Business & GA

Safety in Avionics: Surviving a 'Sucker Trap'

An aphorism exists that rubber, not aluminum, should always touch the ground first. The saying relates directly to controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents. A recent close call ended with rubber touching…

ATM Modernization

Industry Scan

UAVs in the NASA Recent tests run by NASA, New Mexico State University, the U.S. Navy, Scaled Composites and Modern Technology Solutions validated emerging unmanned air vehicle (UAV) collision avoidance technologies that…

Business & GA

The Post 9/11 Transponder

SINCE THE SEPT. 11 DISASTER, government and industry experts have been scrutinizing an essential but unheralded piece of avionics safety equipment-the onboard aircraft transponder. Following the tragic events in New York and…

Commercial

Avionics System Design: Antenna Placement

In my last column (April 2002, page 48), I noted the challenges in positioning radio antennas. Here are some additional thoughts on the subject. Take com-to-com interference, for example. Many newer radios…

ATM Modernization

CPDLC: Back on Its Feet

The Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) program–a joint government/industry effort–has progressed in fits and starts, following conditions in the aviation industry. Like other Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) development programs, CPDLC felt…

ATM Modernization

Editor's Note: Tooting Our Horn

Pardon me for tooting our horn, but Avionics Magazine has a couple of reasons to boast. For one, our "Safety in Avionics" columnist, David Evans, recently received the prestigious Neal Award for…

Commercial

Proceeding with Confidence

Undaunted by an airline recession accelerated by the Sept. 11 tragedy, the in-flight entertainment (IFE) industry is moving ahead with new or updated systems designed to please both passengers and cost-conscious carriers.…