring tech-
niques, better airframe layout and advanced equipment using
floating audio techniques. The results can ultimately be very
impressive.
Walter Shawlee 2 is the president of Sphere Research Corp. in West
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, and a senior designer at
Technisonic Industries. He can be reached at [email protected].
The aircraft world is a strange mix of good and bad
practices, with many hold-over techniques from 50+
years ago and early telephone technology. ...
Sometimes, it is hard to dislodge these practices
because of so much inertia and history.
Conference & Exhibition
20-21 February 2013
M.O.C. Event Centre
Munich, Germany
www.avionics-event.com
SINGLE SKY MANY PLATFORMS
TACKLING THE
CHALLENGES IN AVIONICS:
Avionics Europe is the premier avionics industry event bringing together
the world of commercial and defence aerospace electronics.
“This show attracts a good audience from airlines and the industry who come to
see the conference as well as product updates in the exhibition.”
Phil Moylan, Esterline CMC Electronics.
“It’s great to be able to engage with customers who have specic needs.”
Yannick Lefebvre, Presagis.
“In addition to the very interesting and informative presentations, the trade show gave us
the opportunity to connect with some of the leading players in the avionics industry”
Alex Wilson, Wind River.
The unrivalled global event dedicated to the commercial,
civil and defence avionics industry.
For further information on
exhibiting and sponsorship
please contact:
James McAuley
Exhibit Sales Manager
T: +34 952 118 018
F: +34 951 248 927
M: +34 651 675 516
E: [email protected]
Kelly Barker
North American Sales
T: 603 891 9186
E: [email protected]
Owned and Produced by Supporting Organisation Presented by Early Bird Discount - Register by 20th January 2013
for Savings - Visit: www.avionics-event.com
people
Capt. Richard Carter
JetBlue Airways appointed Capt. Rich-
ard Carter to system chief pilot. In his
new role, Carter is responsible for devel-
oping and executing Flight Operations
strategy, the safe and reliable operation
of JetBlue’s fleet and representing the
airline with FAA.
Most recently, Carter was chief pilot
of JetBlue’s Boston operations, hav-
ing worked in the role since the base opened in 2006. Carter
started his commercial airline career at Braniff International
Airlines. He also held several leadership positions with People
Express and US Airways including line captain on the A320,
E190, B-727, and B-737 and check airman on both the B-727
and B-737.
Peter Turner
Delta Air Lines’ maintenance division, Delta TechOps, named
Peter Turner vice president, business development and MRO.
Turner joins Delta TechOps from Rolls-Royce North Amer-
ica where he was vice president, customer business. He was
responsible for the Americans region and managed billions of
dollars in sales growth.
L2 Consulting Hires
L2 Consulting Services, based in Austin, Texas, hired John
Letlow as engineering manager. Letlow has more than 20 years
of avionics engineering and test experience to the company
and has particular expertise with flight management systems
and flat-panel display integration.
Prior to joining L2, Letlow was a program manager with
Universal Avionics Systems where he was responsible for lead-
ing teams in all aspects of new product development and FAA
certification efforts.
Additionally, L2 named Michael Haffey as senior avionics
engineer. Haffey has more than 20 years of avionics integra-
tion and maintenance experience.
Rob Cords
StandardAero appointed Rob Cords senior vice president of
its airlines and fleets business.
Cords previously was senior vice president of corporate
strategy and customer development for StandardAero since
joining the company in 2009. Prior to joining StandardAero,
Cords was associate partner for Oliver Wyman’s Aerospace
and Defense Practice.
NATA Staff Changes
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA), based
in Alexandria, Va., announced two staff changes.
Jim Coon, who most recently was chief of staff for the
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
joins NATA as executive vice president. Coon has nearly three
decades of experience on Capitol Hill, as well as private sector
experience in the aviation industry as director of government
affairs for Boeing and for the Air Transport Association (now
Airlines for America).
NATA promoted Amy B. Koranda to vice president.
Koranda will add several major association programs to her
current responsibilities as head of NATA’s Safety 1st Program.
A4A Appointments
Airlines for America (A4A) announced additions to its team.
Vaughn Jennings, a long-time Capitol Hill aide, joins A4A
as managing director for government and regulatory communi-
cations. Jennings will oversee communications efforts relative to
government affairs, in addition to regulatory and policy efforts.
Previously, he was press secretary, new media director and leg-
islative assistant for Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.). Before that,
Jennings was a legislative assistant to then-House Majority
Leader Tom DeLay.
A4A also named Keith Glatz, who most recently was senior
negotiator for the Office of International Aviation and Affairs
for the U.S. Department of Transportation, vice president,
international affairs. Glatz successfully negotiated Open-Skies
and liberalized aviation agreements on behalf of the U.S. avia-
tion industry. He also served in the office of the U.S. Trade
Representative and in the Department of State, Office of Avia-
tion Negotiations.
A4A also appointed Katie Connell managing director,
airline industry public relations and communications. Connell
was most recently senior manager in corporate communica-
tions for Delta Air Lines.
Lanie Lamb is A4A’s communications coordinator, respon-
sible for day-to-day administration and operational support
for the communications team. A former flight attendant for
Continental Airlines, she also worked for the National Park
Foundation and in the office of Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio).
Additionally, A4A added two social media managers,
Christian Lee and Tressa Mattingly. Most recently, Lee was
director of new media for Judicial Watch and the Meg Whit-
man for Governor Campaign. Mattingly was a senior com-
munications specialist at MedStar Georgetown University
Hospital and before that was the communications officer at
Georgetown University Hospital.
Paul Monticciolo
Mercury Systems, based in Chelmsford,
Mass., named Paul Monticciolo chief
technology officer (CTO).
Monticciolo joined Mercury Sys-
tems in 2010. Prior to his appointment
as CTO, he was president and general
manager of Mercury Federal Systems, a
business that handled work with defense
prime contractors and programs, includ-
ing Gorgon Stare, a program that delivers wide-area surveil-
lance capabilities using unmanned aerial vehicles. Prior to
Mercury Systems, Monticciolo held several key positions at
MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. During his 20-year tenure at Lin-
coln Laboratory, he became a recognized expert in multiple
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies,
including real-time embedded processing, digital signal pro-
cessing, and RF hardware for radar and SIGINT applications.
Greg Gomez-Cornejo
Crane Aerospace & Electronics appointed Greg Gomez-Corne-
jo vice president of operations of its Electronics Group.
Since 2011, he was operations executive for Hamilton Sund-
strand. Prior to that, he was at Honeywell for 13 years, holding
positions in Six Sigma, Supply Chain, Operations and General
Management.
Paul Monticciolo
Capt. Richard Carter
30 Avionics Magazine January 2013 www.avionicstoday.com
www.avionicstoday.com January 2013 Avionics Magazine 31
February
12-14 ATM World Congress, IFEMA, Madrid, Spain.
Visit www.worldatmcongress.org.
March
4-7 Heli-Expo 2013, Las Vegas Convention Center,
Las Vegas. Visit www.heliexpo.com.
12-14 ATC Global, Amsterdam RAI Center,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Visit
www.atcglobalhub.com.
25-28 Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) Inter-
national Convention and Trade Show, MGM Grand
Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas. Visit
www.aea.net.
April
9-11 Aircraft Interiors Expo, Hamburg Messe, Ham-
burg, Germany. Visit www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com.
8-10 Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition, Gay-
lord National Resort & Convention Center, National
Harbor, Md. Visit www.seaairspace.org.
16–18 Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhi-
bition (ABACE), Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business
Aviation Service Centre, Shanghai, China. Visit
www.abace.aero
22-26 AMC Open Forum and AEEC General Ses-
sion, Hilton Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Fla.
Visit www.aviation-ia.com.
May
21-23 European Business Aviation Convention
and Exhibition (EBACE), Geneva PALEXPO and Geneva
International Airport, Geneva, Switzerland.
Visit www.ebace.aero.
June
17-23 Paris Airshow, Le Bourget, Paris. Visit
www.paris-air-show.com.
July
17-20 Airborne Law Enforcement Association
Annual Conference and Exhibition, Orange County
Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. Visit www.alea.org.
29-Aug. 4 EAA AirVenture, Wittman Regional
Airport, Oshkosh, Wis. Visit www.eaa.org.
August
12-15 Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems
International’s (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems 2013,
Walter E. Washington Convention Center,
Washington, D.C. Visit www.auvsi.org.
September
9-12 Airline Passenger Experience Association
(APEX) Annual Expo. Anaheim, Calif.
Visit http://apex.aero.
October
10-12 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Avia-
tion Summit, Fort Worth, Texas. Visit www.aopa.org.
21-23 Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meet-
ing and Exposition, Walter E. Washington Convention
Center, Washington, D.C. Visit www.ausa.org
22-24 National Business Aviation Association
(NBAA) Annual Meeting & Convention, Las Vegas
Convention Center, Las Vegas. Visit www.nbaa.org
November
17-21 Dubai Airshow, Dubai World Central, Dubai.
Visit www.dubaiairshow.aero.
calendar
Subscri be
or Renew
Today!
Avionics Magazine is your direct link to comprehensive
coverage of the civil and military avionics industry.
Now in its 36
th
year, Avionics Magazine is the trusted
source of information on the technical, business and
regulatory developments of importance to the industry,
including NextGen, SESAR, Air Trac Management
and test and maintenance.
With a subscription to Avionics Magazine you get all of the news
aecting manufacturers, airline operators, distributors, air trac
managers and others in this important sector. Plus:
rExclusive market intelligence and data …to build your business
and remain competitive
rInformation on regulations, contracts, plus emerging trends…
to discover new business opportunities
rAccess to all of the news and information, including article
archives found on AvionicsToday.com – to keep you on top of
business changes
rAnd much more!
4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor
Rockville, MD 20850 USA
+1-301-354-2100
AvionicsToday.com 20036
www.avionicstoday.com
February 2012
COUNTERING MANPADS
Protecting Against Persistent Threat
PRODUCT FOCUS
Aerospace Connectors
NEXTGEN UPDATE
Software Problems Plague ERAM
B
u
s
in
e
s
s

A
v
ia
tio
n

in
A
s
ia
01_AVS_0212_Cover_p01.indd 1
Subscri be or
Renew Your
Subscri pti on
by goi ng to
Omeda/av.com
Today!

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close