Avionics Magazine November 2012

October 2012 October 2012
FUTURE OF GPS
Whats next for the network?
TEST EQUIPMENT
Standards push development
October 2012 October 2012
FUTURE OF GPS
Whats next for the network?
TEST EQUIPMENT
Standards push development
November 2012
www.avionicstoday.com
Wire&Cable
Avionics manufacturers look to wire and cable to gain new efficiencies
AVIONICS FOR NEXTGEN
Paving the way for implementation
MANAGING OBSOLESCENCE
Keeping military aircraft ying longer
THE PROVEN PATH
TO NEXTGEN PERFORMANCE
right attitude]right approach]right alongside
www.goodrich.com
Tapping into NextGen operational improvements just got easier.
With Goodrich Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solutions, you can be ready
today for ADS-B In CDTI, Data Comm/SWIM, network enabled weather,
and other performance-boosting NextGen enabling technologies.
Newest in our EFB family, the G SmartDisplay
EFB system
supports concurrent operation of Windows-based applications and
Type C certied applications like CDTI and CPDLC, providing ight
crews with a multi-functional system that maximizes benets. It also
features integrated Wi-Fi/G wireless, upgraded processors and
memory, and a new "/" LCD display with multi-touch and
gesturing input compatibility. The wait is over.
You can have the future of NextGen in your cockpit today.
For more information about Goodrich EFBs contact Goodrich
at sis@goodrich.com
inside
magazine
www.avionicstoday.com November 2012 Avionics Magazine 3
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
208504024; 301-354-1820; fax: 301-340-8741. email: efeliz@accessintel.com. Avionics Magazine (ISSN-1085-9284) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, LLC, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., Second Floor, Rockville, MD 20850.
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November 2012 Vol. 36, No. 11
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THE PROVEN PATH
TO NEXTGEN PERFORMANCE
right attitude]right approach]right alongside
www.goodrich.com
Tapping into NextGen operational improvements just got easier.
With Goodrich Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solutions, you can be ready
today for ADS-B In CDTI, Data Comm/SWIM, network enabled weather,
and other performance-boosting NextGen enabling technologies.
Newest in our EFB family, the G SmartDisplay
EFB system
supports concurrent operation of Windows-based applications and
Type C certied applications like CDTI and CPDLC, providing ight
crews with a multi-functional system that maximizes benets. It also
features integrated Wi-Fi/G wireless, upgraded processors and
memory, and a new "/" LCD display with multi-touch and
gesturing input compatibility. The wait is over.
You can have the future of NextGen in your cockpit today.
For more information about Goodrich EFBs contact Goodrich
at sis@goodrich.com
4 Avionics Magazine November 2012 www.avionicstoday.com
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26
also in this issue also in this issue
Editors Note
Recalculating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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WHEN PERFORMANCE MATTERS
editors note
by E mi l y F e l i z
Recalculating
W
hat started out as military-only network has explod-
ed so that everyone, everywhere is connected via
GPS. You can get GPS in your car, on your phone,
on the boat, and, yes, even on an airplane.
For aircraft operators, the systems are invaluable, pro-
viding benefits that allow pilots to safely and efficiently
navigate an aircraft to its destination. Additionally, GPS is
a cornerstone of FAAs NextGen airspace modernization
initiative; without it, NextGen would simply not happen.
However, the vulnerability of the GPS network has come
into question in recent months, following some high-profile
jamming and spoofing incidents around the world, and last
years LightSquared broadband proposal, which studies
showed posed a serious GPS interference risk. These are
in addition to the perennial concerns of spectrum capacity
and government equipment mandates.
A distinguished panel of experts discussed these
events and the other challenges facing the ubiquitous
GPS network in an Avionics Magazine Webcast, Navi-
gating the Skies: The Future of the GPS Network.
Tom Hendricks, president of the National Air Transpor-
tation Association, which represents the interests of the
general aviation industry, during the Webcast equated
GPS systems in aircraft to cell phones for the general
public we all have them, and we all rely on them. It
has been a seminal event for the aviation community to
rally around protecting this valuable resource that we
have, Hendricks said. Our concerns are not directed at
a specific company, rather its the technical aspects that
we see that present challenges to the aviation users
Any transmission that would impede GPS is a big con-
cern for the aviation industry.
The U.S. GPS network is only one of a few such net-
works in the world, including Russias GLONASS,
Europes Galileo, Chinas BeiDou (COMPASS), in
The vulnerability of
the GPS network
has come into
question in recent
months, following
some high-
prole jamming
and spoong
incidents around
the world, and
the LightSquared
broadband
proposal.
addition to other regional constellations, and ground- and aircraft-based aug-
mentation systems. (For more on other GPS constellations, see our September
article, What Will Follow GPS?) The GPS network is undergoing a moderniza-
tion program, and the U.S. government has planned to invest $1.3 billion in the
constellation in the next fiscal year.
In my view, the future of the GPS network is bright indeed. There are billions
of users of GPS today worldwide and the government is investing a tremendous
amount of money in GPS, said Christopher Hegarty, director, CNS engineering
and spectrum, at MITRE Corp. The future of GPS avionics is tied to the future of
the overall Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
The third generation of GPS constellation updates, headed by prime contractor
Lockheed Martin, will provide improved position, navigation, timing and power
capabilities for military and civilian users. Additionally, GPS III, which will launch
its first satellite in 2014, will provide increase accuracy, additional signals, anti-
jam capability and the ability to operate autonomously without ground control
corrections, according to John Frye, GPS III capability insertion program man-
ager at Lockheed Martin. The GPS III constellation is on schedule and moving
forward successfully, and it will bring new capabilities to our global civil users,
Frye said.
For avionics manufacturers, the challenge becomes developing GPS equip-
ment that can not only comply with FAA and other regulatory standards, but
that can also operate in these new constellation networks, which have faced
some schedule delays as well. This is particularly pressing as the U.S. automatic
dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) mandate of 2020 approaches, panel-
ists said.
The ADS-B mandate in the U.S. has a stricter requirement than any of the
other ADS-B mandates around the world, said Rex Hygate, business develop-
ment manager, airline solutions, at Esterline CMC Electronics. He said airlines
have been using GPS receivers compliant with TSO-C-129a, which was a stan-
dard enacted in the late 1990s and was subsequently cancelled in 2011 by FAA.
For these aircraft to operate in the airspace past 2020, they are going to have to
look for some form of an update for their GPS receiver.
To listen to an archived version of this Webcast, visit www.aviationtoday.com/
webinars/2012-1010.html.
Connecting the
Commercial Aircraft
Ka-band network offers airlines the opportunity to provide
high-bandwidth and high-speed connectivity, at a lower cost,
to the passengers in the cabin and the pilots in the cockpit.
contentbrief
For commercial aircraft operators, the decision about putting connectivity
onboard the airplane can be a complicated one. On one hand you want to
offer a robust package that allows for connectivity for an entire aircraft of
passengers and crew, but on the other, you want to provide the opportunity
for that connectivity to become a potential ancillary revenue stream as well.
And the habits of commercial passengers are different than business
aviation travelers as well. They may not be drafting PowerPoint presenta-
tions for the next business meeting; they may be watching a movie, writing
emails or surfing the Web. Regardless of the activities, the connectivity has
to work.
Around the world, both on the ground and in the air, consumer electronic
devices, including smartphones, tablets and laptops, consume more and
more frequency bandwidth, placing increased demand on satellite connec-
tivity and infrastructure. Demand for data traffic is expected to grow by a
factor of 50 for smartphones and a factor of 62 for tablets.
In addition to the bandwidth, the sheer number of consumer electronic
devices is poised for explosive growth over the next few years. By 2016, it
is estimated that 71 percent of all mobile traffic will be used for watching
videos.
Simply put, more people are projected to be using their data-hungry
devices, utilizing a network that is unable to accommodate even the
current demands.
The Ka-band network, with its true worldwide coverage, highest speeds,
greatest bandwidth and the lowest per bit cost in the industry, provides that
return-on-investment proposition that airlines and their passengers are
looking for.
Passengers worldwide are hungering for better connectivity and more
expanded services during flights, driven in part by the explosion of table
devices, said Carl Esposito, vice president, marketing and product man-
agement, at Honeywell Aerospace. Airlines are taking notice for this devel-
opment and are placing a higher value on passenger connectivity as a way
to add value and differentiate their services.
Honeywell is well known in the aviation industry for providing the hard-
ware necessary for these connectivity services. And now, with its $2.8 bil-
lion exclusive agreement with Inmarsat to develop hardware that will enable
global in-flight connectivity services via Inmarsats GX Aviation Ka-band
network, Honeywell can offer a full package of connectivity solutions for
the commercial aviation industry. Honeywell, through its 2011 acquisition of
EMS Technologies, will develop, produce and distribute the onboard hard-
ware that will enable users to connect to the GX Aviation network. By com-
bining Honeywells satellite communication capabilities with Inmarsats GX
Aviation connectivity, travelers will be able to do everything from real-time
social media,
to video con-
ferencing and
multi-media
presentation
development
while in-flight
virtually any-
where in the
world, with an
experience
similar to being
at home or in
Appetite for Data
By 2016, it is s estimated that there will be more mobile devices on the planet than
people to use them
10 billion devices for 7.3 billion people.
In-flight entertainment hardware expenditures are expected to rise to $2 billion in
2015. (IMDC).
The number of aircraft equipped with passenger connectivity systems will double
to more than 4,000 by 2016. (IMDC)
Wireless in-flight entertainment is forecast to be on about a quarter of the global
commercial fleet by 2018. (IMS Research)
More than 60 percent of U.S. passengers who used cabin Wi-Fi are likely to use it
again in the future. (IMS Research)
More than 40 percent of U.S. passengers who have flow in the past year have used
the service. (IMS Research)
the office. Passengers will have fast, reliable in-flight connectivity for their
iPads, smartphones, tablet devices, and laptops while crossing oceans.
As requirements for airborne connectivity increase with the same velocity
as consumer connectivity has grown on the ground, the industry will need
to rely on the solution that provides the fastest, most cost effective and
truly global coverage available, said Todd Van Sooy, sales operations at
Honeywell.
Honeywell is currently developing a Ka-band system targeted for opera-
tion in the Inmarsat GX Aviation service. The hardware currently under
development includes a version for commercial air transport with support
for both single aisle and double aisle aircraft and a version, which will sup-
port many business and general aviation aircraft. Honeywell can also lever-
age these systems for the Defense and Space market.
The Ka-band high-frequency area of the radio spectrum was always
intended for use by mobile operators (unlike Ku-band), so it is well suited
to aviation, the most mobile of all transport sectors. Global Xpress will be
delivered from the proven Ka-band platform of three Boeing 702 HP satel-
lites and will be optimized for global coverage and mobile applications
from a single, trusted operator.
The onboard equipment needed includes a steerable directional antenna
system mounted outside of the aircraft skin, which is combined with a num-
ber of components within the aircraft skin that function together to provide
the connectivity system. Ka-band offers the ability to focus the energy from
the satellite, which enables higher data rates supplied in a specific location
on or over the earth.
Also, Ka-band is circularly polarized making it easier and less complex
to use in a mobile environment, while Ku-band is linearly polarized and is a
system designed for fixed installations like buildings.
Inmarsats GX Aviation Ka-band satellite connectivity system is a game
changer and continues our tradition of providing the commercial aero-
space market with innovative, proven and reliable products. We expect
that this connectivity system will provide airlines with signicantly larger
bandwidth at a cost-effective price.
Jack Jacobs, vice president, Marketing and Product Management at Honeywell
Aerospace.
In order for airlines and operators to stay relevant and competitive to
keep their customer base, Ka is the future of airborne connectivity for at
least the next 20 years, said Jack Jacobs, vice president, Marketing and
Product Management at Honeywell Aerospace. Inmarsats GX Aviation
Ka-band satellite connectivity system is a game changer and continues our
tradition of providing the commercial aerospace market with innovative,
proven and reliable products, said Jacobs. We expect that this connectiv-
ity system will provide airlines with significantly larger bandwidth at a cost-
effective price.
The efficiency of the Ka-band system, combined with the significantly
lower operational costs over Ku-band systems, will mean the systems
onboard aircraft will either be able to support more passengers and/or more
applications simultaneously; see improved performance for the applications
that are rate sensitive; or see improved performance for applications that
are rate sensitive.
Kas proven track record in the military aviation space and other markets
provides even more evidence that the system is more than capable of han-
dling the connectivity demands of airline passengers.
And at the same time, that track record means system and installation
costs, a major concern for any operator, will be comparable to what opera-
tors are already paying. For airlines, the
system offers potential lifecycle cost savings, providing a future-proof
option with ample broadband capacity for growth.
The hardware designs for the terminals and antennas leverages over 20
years of experience in this arena and Ka actually posses less interference
problems than other fre-
quencies with other equip-
ment on the aircraft making
it even more attractive and
less tangential cost impacts
to a user, Jacobs said.
Installation costs for an
airline are probably compa-
rable between the two, but
the bandwidth and capabil-
ity will be an order of
magnitude better at the same or lower operational monthly costs.
Ka-band systems are now deploying in large numbers for direct to home
television and Internet services, said John Broughton, director of product
management, Global Xpress Satcom, Honeywell Aerospace. The satellites
are being built by multiple vendors and every region in the world is deploy-
ing new Ka-band based systems. Of course Ka-band has been in use in
the military space for years. In other words it is technology whose time has
come. Its available, reliable and dependable.
Markets for ground-based and maritime applications in both Europe and
North America have shown that the most cost effective, highest perfor-
mance, and customer satisfying solutions are Ka-band solutions. The same
advantages apply to the aeronautical market.
This is the second story in a three-part series discussing Ka-band and the
future of airborne connectivity. The next installment of the series will appear
in the December issue of Avionics Magazine.
letters
UAS in the NAS
I had occasion to read Emily Felizs Editors Note in the Sep-
tember issue. I have no quarrel with what she says; it is just
that she did not go far enough to outline the bigger picture.
The subject of the Editors Note is the huge problem of
integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the
National Airspace System (NAS). The major problem, as I
see it, is the failure of Congress to look at all of the many
pieces of the issue before passing the mandate to get it
done, and putting a complete-by date on it while essentially act-
ing in ignorance, and leaving out the Constitution as the measuring stick. As
Feliz points out, what exact steps are needed to ensure the safety of operators
of manned and unmanned aircraft in the same airspace are unclear.
Three possible missions for UASs in the NAS were cited in the article
resource management, border patrol, and search and rescue. As an old MEDE-
VAC pilot, I can see how they could aid in search and rescue, but not replace
EMS helicopters with the onboard medical professionals, medical expertise and
equipment. Resource management can be accomplished by already existing
satellites, and so could border patrol, unless you are talking armed UASs which
raises another big issue.
During the last 100 years, freedom, liberty and independence have been
steadily eroded by the accelerated growth of the central government. Along with
the explosion of laws comes the explosion in bureaucracy. It has clearly got-
ten to the point that the federal government is just about uncontrollable with the
inevitable result that we are seeing more and more chaos. Is there any wonder
Feliz states, In addition, the industry faces the big task of changing public per-
ceptions of the drones that could darken the airspace, invading our privacy.
Finally, from the point of view of a pilot using the NAS, I do not relish sharing it
with UASs, and/or having to buy additional proximity warning devices to install in
my airplane. As I showed above, there is no compelling need to allow UASs to fly
in the NAS.
It is time for all citizens to make the effort to find out and understand current
events in the illuminating light of history. It is a fact that it repeats itself.
Mike Stoner is a retired Army colonel, aircraft maintenance officer, test pilot and
commercial pilot flying Part 135 operations in support of the oil and gas industry.
4 Avionics Magazine September 2012 www.avionicstoday.com
editors note by E mi l y F e l i z
2015: U
A
S O
dyssey T
he unmanned aviation industry is
poised for some rather explosive
growth in the next few years, if
the discussions on the floor of
the Association of Unmanned Vehicles
Systems International (AUVSI) are to be
believed. Hundreds of professionals gath-
ered in Las Vegas last month, displaying
airframes of all sizes, payloads of varying
capabilities and missions of all sorts, ready
and willing to deploy these systems around
the world.
But the roadblock to this explosive
growth is FAA, according to show attend-
ees. FAA, backed by a Congressional
mandate to integrate unmanned aircraft
systems (UAS) into the National Airspace
System (NAS), is tasked with creating a
roadmap, a plan, to give UAS manufactur-
ers and users access to the airspace. A big
task to be sure, and one that is mandated
to be complete by 2015. This integration is
a key component of FAAs multi-billion-
dollar airspace modernization initiative
Next Generation Air Transportation Sys-
tem (NextGen). We have a fantastic opportunity to
lead the world of aviation to get it done,
said David Vos, formerly of Rockwell Col-
lins, at the convention. It is quite reason-
able to accommodate UAS into the NAS
by 2015 2015 is doable, but it is not
doable at the current pace. But some sort
of deadline is good. The current pace isnt all that quick, as
the industry gears up to move forward with
the mandate. The aviation industry knows
they need to integrate UASs into the NAS,
but what the integration will look like
and what exact steps are needed to ensure
the safety of operators of manned and
unmanned aircraft in the same airspace
are unclear. Start with small UASs? Focus
on specific missions? Experts at AUVSI
called on FAA, along with JPDO and
other industry stakeholders, to take the
lead on the discussion to figure out how to
move forward. After all, 2015 is not that
far away.
The advantage of the legislation is
that it is forcing function. It is more than
a significant challenge for integration by
2015. But the law doesnt say full integra-
tion; it just says integration. FAA has to
lay out the full plan, the pathway to get to
full integration by the earliest possible date
until you lay that out youre not going
to be able to say when full integration will
occur, said Chuck Johnson, manager of
the UAS in the NAS project at NASA.
My takeaway from this panel discus-
sion is in theory the industry could achieve
integration, but its not going to happen.
Technologically speaking, manufacturers
are ready, but regulatory hurdles abound.
In addition the industry faces the big task
of changing public perceptions of the
drones that could darken the airspace,
invading our privacy. A deadline is a good
goal to strive for, but at least in this case
that goal just isnt going to happen.
Full integration by 2015 is a significant
challenge that Im not sure is achievable,
said Heidi Williams, vice president air
traffic services and modernization for the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
(AOPA).
The problem with 2015 is the lack of
focus ... were trying to look at a picture
too big, said Tom Bachman, vice presi-
dent, new products and technology at AAI
Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
The real shame is the suppliers and air
frame manufacturers are ready, willing and
able to capitalize on heightened interest in
the civilian applications for UAS.
Civil is a viable market, said Steve
Morrow, president and CEO of Bingen,
Wash.-based Insitu, citing missions in
resource management, border patrol and
search and rescue, but they are all depen-
dent on FAA making a timeline for UAS
integration into the NAS. UAS integration will be the one of the
topics discussed at this years Avionics for
NextGen conference, to be held Sept. 18
in Atlantic City, N.J. Other topics include
closing NextGens business case, global
harmonization and public-private partner-
ships. For more information, or to register,
visit www.avionicsfornextgen.com.
The aviation industry knows they need to integrate
UASs into the NAS, but what the integration will look
like and what exact steps are needed to ensure the safety of opera-
tors of manned and
unmanned aircraft in the same airspace are unclear.
03_AVS_0912_Ednote_p04_05.indd 4
Tin Whiskers
I read with interest Walter Shawlee 2s informative article on the undesirable con-
sequences of the EUs policy- driven, not science-driven Restriction of Hazard-
ous Substances (RoHS) Directive, and in particular, tin whiskers.
RoHS, and WEEE, from which it was split, were created
without any finding of public health or environmental damage
attributable to the use of the restricted substances in electri-
cal and electronic equipment. There was no finding of public
health damage because there is none, including unregulated
recycling in third-world countries.
Regrettably, unregulated recycling in third-world countries is
damaging the local environment, but since it is already illegal,
the effect of the RoHS directive on lawbreakers is nil.
One cant understand the above two directives without
understanding the Precautionary Principle, which the environmental activists
who promoted them had previously introduced as nothing more than an expres-
sion of common sense. Consider these two formulations:
1. When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment,
precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect rela-
tionships are not fully established scientifically.
2. In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be
widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are
threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall
not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent
environmental degradation.
Where there are threats of harm, both formulations give the rationale for act-
ing without proof. While at first glance they may look OK, neither is at all common
sense. Both are fatally flawed. In fact, without an established cause-effect rela-
tionship, there can be no way to determine whether the proposed precautionary
measures are either necessary or sufficient.
The second formulation introduces the notion of cost-effectiveness. But if the
original activity is only suspected of causing harm, by what means is the safety
and effectiveness of the remedy to be determined?
To see how complicated (and ultimately, useless) the application of the Pre-
cautionary Principle is, we need look no further than the questions of whether
the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is causing global climate warming, and
system design
by Wa l t e r Sh a wl e e 2
Death by Tin Whiskers
A
t our home and office, we recycle everything we can.
I have converted our lighting to low power LED and
CFL lights, and I drive a pretty efficient Honda, and
not very far or often. We have a big backyard garden,
collect our roof rainwater for irrigation and I think I do a
pretty good job of minimizing my impact on the universe at
large. But the entire concept of the mandatory Removal of
Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations scared me from the
first time I heard it. Like many green initiatives, it sounds rea-
sonable, maybe even laudable, but then fails catastrophically in
implementation because not enough thought was given to the
inevitable consequences.
Europe has spearheaded many industrial changes that I
truly appreciate, and often am amazed that we do not embrace
as readily in North America. Europes requirement for any
significant AC-operated electronic equipment to have power
factor correction is a huge leap forward, and all by itself could
ease electrical distribution woes in many areas just through
reducing peak current stress on the electrical grid. I upgraded
my own computer to a PF-corrected supply, and switched to a
super efficient low idle-power laser printer to take advantage
of this technology. The electro-magnetic emission standards
for monitors and similar equipment was an equally great
change, as was their early recognition of the dangers of car-
pal tunnel syndrome in data workers and the need for better
ergonomic design in work areas. All excellent ideas, and I was
happy to see them implemented, but importantly, all were the
result of solid engineering and thorough study.
The RoHS initiative, on the other hand, adopted in the EU
in 2003, and which took full effect on July 1, 2006, made some
fatal mistakes right out of the gate. It was policy driven, not
science driven, which did not bode well. It simply assumed that
the specified chemicals and processes were foolishly used for
no good purpose in the electronics industry, and their resulting
elimination could only bring joy, health and happiness to all.
The largest blunder was the mandated removal of lead (Pb)
from the assembly of all electronic equipment. This rule is
even more idiotic when you consider that sweeping exceptions
were made for ubiquitous things like car batteries, the end-
less gel-cell lead acid batteries used everywhere for emergency
lighting and every computer UPS on the planet. That massive
lead use was OK, just dont solder anything together inside
with lead. The EU was then forced to make many additional
exceptions for such categories as essential medical and moni-
toring equipment, and to permit existing items, such as power
plants and nuclear reactor instrumentation, to remain or the
program would have been simply impossible to implement.
That should have been a very strong clue right there that prob-
lems were around the corner.
The items removed under the RoHS rules include lead (Pb),
mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (Cr6+),
polybromated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated siphenyl ether
(PBDE) and acrylamide. The three non-metals are all flame
retardant additives for plastics. Mercury, cadmium and lead
are used extensively in batteries, but this was glossed over and
dealt with in the EU Battery Directive which requires them
to be recycled (without initially providing an actual way to do
so), and is laced with exemptions for everything from power
tools to medical equipment. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) use is
also specifically exempted for photo-voltaic solar cells, but is
not allowed for the ubiquitous high current switch/relay con-
tacts as cadmium-silver (CdAg) widely used in aviation.
If you care for irony, then you will love the fact that all
those energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFL)
are RoHS compliant even though they contain mercury far
beyond the allowable limit. They are now flocking to landfills
worldwide, dispersing mercury into the water table on an
unprecedented scale with minimal recycling.
The actual task that was needed, and is still needed, is the
efficient recycling everywhere of electronic waste, but instead,
the mandate was to remove these substances, and frankly to
continue recycling and disposing of them badly. Just for some
clarity, the total world use of lead is about 90 percent for bat-
teries, and the amount used in electronics (excluding batteries)
is all of 2 percent. So, of course, target the 2 percent. Further,
of the lead in landfills (the supposed concern of this directive),
the overwhelming majority is coming from the disposal of
TV CRTs and monitors, which can contain up to 2 kg of lead
per tube, not from circuit board assemblies, by a massive ratio
of 9 to 1. Later, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
regulations attempt to improve recycling and waste disposal,
but long after the biggest wave of toxic material was already
dumped, thanks to RoHS deadlines.
Now enters the pivotal issue for avionics makers. No specific
exemption was granted for civil avionics production, with the
single possible interpretation that fine pitch devices could be
soldered with lead-bearing solder within a product. This is a
rather problematic area, as the failure to pass RoHS compli-
ance is only to be over 0.1 percent lead content (1000 ppm) on
any single homogenous component, not by the total device
weight. Its pretty hard to pass that limit and use lead anywhere.
Decades of research went into the perfecting of electronic
soldering technology, finally culminating in high-perfor-
mance eutectic alloys like Sn63/Pb37 with almost perfect
phase change characteristics, resulting in very high-quality
joints of high mechanical strength. On the other hand, sol-
dering with non-lead solders like tin/silver/copper alloys
(SnAgCu) has some very significant issues. It generally
requires about 30C higher temperatures which is stressful
to components, wetting (adhesion to parts and tracks) takes
longer and is not as effective. Additionally, joints tend to be
more brittle and are now subject to both vibration and ther-
mal cracking. Visual examination for bad connections is no
longer really possible, as all lead-free joints look like cold
solder joints all events that are very bad news in the
aviation world.
The most serious issue with the abandonment of lead in
solders is the fault mode known as tin whiskering. This is a
phenomenon so bizarre it almost sounds like science fiction,
but it is all too real, and frequently fatal to circuit operation
26 Avionics Magazine July 2012 www.avionicstoday.com
6/11/12 9:50:29 PM
whether any of the proposed precautionary remedies would make things better.
Few seem to have noticed that, while WEEE and RoHS were enacted based
on the Precautionary Principle, that very principle should have been used to
defeat them.
The notion of threat of harm from the use of the restricted substances in
the targeted applications
(i.e., most electrical and
electronic equipment) is
problematic. Not one case
of human health effect
due to such use has ever
been made public. In
the absence of any link-
age, or even a plausible
mechanism, what meaning
can inhere in the phrase
threat of harm? Is
threat merely in the eye
of the perceiver?
Additionally, there is no
basis for exempting the
contemplated precau-
tionary measures from
the same scrutiny as the
current activity. Simply
put, although Precaution-
ary Principle formulations
dont explicitly say so, they
imply the remedy must not
make things worse. But in
the absence of proof that
the current activity is caus-
ing trouble, how could the
value of the remedy, be
assessed, and by whom?
The prospects for relief
from the RoHS directive
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are bleak. The RoHS Directive is not primarily driven by concern for health and
the environment. At the time the EU enacted it, some of the 27 Member States
permitted the sale of Pb in gasoline and paint. Any attempt to use science-based
reasoning on EU politician/bureaucrats who ignored such reasoning a decade
ago would fail. The politician/bureaucrats imposed the RoHS Directive not on
manufacturers, distributors or sellers, but on the legislatures of each Member
State. It directs each legislature to enact enabling legislation for that state. Thus,
even with the EU seemingly on the verge of collapse, virtually all of those legisla-
tures would have to repeal the legislation. With few exceptions, those legislatures
are far too busy with far more pressing matters to entertain any appeals for relief.
Even with a global repeal, many component manufacturers, having switched to
Pb-free tin as the termination finish, would be reluctant to switch back, asserting
they have the whisker problem under control.
If there were to be any hope at all, the CEOs of major electronics equipment
manufacturers would have to unite to complain far more vigorously than they
have. Their lack of complaint demonstrates clearly to those at the top, as long
as all their competitors must also comply, RoHS (with all of its associated head-
aches for those in the trenches) is just part of the cost of doing business.
It may not be clear to all readers why tin is used at all in electronics manufac-
turing. Surfaces on printed boards and electronic components to be connected
by solder must be solderable. Boards and components can be designed and built
to have solderable lands without tin. For cost reasons, most components are not.
The disappearance of termination finishes other than Pb-free tin is driven not by
customers imposing a single world standard but by the component manufac-
turers themselves, who find it too expensive to provide a choice.
Gordon Davy retired in 2007 as an advisory engineer after 34 years at a large
defense electronics manufacturer.
T
he U.S. Air Forces C-5M program has fixed some of the problems that
arose during two major modernization initiatives for the transport aircraft
and is working to repair the others, according to the Air Force and prime
contractor Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin designed and successfully tested software changes
to reduce the false alarm rate and improve the fault isolation rate of the jets new
built-in test (BIT) function, which checks the health of the aircrafts systems using
on-aircraft sensors and reports the health status back to operators and maintain-
ers, company spokesman Chad Gibson said.
The Air Force is processing the final paperwork to get that version of software
out to the field, and we hope that it will start to be installed on C-5M aircraft later
this year, Gibson told Avionics Magazine. In addition to the software improve-
ments we have made several improvements to the Air Force technical orders
to identify nuisance faults and to provide procedures to help flight crews and
maintenance technicians deal with these indications while we process the soft-
ware changes.
The software package, known as Block 3.5, is also expected to resolve a sus-
ceptibility to information assurance problems.
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Fix C-5M Deciencies
industry scan
ciencies
To address a lack of C-5M-specific
training systems, the Air Force has
worked with another contractor,
Flight Safety International, to convert
flight crew trainers to the C-5M con-
figuration.
In the meantime, Lockheed Mar-
tin is supporting aircrew training with
an engineering simulator. In addition,
Lockheed Martin is developing two
maintenance trainers: an avionics
maintenance systems trainer that is
undergoing testing at Dover Air Force
Base in Delaware and a flight controls
systems trainer that will be delivered to
Dover later this year.
The Air Force and Lockheed Martin
said problems with the C-5Ms autopi-
lot, environmental control system and
thrust reversers have all been correct-
ed and successfully tested.
The Pentagons Director of Opera-
tional Test and Evaluation (DOT&E)
highlighted the various C-5M deficien-
cies in its fiscal 2011 annual report,
the most recent available.
The Air Force has been upgrading
the Lockheed Martin-built C-5 Galaxy,
its largest airlifter, into the C-5M Super
Galaxy through two major efforts the
Avionics Modernization Program (AMP)
and the Reliability Enhancement and
Re-Engining Program (RERP). AMP
adds a glass cockpit, digital avionics
and new communications, navigation
and surveillance equipment. AMP also
provides a digital backbone for RERP,
whose centerpiece is four new GE
commercial engines.
The programs are designed to boost
the aircrafts endurance, power and
reliability and make it quieter and
easier to fly and maintain. Specific
improvements include reducing fuel
consumption by 20 percent and cutting
climb time by 50 percent. At the end of
August, the C-5M fleet had flown more
than 10,000 flight hours, 50 percent
more than projected, Gibson said.
Lockheed Martin in April delivered
the last of 79 C-5s to go through the
14-year-old AMP program. Of those,
52 are going through RERP, which is
expected to achieve full-rate produc-
tion this fall and be completed in fiscal
year 2016. The Air Force plans to retire
the other 27 aircraft, saying it no longer
needs them.
The Air Force is pursuing additional
upgrades to keep the aircraft ready for
combat and humanitarian missions.
Lockheed Martin expects to receive
a development contract in March for
the C-5Ms Core Mission Computer/
Weather Radar Replacement Pro-
gram. A modification to equip C-5Ms
with Northrop Grummans anti-missile
Large Aircraft Infrared Countermea-
sures (LAIRCM) system is ongoing and
scheduled for completion in fiscal year
2017.
Already in service for decades, the
C-5 is slated to remain in the Air Force
fleet through 2040.
The C-5 is a national asset with no
peers in its class, Gibson said. At this
time, there is no known replacement in
work. Marc Selinger
industry scan
COMMERCIAL
Senate UAS Caucus
U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Joe
Manchin (D-W.Va.) formed a unmanned
aircraft systems (UAS) caucus, in hopes
of educating lawmakers and staff about
the capabilities of the systems.
The Senate Unmanned Aerial Caucus
also hopes to help provide a foundation for
the federal UAS policy-making process.
Over the last decade, the use of UASs
has expanded from primarily being used
for military intelligence to areas such as
law enforcement, weather surveillance
and aerial photography.
The increased use of Unmanned Aerial
Systems carries great potential and
great risk, said Manchin. Its impor-
tant for all of us to understand how we
can use this advancing technology to
strengthen our national security and
improve our ability to respond in case of
natural or man-made disasters, while at
the same time ensuring the privacy of all
of our law-abiding American citizens. I
am so appreciative of Sen. Inhofes work
on this issue, and I look forward to work-
ing together in a bipartisan way to keep
our colleagues updated on the emerging
policy issues involving this technology.
Earlier this year, FAA established the
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integra-
tion Office in its safety organization to
address all matters related to civil and
public use of UAS, as the agency contin-
ues to integrate more unmanned aircraft
into the national airspace system (NAS).
Currently, FAA authorizes the limited use
of UAS and is working on a proposed rule
to govern the use of UAS in the NAS.
Recovery Slow for Airlines
The U.S. airline industry is still adjusting
to a volatile 2008-2011 period with merg-
ers, new passenger fees and a reduced
number of scheduled flights, according to
the aviation industry performance report
released in September by Department of
Transportation Inspector General Calvin
L. Scovell III.
The report states in 2000, 10 major air-
lines accounted for 90 percent of total
domestic passenger air traffic and in
2012 that has been reduced to five, a num-
ber that could drop to four if US Airways
and American Airlines choose to merge.
According to the report, airlines
reduced the number of scheduled
domestic flights by 14 percent between
2007 and 2012, which has led to
increased passenger loads and higher
fares on regional flights.
High fuel prices and a slow economic
recovery have greatly influenced the
newer business models being introduced
by airlines, according to the report. Fuel
costs peaked at 40 percent of airline
operating costs in 2008, a 30 percent
increase from 2000 when fuel costs
accounted for 10 percent of airline oper-
ating expenses.
To offset the skyrocketing cost of jet
fuel, airlines are passing the cost along to
passengers, mainly with baggage fees.
In 2011, U.S. airlines collected a total of
$2.7 billion in added revenue from higher
baggage fees and spent $31 billion on
jet fuel.
Ultimately, the trends presented in this
report suggest that the changes in the
number of airlines controlling the indus-
try, fare increases, and capacity reduc-
tions that began in 2008 are not a brief
phase, but rather are signs of a greater
shift in the industry that will remain for
years to come, the inspector general
said.
Allegiant to Offer Row 44
Allegiant Air will offer the Row 44
video-on-demand (VOD) service on its
fleet of 757s, as part of a new partner-
ship with the in-flight entertainment
(IFE) provider, under an agreement
announced in early October.
Row 44 said Allegiant will offer its
wireless in-flight video streaming only
service, which operates without satel-
lite connectivity directly on passengers
iPad, iPhone, Android and other Wi-Fi-
enabled devices. The VOD entertainment
content is stored aboard the aircraft on
a 1.8 terabyte server, and does not offer
the Row 44 satellite Internet service.
Allegiant has proven adept at pioneer-
ing and delivering innovative solutions
in the travel marketplace, said Travis
Christ, chief marketing and sales officer
for Row 44. Allegiant is a low cost spe-
cialist when it comes to linking leisure
travelers to popular destinations, and
we look forward to complementing their
brand with a world-class VOD entertain-
ment experience.
Row 44 will begin installations of its
VOD service on the Allegiant Air fleet of
Boeing 757s in the first quarter of 2013.
In-Flight Phone Service
Emirates will begin offering in-flight
mobile phone service on its fleet of
A380s, as part of the Dubai carriers con-
nectivity package with OnAir.
The OnAir system uses EDGE and
GPRS connections to allow passengers
to make and receive phone calls and text
messages through their individual mobile
service providers.
Emirates said the OnAir mobile ser-
vice has been successfully installed and
tested on one of its A380s, and will be
retrofitted to its entire fleet of 25 A380s
going forward.
Our goal on every flight is to exceed
our passengers expectations. We
believe that exceeding expectations
should not only apply to our Cabin
Crews award-winning in-flight service
and our SKYTRAX Worlds Best Airline
In-Flight Entertainment ice system, but
also to our passengers desire to stay in
touch while travelling, said Patrick Bran-
nelly, vice president of corporate com-
munications at Emirates.
MILITARY
Rafale C137
The French defense procurement agency
DGA received the first production Rafale
C137 aircraft equipped with the Thales
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16 Avionics Magazine November 2012 www.avionicsmagazine.com
industry scan
RBE2 Active Electronically Scanned
Array (AESA) radar, the companies
announced in October.
Thales said its radar is designed to
provide extended range capabilities sup-
porting low-observable target reduction
and greater waveform agility for Synthet-
ic Aperture Radar imaging, among other
capabilities.
Dassault Aviation and Thales are
proud to equip French forces with this
advanced radar technology, which is now
entering operational service on a Europe-
an combat aircraft for the first time, said
Thales in a statement.
DARPA AHR Flight Tests
The Defense Advanced Research Proj-
ects Agency (DARPA) Autonomous
High-Altitude Refueling (AHR) program
recently completed successful flight
demonstrations of technology that allows
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to
automatically refuel in-flight.
DARPA conducted the flights in col-
laboration with Northrop Grumman and
the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
using two NASA Global Hawk UASs.
The agency said that the two Global
Hawks successfully flew in close forma-
tion (as close as 30 feet) for more than
2.5 hours at 44,800 feet. The close for-
mation flight showed the ability of UAS
to operate autonomously under in-flight
refueling conditions.
The technical developments that
enabled these two high-altitude, long-
endurance unmanned Global Hawks
in close formation is an outstanding
accomplishment for the AHR pro-
gram, said Fred Ricker, vice presi-
dent and deputy general manager for
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
Advanced Programs & Technology.
Coupled with the advanced design and
technical implementation of aerial refu-
eling systems on board both aircraft,
the demonstration has truly brought a
concept to life, which has the potential
to change the operations for unmanned
aircraft utility and enable mission flex-
ibility never before realized.
CONTRACTS
The Office of Naval Research has
awarded a $13.5 million contract to an
industry team led by Lockheed Martin to
explore autonomous technologies aboard
an unmanned vertical take-off and land-
ing aircraft. Under the contract, Lockheed
Martin and a team of industry, government,
and academic partners will develop a tech-
nology that will enable aircraft to operate
under supervisory control. A human opera-
tor will interact with the system at a high
level while low level control is left to the
automation. The resulting technology will
have the potential to improve the utility and
effectiveness of current unmanned verti-
cal take-off and landing aircraft, as well as
offer pilots supplemental decision aids on
legacy manned platforms, Lockheed Mar-
tin said.
Mexican carrier Interjet has selected the
ACSS TCAS integrated surveillance sys-
tem for six Airbus A320s. Phoenix-based
ACSS is a joint venture of Thales and L-3
Communications.
TCAS will deliver Interjet the most
advanced surveillance capability for
its A320s, said Scott Duffin, director
of sales at Thales. Through its higher
www.avionicstoday.com November2012 Avionics Magazine 17
level of integration and technological
advancement, TCAS delivers the full
suite of surveillance functions with less
weight and volume of federated systems,
with reduced wiring and improved power
efficiency.
In addition, US Airways received Sup-
plemental Type Certification (STC) on its
Airbus A330 aircraft for DO-260B (TSO
c166b) capability using ACSSs XS-950
Mode S Transponder. DO-260B is the
highest level of Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast transmission
(ADS-B). US Airways will equip 20 Air-
bus A330s as part of the FAAs NextGen
implementation program. The XS-950
was certified in 2011 to DO-260B, which
enables ADS-B transmission of more
information about an aircrafts position,
speed and intent.
FAA is providing $1.3 mil-
lion in grants for Chicago
OHare, Denver and San
Francisco International Air-
ports for vehicle surveillance
equipment to reduce the risk
of conflicts between air-
port safety vehicles and air-
craft.Each airport will receive
$421,875 to purchase up
to 75 Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast
(ADS-B) units to allow air
traffic controllers to locate
vehicles on the airfield dur-
ing low visibility conditions.
FAA said the ADS-B units
will be installed on airport
operations vehicles such as
fire trucks and snow plows.
This grant allows ground
equipment operators to have a better
situational awareness of where they are
on the airfield, which increases airport
safety, said FAA Acting Administrator
Michael Huerta.
L-3 Aviation Recorders signed an agree-
ment with Airbus to certify and provide the
FLYHT Aerospace Solutions AFIRS 228S
real-time data communications and SAT-
COM system for installation on the Airbus
A320 family of aircraft. The system, which
provides ACARS capability and SATCOM
voice connectivity anywhere in the world
through the Iridium network, is marketed
under the FLYHT brand in conjunction with
L-3s Flight Data Recorders. The products
being sold will have the technical ability to
support FLYHTStream, FLYHTs triggered
data streaming tool.
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18 Avionics Magazine November 2012 www.avionicsmagazine.com
industry scan
The Avionics & Systems Integration
Group (ASIG) flyTab team will install a Class
2 electronic flight bag (EFB) on CRJ-200s
and Dash 8-100s operated by Nav Canada.
ASIG, of Little Rock, Ark., said its EFB
components have STC certifications that
enable the iPad EFB to be fully integrated
with the aircraft. Nav Canada selected
the flyTab pedTray mount, power condition-
ing module (PCM) for iPad recharging and the
aircraft interface module (AIM) to connect the
EFB with all aircraft systems and sensors.
The iPad EFB is a replacement for our
current Class 3 EFB that is expensive to
maintain. This installation will allow us
to maintain our operational efficiency
Business aviation could play
a vital role in the continued
recovery of the European
economy, according to a
report conducted by Oxford
Economics.
The report, conducted on
behalf of the European Busi-
ness Aviation Association
(EBAA), said in 2011, 96 per-
cent of city pairs served by
business aviation had no scheduled con-
nection. The other 4 percent served more
than a third of all business aviation air
traffic in volume, according to Oxford.
Also, the report uses case studies to
highlight the importance of business avia-
tion to local economies in Europe. One
example shows that at Farnborough Air-
port in the U.K., on-site employment is
around 1,000 jobs and an additional
4,000 jobs in the local region are the
result of the airports larger supply chain.
The Oxford economists also found
each additional passenger on a business
aviation flight generates the same gross
domestic product as nine business pas-
sengers on a scheduled flight.
EBAA concludes from the report that
more investment in the business aviation
industry and expansion of destinations
served by business aircraft operators
would greatly help to accelerate the Euro-
pean economic recovery.
What this study clearly points out is
that business aviation is playing a key
role in facilitating Europes recovery, said
Fabio Gamba, CEO at EBAA. This impor-
tance should be recognized in policy
formulation, with legislators developing
regulations and mechanisms that bolster
business aviation activity in order to fur-
ther stimulate the growth of our region,
rather than ignore it as it was evidenced
with the European Commissions pro-
posed recast on slot allocation, or penal-
ize it as the Italian government has done
by introducing a double tax on owners
and passengers, resulting in dismal traffic
figures in the country.
Report: Expanding Business Aviation Could Help European Recovery
www.avionicstoday.com November2012 Avionics Magazine 19
and paperless cockpit at a much lower
cost on our CRJ and Dash 8 aircraft with
enhanced applications, said Anthony
MacKay, manager of flight operations at
Nav Canada.
The U.S. Air Force awarded a five-year
$51 million contract to PKL Services, of
Poway, Calif., to provide functional ele-
ments spanning operations, maintenance
and simulator support for the Air Force and
Republic of Singapore (RSAF) F-15 aircraft.
This contract provides functional ele-
ments spanning operations, mainte-
nance, and simulator support to maintain
the RSAF F-15SG and the Air Force F
F-15C/D and F-15E aircraft.
PKL will provide avionics maintenance,
inspection and database management
and analysis among other specialized
support functions for all assigned aircraft
at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in
Idaho.
Lufthansa Systems will provide its iPad
Lido/iRouteManual navigation charts to Air-
BridgeCargo Airlines. The Russian cargo
carrier signed a five-year contract with
Lufthansa to deploy the iPad navigation
charts on its Boeing 747s.
The Lido/iRouteManual for the iPad
gives pilots access to relevant navigation
charts, NOTAMs and general text infor-
mation with mobile broadband-enabled
updates, according to Lufthansa.
Southwest Airlines will install ARINC
Water Vapor Sensor Systems (WVSS) on
its fleet of Boeing 737-700s.
The systems will provide coast-to-coast
weather observations on more than 100
aircraft once installation is complete,
according to ARINC.
Oculus Systems has become the U.K.
vendor for the Huginn X-1 unmanned air-
craft system (UAS).
The Huginn X-1, manufactured by Den-
mark-based Sky-Watch, is a nano UAS
designed for surveillance tasks in both
civilian and military settings, according to
Oculus.
business
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In an age of shrinking defense budgets and longer
lives of aircraft, new systems and techniques help
the U.S. military maintain aging systems
T
he U.S. Air Forces aging airplanes need careful tending especially their
airframes and engines. But the avionics systems in this age of mass-market
electronics are often a headache as well. Obsolescence is far more com-
mon today than in the days of mil-spec. And even the newest upgrades
face these issues before they are fielded. But the military has adapted and
now wields a number of weapons. While these cant defeat obsolescence, they make
it manageable.
There are two kinds of obsolescence material and operational. Material
obsolescence is a fact of life in the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) era. Although
this can affect whole configurations of aircraft, it does not drive major upgrades.
Those are prompted by the threat of operational obsolescence. Because of bud-
get constraints, program offices often cant afford regular component refreshes.
Instead, they study data from many sources and let this information and analy-
sis based on it guide the initiation of component upgrades.
COTS is a two-edged sword, says Gary Hebert, deputy system program
By Charlotte Adams
Obs
Managing
A B-52H Stratofortress takes off from
Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, in 2009.
manager in the A-10 System Program Office (SPO). It brings capability, opportu-
nity and flexibility, but its a fast-moving train. Whats produced today probably
wont be around next year. Its almost like buying a cell phone which is obsolete
at the moment of purchase.
You need to remain agile, he says. When youre building a product, you need
to look not only at the lifecycles of its components but at the vendors roadmaps
for the component families.
Nevertheless, when it comes to avionics, the O-word doesnt scare me as
much as it used to because weve got some ways of predicting whats going to
happen, Hebert says, alluding to tools like parts databases and predictive analy-
sis. More importantly, he says, the service has the capability of replacing hard-
ware functions with chips such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) and
programmable logic arrays (PLA).
In the defense market, while platforms may age, we are going to see a lot
refreshes in terms of comm gear, nav gear, displays and other avionics products,
said Bob Smith, chief technology officer at Honeywell Aerospace at the Avionics
for NextGen conference in September.
bsolescence
B-52
When it comes to obsolescence issues, the image of the B-52 rises in ones
mind. The youngest Stratofortress is 50 years old and these aircraft are expected
to fly through 2040.
There are 76 B-52Hs still flying, out of 744 that were built, says Col. John Fisher,
B-52 system program manager. The SPO uses both bottom-up and top-down tools
to monitor parts obsolescence. Like other Air Force SPOs, it relies in part on the Air
Force Sustainment Center and the Defense Logistics Agency for assistance.
But the SPO also has very active integrity programs to manage structural,
mechanical and avionics systems integrity on the B-52, says Jerold Smith, chief
engineer. Integrity programs look at reliability indicators, failure mode data and
usage data. They are set up to examine system and component design and antic-
ipated lifecycles, and then to perform predictive analysis in order to plan mainte-
nance, repair and overhaul. The programs also involve evaluations in the field and
depots to see if wear is occurring as analytically predicted, Jerold Smith says. If
there is a negative difference between what the predictions are and what the air-
craft tells you, that tells us we need to take some preventative action or do some
An A-10 Thunderbolt II moves to take position off the right wing of a KC-135R Stratotanker, after refueling mid-air during a
training flight over Michigan in July.
Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Jeremy M. Wilson
tech refresh, whether on a structural member or an avionics component, Jerold
Smith explains. The refresh program would be put in place before the item failed.
The SPO also tracks all the boxes and components on the aircraft against
maintenance man-hours, Jerold Smith says. We can see where the maintenance
man-hours are expended, and then, based on that information, we can target
improvement initiatives to try to reduce that workload. It is a methodology to
discover and solve or improve both component and maintenance issues.
This attention pays off. The B-52 fleet is two aircraft over the Air Forces avail-
ability requirement, says Wendy Walden, chief of the SPOs Logistics Branch.
CONECT
The B-52s biggest ongoing avionics upgrade is CONECT, or Combat Network
Communications Technology. CONECT replaces monochrome 8x10-inch multi-
function displays (MFD) at all five crew stations with full-color 8x10-inch MFDs
that increase situational awareness by creating a common sight picture, if
required; it adds a 1-Gigabit Ethernet digital backbone, so that boxes can share
data more quickly; it adds data links for retasking aircraft and retargeting weap-
ons while the B-52s are in flight something that is not possible today; and it
installs a digital interphone to aid communications between crew members.
Although CONECT will solve some obsolescence and reliability issues, the
upgrade was driven by the threat of operational obsolescence. We have to make
sure that were tied into, not just the U.S. Air Force, but the joint force, Fisher
says, with network-centric capability, for example.
CONECT has been percolating since 2005, and the first kit proof will be
installed on an operational aircraft next year, at the beginning of low-rate
initial production.
Not surprisingly, CONECT has already experienced obsolescence issues. The
team has identified some potential items and is putting strategies, such as life-of-
type buys, in place, Walden says.
So far the program has made three or four end-of-life buys, some of which
involved numerous parts, says Scot Oathout, director of B-52 programs, Boe-
ing Defense, Space and Security. It reports monthly to the procurement office
on obsolescence monitoring. The program also subscribes to a fairly universal
commercial [part tracking] service and has agreements with its major suppliers
to periodically monitor the supply base.
More importantly, however, CONECTs architecture is designed to make the
non-hardened computational segments easily upgradeable, says Jim Kroening,
Boeings B-52 development program manager. We use standard interfaces and
can essentially drop in a new board.
The hardened components required for nuclear missions are much less volatile
and subject to technology evolution.
A-10
The A-10 tank-killer is also out of production the last plane was delivered 28 years
ago yet the fleet is expected to fly till as late as 2040. Although the aging airframe
presents the biggest headaches, avionics sustainment is also a challenge.
While the SPO relies on the Sustainment Center, it is taking additional steps to
improve early warning. It conducts studies that may catch issues not flagged in the
parts databases, Hebert says. A system-level study may be prompted, for example, by
reports of problems in several related boxes, explains Jerry Coates, the SPOs opera-
tional safety, suitability and effectiveness integrator.
The SPO is also preparing an A-10 Platform Obsolescence Plan. The winning con-
tractor will load the A-10 bill of materials into the commercial Advanced Component
Obsolescence Management (AVCOM) database and focus solely on the A-10s needs.
The program office also notes the importance of test equipment support. Over
the last three years the SPO has worked with experts at the Warner Robins Air
Logistics Complex to develop a Support Equipment Road Map. This software
tool, populated with 18,000 elements of A-10 support equipment, allows manag-
ers to highlight reliability, supportability and obsolescence issues. The effort also
involved organic development of the portable automated test set (PATS-70), a
unit that tests a lot of avionics.
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B-52s CONECT program replaces monochrome 8x10-inch multifunction displays (MFD) at all five crew stations with full-color
8x10-inch MFDs that increase situational awareness by creating a common sight picture.
F-16
The U.S. Air Force currently operates about 1,000 F-16s, about one-third of the
worldwide fleet. The F-16 is more fortunate than the B-52 and the A-10 in having
an active production line to help with spares.
The F-16 SPO teams with the Sustainment Center, which focuses on scanning
parts databases for obsolescence issues, says Col. Mark Mol, F-16 system pro-
gram manager. Their goal is to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the
supply chain, and my goal is to ensure the safety and suitability of the fleet.
However, there are often synergies between the two perspectives. Take the fire
control computer upgrade. The prior system was based on long-outdated com-
puting technology with limited memory capacity and data throughput and limited
spare parts availability, explains Mark Greenamyer, the SPOs avionics program
manager.
The SPO looked at what could be done at the chip, card and box level, but it
made more sense to replace the mil-spec system with one based on ruggedized
commercial technology the Commercial Fire Control Computer. The process-
ing power and memory improvement that came with the new system made it a
much cheaper approach than solving individual [obsolescence] issues, Gree-
namyer says.
The SPO does not have regular refresh intervals, Mol explains, as this would
require an extraordinary amount of funds to address potential problems that may
not actually materialize.
The SPO also receives reports on the total non-mission-capable rate for sup-
ply or maintenance, Mol says. So when we identify a negative trend, well start
doing root cause analysis to track down the source and develop a solution. This
process can turn up issues such as obsolescence, repair process problems,
technical data problems, contract issues or even operational issues.
The last resort for the SPOs is the boneyard at Davis Monthan Air Force Base
in Arizona. But supplies there are limited and, although the aircraft have been
protected from the elements, the condition of their avionics systems is unknown
and components such as commercial chips and boards would probably be obso-
lete. (Davis Monthan is a more likely source of components such as antenna
bracketry.) We also would need to run [components] through additional tests to
ensure that they meet airworthiness criteria, Mol says.
The O-word is still scary Mol says. We know we can overcome the chal-
lenges, but it takes considerable budget to address. An obsolescence issue
is typically not a question of one or two or three components, he says. You might
be able to get those from the boneyard. A true obsolescence issue could affect
an entire configuration of airplanes its a big issue to solve. Only when I do a
lifetime buy or redesign do I solve it.
industry
NextGen
Aviation stakeholders describe challenges to
NextGen implementation and outline ways to
overcome those obstacles at annual conference
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Avionics for
By Emily Feliz
A
viation industry leaders
gathered in Atlantic City,
N.J., in September for the
Second Annual Avionics for
NextGen conference, urg-
ing cooperation among industry stake-
holders and action from regulatory
bodies to move the massive airspace
modernization initiative forward.
Panels discussed the vari-
ous roadblocks to implementa-
tion including the integration of
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)
in the National Airspace System
(NAS); global airspace harmoni-
zation efforts; closing NextGens
business case; and tackling Nex-
tGen implementation issues on
Capitol Hill.
Bob Smith, vice president and
chief technology officer at Hon-
eywell Aerospace, kicked off the
conference. He said parts obso-
lescence and evolving certification
standards are obstacles for the avi-
ation industry. Further, he called for
companies to speed development
time of NextGen-enabled technolo-
gies and for regulatory agencies,
namely FAA, to speed the certifi-
cation of new products to get the
NextGen
for
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products into the hands of the operators more quickly. Action or inaction will set
the pace of growth for the aerospace industry, he said.
He identified three trends in avionics the growth in IT performance; the
interoperability of systems throughout the network; and the continuous flow of
information needed around the world.
The aircraft have the same desire to get this kind of information on and off
the aircraft and its really going to be incumbent on this industry to figure out
how to do that efficiently, particularly in a world with mixed equipage and
parts obsolescence, Smith said. The opportunities we have more than out-
weigh any obstacles.
Modernizing the airspace in the midst of these obstacles is a big task for the
U.S. aviation industry, particularly with the backdrop of economic and politi-
cal uncertainty in this country. Regardless, NextGen faces some key milestones
in the coming years, including the 2015 mandate that UASs be integrated into
the NAS and the 2020 equipage mandate for automatic surveillance-broadcast
(ADS-B) In capabilities, among others.
Several NextGen programs have made great strides, showing operational ben-
efits for the users, conference attendees said, including the construction of the
ADS-B ground infrastructure and Required Navigation Performance procedures
around the country. ADS-B prime contractor ITT Exelis said the ground network
has received FAA In-Service Decision and more than 460 sites have been con-
structed, with more than 70 sites in planning or under construction.
Additionally, just a few days after the conference, Harris Corp. was awarded
a seven-year, $331 million contract to provide air/ground data communications.
The Harris team includes Adfero Group, American Airlines, ARINC, The Brattle
Group, CGH, EES, Egis Avia, GE, HCRQ, NATS, Sunhillo, Thales and Washington
Consulting Group.
[NextGen] is becoming real and we are moving forward on some of these
commitments, said Kris Burnham, director of investment planning and analysis
at FAA.
At the same time, NextGen has faced some setbacks in recent months, includ-
ing major schedule delays and budget overruns. According to a Government
Accountability Office report issued earlier this year, more than one-third of major
air traffic control acquisition programs associated with the NextGen program
have gone $4.2 billion beyond their initial estimates, and half have experienced
schedule delays. At the same time, many operators have been reluctant to equip
for future programs, citing questions about the initiatives return on investment.
More than three years after Task Force 5, we are not as far as we had hoped to
be at this point with the recommendations and the timelines that Task Force 5
set out there, acknowledged Capt. Steve Dickson, senior vice president of flight
operations at Delta Airlines. Dickson was on RTCA Task Force 5, which issued
recommendations to FAA regarding NextGen implementation.
On the other hand, there is some progress in some other areas, particularly
with aircraft equipage that I did not anticipate three years ago. Airlines in the
last 18 months have placed orders for hundreds of new narrowbody equipment
that are coming onboard here in the next five or six years. That is really going to
change the balance in terms of heavy users of the NAS are going to be in a much
different place five years from now, Dickson said.
He added return on investment isnt the only hurdle for NextGens business
case. He described the four legs to the NextGen stool as strategic fit for the com-
panys corporate objectives and goals; return on investment; benefit uncertainty,
which can undermine an otherwise strong business case; and financial capacity
of the operator.
Similarly, measuring those benefits or metrics are hard to quantify and hard
to prove, panelists said. For example, an operator can fly a required navigation
performance approach, with the navigational guidance provided by the air traffic
controller, but there is no way to prove the approach was performed. That make
the business case even harder, panelists said.
Every single operators business case is different, said Debby Kirkman, Next-
Gen Performance Integration Lead at MITRE Corp.
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), in his luncheon keynote address at the confer-
ence, echoed many of the panelists reassurances about the importance of Next-
Gen for the safety and operations of the airspace.
Next years event will be held Sept. 17 at the Sheraton Atlantic City. Stay tuned
to www.avionicsfornextgen.com for more details.
product focus
F
or wire and cable companies, the aviation
industry, even in a time of economic auster-
ity, is a key source of opportunities. Smaller,
lighter and more capable cables and wire
remain a priority for an industry looking to reduce
operating costs and support advanced digital technologies. As
they look to boost the capability of new aircraft, operators also
need an assist from wire and cable suppliers to stretch out the useful life of their
legacy platforms. To meet these challenges, companies are pressing ahead with
research and development on products and strategies to address efforts to main-
tain and upgrade veteran aircraft.
While some market segments have stagnated, the aerospace industry still
represents a huge opportunity for cable suppliers, said John Wadeley, senior
global product manager for TE Connectivity. Confidence throughout the indus-
try remains high, and the pace of R&D remains strong offering a healthy new
product stream at all levels of the supply chain.
Wire&
Cable
Aircraft operators are turning to wire and
cable suppliers to help extend the life and
boost capabilities of their onboard systems
By Ed McKenna
There are some com-
plications, however, begin-
ning the high cost of raw mate-
rials, such as copper. Increased
material costs have not slowed
down the development of new
products or reduced the opportunity to
(decrease) size and weight, but it does mean
that when these new products hit the market they will
come with a higher price tag, said Wadeley.
With regards to R&D, there certainly is less funding at least from the
government side, but I dont know how much in comparison from previous
years, said Michael Traskos, president of Lectromec, a wiring test company in
Dulles, Va.
The belt tightening is yielding some opportunities, however. Sustainment has
become a buzz word in the industry, said Jeff Fyfe, aerospace business leader at
W.L. Gore & Associates. Because of continuing delays to new aircraft platforms
caused by technical challenges and/or budget constraints, the industry is looking
for ways to sustain current platforms and extend their service life.
For the most part, they are rewiring these older civil and military aircraft
with existing technologies; (for example) wiring a 1960s aircraft with 1980s
designed wire, said Bob Scott, senior wire and cable product manager at A.E.
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Emteqs HD video cable
Petsche, an Arlington, Texas-based distributor of wire and cable products. Gen-
erally, this does not pose difficulties because you are talking about the proven
reliability of mature products.
However, Service Life Extension Programs, such as that proposed by the Air
Force for the F-16 earlier this year in response to F-35 delays, do provide chal-
lenges. Sometimes, these programs call for not just basic maintenance but also
avionics improvements that could require wire and cabling solutions that equal
current or higher performance standards, said Fyfe. At the same time, the wire
and cables must be installed within the existing aircraft structure, which means
the performance enhancements must be accomplished within the same size or
smaller wire and cables, he said. These tighter configurations leave less room
for wire and cables; therefore, they also need to be engineered with additional
TE Connectivity offers wire and cable products for avionics, and in-flight entertainment and power distribution systems.
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mechanical strength to prevent damage during routing and installation.
In maintaining and upgrading these older aircraft, there are also challenges
related to assessing the safety of the electrical wiring interconnect systems
(EWIS) of these platforms. They are going to need to go through the thousands
of maintenance data entries, perhaps tens of thousands then they need to
gather all of the wiring system data together, Traskos said. We have been work-
ing in this field for a while and have developed techniques to automate some of
this, but if they are going through this for a first time, it will be a difficult, he said.
Further, once they have all the data, the process of combining the current condi-
tion, life projection and system risk information is complex.
Lectromec is working with the Air Force right now to help them develop their
EWIS risk assessment for service life extension programs, said Traskos.
As for upgrading, that is a tough proposition for any aircraft in the fleet; I think
the last major rewire project was on the F-15s and that (cost) over $500 million,
he said. If anything, maintainers are looking to limit rewiring to subsections in
the aircraft part of this to be justified by results of EWIS risk assessments of
the older aircraft.
While progress often comes at slow pace, companies are pressing ahead with
R&D efforts aimed at upping the durability and capability of the technologies
while reducing size, weight and energy use to meet the power requirements of
(the) more complex, interconnected systems in the aircraft and lower oper-
ating costs because less weight equals fuel savings, said Fyfe. Civil avia-
tions priorities are reliability, temperature resistance and weight, (while) mili-
tary aerospace is more focused on size and weight due to the increasing use of
advanced electronic systems (pods) that require more reliable performance in
harsh environments.
To meet these needs, the companies are developing and deploying products
using a variety of strategies as well as conductive and insulation materials and
protocols. When it comes to airframe wiring, the large aircraft manufacturers
are still undertaking initiatives to do thinner wall insulations downsizing
gauge size as a weight saving initiative, said Scott. For example, some are
going from 22 to 24 gauge but are running at a higher voltage to have the same
power capability.
In the larger sense, the airframe wire world is on the verge of a revolution
with large aircraft manufacturers dismissing conventional wrapped solutions
due to the endless problems of visible damage caused during the installation
into the airframe, said Wadeley. This has lead to a drive towards alternative
insulation systems based on hybrid constructions and the further development
of inorganic films, he said. This period of change will permanently modify the
landscape of the aircraft wire market which has remained largely unchanged for
the last 30 years.
When it comes to data cables, the aerospace industry is facing a step change
in the use of high-speed copper cables to support the increased demand for
passenger entertainment and information technology especially on the long haul
routes, said Wadeley. To boost capability, industry is adopting protocols import-
ed from commercial electronics and automotive industry, such as the Ethernet,
Digital Visual Interface, Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Controller Area Network
(Can) bus. Cables used for these protocols are normally unsuitable for use on
aircraft, so the cable industry is being challenged to create new offerings using
higher temperature and tougher materials, Wadeley said.
On a practical note, customers are still asking for higher temperature jack-
ets so they can run cable along with their main wiring and not have to separate,
which reduces engineering time and labor time for installation, said Kerry Stuck-
art, product manager, coax cables, at Emteq, based in New Berlin, Wis.
Time for Fiber?
The pursuit of higher speed, higher data rates gigabit speeds has signifi-
cantly increased the use of more fiber on military and civil aircraft for instrumen-
tation and weapons systems and on the commercial side for in-flight entertain-
ment systems, said Scott.
As the experience with fiber improves, the trend has been for fiber solutions
to proliferate within the industry, Wadeley said. For commercial aircraft, there
are more systems and platforms that are supporting up to 10 Gbps on 50 uM
Market Moves
The following are announcements by wire and cable manufacturers and distributors.
Carlisle Companies Inc., parent company of Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, late last year completed its
$285 million acquisition of Tri-Star Electronics International, an El Segundo, Calif.-based supplier of electronic inter-
connect components for mission-critical applications for commercial aerospace, defense and industrial customers.
We are pleased to have completed the purchase of Tri-Star and look forward to the contributions this
excellent company will make to Carlisle. The addition of Tri-Star enhances Carlisle Interconnect Technologies
leadership in aerospace specialty interconnect components and systems. We welcome the Tri-Star team to
Carlisle, said David A. Roberts, Carlisles chairman, president and CEO.
Thermax, based in Indianapolis, has been qualied to the EN2267-009 and -010 specications issued by
the Certication of Aerospace Standard Products, the company said in April.
Phoenix Logistics in January said it had successfully completed the requirements to be qualied to Revi-
sion C of the AS9100 aerospace quality standard. The aerospace AS standards contain the requirements of
ISO 9001 and additional industry requirements and is the Quality Management System for the aerospace and
defense industry
Lockheed Martin in February accepted rst article inspection of the rst F-35 production harnesses to
be supplied by Co-Operative Industries Defense, based in Fort Worth, Texas. Co-Operative Industries was
selected to manufacture select electrical wiring harnesses for all F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
(micron) fiber OM3/OM4 fibers, he said. However, the challenge has been to get
a user friendly fiber that could just be cut and used.
There have been recent advances, such as on the Irvine, Calif.-based Lumex-
iss fiber to the screen (FTTS), Wadeley said. The system, which TE Connectiv-
ity helped develop and uses that companys fiber ARINC 810 connectors, is a
complete fiber solution that gives excellent bandwidth capacity to assist in
implementation of wireless solutions on an ample bandwidth backbone, said
Wadeley. There are other systems that are employing partial solution back-
bones, but none have been able to match their bandwidth performance to
date. The system has attracted three customers to date flydubai, Transaero
and Pacific Royale Airways.
Along with ARINC 801 termini, TE Connectivity also offers and expanded beam
technologies for fiber optics solutions along with its Quadrax connectors and
cables that support 1-gigabit Ethernet requirements.
Fiber is a great way to transfer more data and reduce cable size and weight,
(but) I see fiber being more prevalent and accepting in shorter runs, seat-to-seat
IFE [in-flight entertainment] type installations, said Stuckart. There is still the
concern and hesitancy with working with fiber optic cable and field terminations;
(however), fiber is a technology that Emteq definitely plans to support, she said,
adding the company is continuing to focus of developing innovative ways to
expand it high definition aircraft grade cable and is currently working on multiple
product designs to meet the increased demand for longer lengths.
Currently, fiber optics and copper cables are both used in aircraft, with cop-
per remaining the dominant media for signal transmission, said Fyfe. This
may change over time, but a complete change from copper to fiber optics is not
expected. While higher bandwidth might be driving the increased use of fiber
optics, RF, power and system constraints still require improved copper cabling.
Copper and fiber always have and always will coexist, Wadeley said. As
the higher speeds are implemented the challenge will be to make sure proper
tools/interfaces are employed to assure the end applications employ proper
matched impedance performance that work in concert with the application and
performance demands.
Meanwhile, the introduction of copper clad aluminum conductors has offered
huge weight savings to aircraft manufacturers, but these savings have come at
a price, Wadeley said. The connector/cable industry is still wrestling with inex-
pensive reliable termination, and because of this, the uptake has been patchy
with only one manufacturer taking wholesale advantage of this new technology.
Looking to the future, there has been steady progress in work with carbon
nanotubes (CNT), said Wadeley. We are working with key selected customers
investigating several approaches to the solution and have made working proto-
types that are based on the following concepts: CNT, CNT shielded/traditional
Companies
A.E. Petsche Co. ............................................................................................. www.aepetsche.com
Air Harness Manufacturing .................................................................................www.airharness.com
Ametek Aerospace ............................................................................................... www.ametek.com
Amphenol Corp. ............................................................................................... www.amphenol.com
Brand Rex ........................................................................................................ www.brand-rex.com
Calmont Wire & Cable, Inc. .................................................................................. www.calmont.com
Carlisle Interconnect Technologies ........................................................................ www.carlisleit.com
Chippewa Aerospace ....................................................................... www.chippewaaerospace.com
Christensen Industries ....................................................................................... www.ci-aviation.com
Co-Operative Industries Aerospace ......................................................................www.coopind.com
Dallas Avionics Inc. ..................................................................................... www.dallasavionics.com
Data Bus Products ................................................................................. www.databusproducts.com
DIT-MCO International ............................................................................................www.ditmco.com
Eaton Corp. ............................................................................................................ www.eaton.com
Electro Enterprises ................................................................................ www.electroenterprises.com
Emteq ................................................................................................................... www.emteq.com
Glenair Inc. ............................................................................................................ www.glenair.com
Habia Cable ............................................................................................................... www.habia.se
H.S. Electronics Inc. ..................................................................................... www.hselectronics.com
InterConnect Wire ................................................................................www.interconnect-wiring.com
kSARIA Corp. ......................................................................................................... www.ksaria.com
Lectromec ....................................................................................................... http://lectromec.com
Marine Air Supply ...................................................................................... www.marineairsupply.com
MilesTek Corp. ....................................................................................................www.milestek.com
Nanocomp Technologies .......................................................................... www.nanocomptech.com
Phoenix Logistics ........................................................................................... www.phxlogistics.com
PIC Wire & Cable .................................................................................................. www.picwire.com
Radiall .................................................................................................................... www.radiall.com
SEA Wire & Cable ............................................................................................... www.sea-wire.com
TE Connectivity ............................................................................................................. www.te.com
Teledyne Reynolds ..................................................................................www.teledynereynolds.com
Thermax ................................................................................................ www.thermaxconnects.com
Vermillion, Inc. ................................................................................................ www.vermillioninc.com
W.L. Gore ................................................................................................................ www.gore.com
WHITMOR/Wirenetics .................................................................................. www.wireandcable.com
WireMasters .................................................................................................... www.wiremasters.net
Woven Electronics Corp. ........................................................................ www.wovenelectronics.com
Zippertubing Co. ............................................................................................www.zippertubing.com
conductor, and CNT-metal hybrid constructions, he said. This development
is still with the AD&M [Aerospace, Defense & Marine] advanced development
group but will transition to a manufacturing group sponsorship when it is suf-
ficiently mature.
Last year, Concord, N.H.-based Nanocomp Technologies was awarded a con-
tract from Northrop Grumman under the U.S. Army Manufacturing Technology
Program (ManTech) to develop manufacturing best practices for carbon nanotube
cabling and tapes, intended for insertion into aircraft as a replacement for con-
ventional copper-based wires and cables.
Using fiber optics is only one way to reduce weight; other material technolo-
gies, such as engineered fluoropolymers, can also offer weight reduction, said
Fyfe. In fact, the industry would like to have the electrical performance of a
normal-weight wire in a lightweight form, said Tom Sharp, Gores new product
development specialist. The trend has been to develop lightweight versions of
standard products by using advanced polymers, (but) the challenge is developing
an insulation system that is mechanically robust over a wide range of tempera-
tures up to 260C, said Sharp. As aircraft begin operating at higher altitudes
with extremely cold temperatures, the industry is (also) beginning to request
improved low-temperature performance.
By manipulating engineered fluoropolymers, we are developing new materi-
als that maintain integrity in extreme temperatures and other harsh conditions,
Sharp said.
Gores key initiatives are aimed at providing solutions that maintain electri-
cal and mechanical integrity in the challenging aerospace environments, said
Fyfe. For example, our new cable-based antennas (often referred to as leaky
lines or leaky feeders) improve signal propagation without increasing the amount
of hardware required on both wide-body and single-aisle passenger aircraft,
he said. The technology provide access to different wireless protocols, so pas-
sengers can easily connect to in-flight entertainment, Internet servers, and email
accounts, said Fyfe.
The company also offers GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials that provide
long-lasting protection against chafing and abrasion in both rotary and fixed-
wing aircraft surfaces.
Next month: Databus
Avionics Magazines Product Focus is a monthly feature that examines some of
the latest trends in different market segments of the avionics industry. It does not
represent a comprehensive survey of all companies and products in these mar-
kets. Avionics Product Focus Editor Ed McKenna can be contacted at
emckenna@accessintel.com.
system design
by Wa l t e r Sh a wl e e 2
PED Situation on Aircraft
T
his topic has probably ignited more discussion among the air traveling pub-
lic than lost luggage or the in-flight meal service. In our endlessly connect-
ed age, people demand to be spliced into the communication stream 24/7.
How dare a flight attendant tell them you cannot use some device at any
time they desire? Everybody knows this problem is a total farce, and nothing bad
will ever happen if they call, text, surf or game with everyone around them, when-
ever they choose. Planes dont spontaneously explode when they text, and dont
crash or hit a mountain when they use their cell phones, so it must be a non-issue.
In addition, the existence of planes now equipped with internal Wi-Fi clearly
proves there is nothing to this whole personal electronic device (PED) thing to pas-
sengers, as does the permission to let users whip out their laptops in flight and
click away. So, in the collective minds of flying public, this is just foolishness, and
there isnt a single piece of solid evidence to justify the ban, and frankly, its hard
to blame them. The case has not been reported to change behavior, and frankly
everyone tries to downplay even the likelihood that such a problem exists, for a
variety of legal liability reasons. Its a hugely frustrating environment to work in for
everyone, especially cabin crews.
So, first things first, do PEDs actually cause in-flight aircraft problems?
NASA maintains an extensive (but voluntary) flight report database called Avia-
tion Safety Reporting
Database, available
at http://asrs.arc.
nasa.gov/search/
database.html. In a
search for all PED
in-flight events, the
database reported
108 occurrences.
The first 50 events
reach back to
2002, which I think
is as far as I want
to go, because
the very nature of
the technology is
changing enough
All PED Events
that I prefer to have
only timely data.
Excluding the reports
of passengers simply
refusing to comply
with legal cabin crew
instructions to stop
using their PED rules
out 30 percent of the
reported events. Also,
if we remove issues
of crew uncertainty
as to whether some
device is acceptable,
and miscategorized
events, we can then
eliminate another 12 percent. That leaves 58 percent of the remaining NASA reports
as genuine in-flight system failures, directly tied to PED operation. That is a signifi-
cant number.
The simple fact that cell operation is even possible inside the aircraft is also unfor-
tunate proof that potentially disruptive emission is possible into aircraft systems from
the passenger area. If the windows, vents and composite structures produced a seam-
less RF shield, then cell operation should not be possible, and neither would interfering
trans-hull emissions into antenna systems.
I was particularly concerned that the largest valid fault report percentage (26 percent)
was tied to fire, smoke and explosions. Before studying the reports, I had not really
considered this a meaningful PED threat (more like a deliberate terrorist act), yet the
report data clearly shows this to be a very significant problem, especially when pas-
sengers attempt to charge any of their electronic devices from onboard power. What
was even more astonishing was the number of events where passengers attempted to
conceal their involvement in the smoke/fire/explosion event, clearly indicating the level
of responsibility people demonstrate in flight even when they are creating a potentially
and visibly dangerous problem is negligible.
Also unexpected were the events tied to TCAS, where flight crews got alarming mes-
sages of imminent airborne collision, and moved the aircraft in response. The frequen-
cies involved are 1030Mhz for query, and 1090Mhz for reply, which matches no known
Relevant PED Events
PED frequency directly. These events are so disturbing I have copied the short synop-
sis of the three events here:
B737-800 FLT CREW EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TCAS RAS ALLEGEDLY GENER-
ATED BY A WI-FI ENABLED LAPTOP COMPUTER.
A FALSE TCASII RA SENDS A DC9 FLT INTO A CLB TO AVOID A POTENTIAL TAR-
GET 5 MI SE OF BUNTS INTXN, PA.
DC-9 FLT CREW RECEIVED A FALSE TCAS RA DURING DEP CLIMB AND
INCREASED THEIR RATE OF CLB TO AVOID A FALSE TARGET APPARENTLY
GENERATED BY A PAX LAPTOP COMPUTER.
I fully expected to see COM-related problems; my own lab experiments showed
laptops by themselves could easily disturb VHF AM radio transmissions. This was in
turn tied to specific software running as that excited the memory bus and dramatically
increased emissions. Cell phones, two-way pagers and Wi-Fi devices all actively trans-
mitting pose a much bigger RF interference threat to on-board avionics.
No doubt everybody who flies has noticed there is a cabin announcement to stop
using all electronic devices as landing begins, and so the expectation should be that
Localizer and Glide Slope problems should occur in the reports, and they do. This is a
very critical flight phase, especially under IFR conditions, and the potential for an acci-
dent is significant if the situation is not remedied.
Magnetic compass errors are also reported, which should be no surprise, as the flux
valves used to extract magnetic field data (usually wing or tail mounted, to avoid local
magnetic field disturbance) are extremely sensitive, and easily upset by detected RF sig-
nals at the flux valve connections.
To me, the reports that are the most disturbing (after TCAS alerts) are instances where
significant cockpit instrumentation failure occurs. The stress in the cockpit this gener-
ates is very significant, and the potential for flight mis-cues and errors is profound, not
to mention being alarming from an electronic interference viewpoint. Here are the con-
densed reports:
A B757-200S L FUEL GAUGE BLANKED AFTER TKOF AND BECAME OPER-
ABLE PRIOR TO LNDG. CREW SUSPECTS POSSIBLE PED INTERFERENCE.
A B767 HAS MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS INCLUDING
LOSS OF ENG AND FLT INSTRUMENTS AS WELL AS CTL OF AUTO FLT SYS-
TEMS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME DURING CRUISE FLT. PAX STATED IT
WAS A NEW PHONE BY AT&T, MODEL SIEMENS CEO168, HE WAS INSTALLING
NEW PHONE NUMBERS IN DATA BANK AND NOT TALKING ON PHONE.
The issue here is PED/TPED RF emissions are affecting non-RF systems, which
means the pulse energy or data interference is also reaching into other system wiring
system design
within the cabin area, with serious repercussions. This suggests further shielding or
conduit runs are also required to protect wiring not involved with shipboard radio sys-
tems per se, if they transit the passenger cabin area.
Lets think about numbers and risks. The reluctance to file any optional and poten-
tially inflammatory report is high, and there is a large disincentive for any airline or
airframe maker to generate such reports or encourage their generation or discussion,
since it highlights a potential problem. In addition, many flight crews do not have the
time or inclination to try a cabin scan for PEDs as serious problems occur, so many
events just get recorded (if at all) in the aircraft snag reports as intermittent problems,
and get resolved as No Fault Found (NFF) subsequently.
If we ignore all flight except commercial airline flights, that is roughly 28,000 a day
in the United States, out of 87,000 total per day. Worldwide there were roughly 93,000
commercial airline flights per day as of 2008. That is a lot of flying, and relatively few
PED event reports, far less than even one a day. It is not unreasonable to assume only
10 percent or even less of PED events get voluntary reports, but even at 1,080 per 10
years that is still a vanishingly small flight percentage. The odds of a reported PED
flight event seem to be roughly 1 in 100,000. Keep in mind, however, over this same
period, there were more than 418,000 incident reports filed in the NASA database, and
some of these are certainly PED related, but reported as intermittent problems, so the
real incidence and correlation remains hard to establish. The only certainty is a real
problem.
An objective person has to conclude that while aircraft systems are affected by
PEDs, the incidence of events is low, frankly a testament to good avionics and airframe
design, and the relentless announcements to passengers. Unfortunately for everyone,
the landscape is changing for the far worse with regard to passenger equipment RF
emissions, and it is a big mistake to assume the low voluntary report rates, and inci-
dents of mild severity are going to remain the norm.
The most significant change to the cabin ecosystem is PEDs with accidental
Relevant PED Events
system design
emissions are now being supplanted by Transmitting PEDs (T-PED), devices that
deliberately emit high levels of RF. This means increased RF levels by 80-100dB, a
huge increase. This includes cell phones (now in many bands, up to 2Ghz), both 2.4
and 5.8Ghz Wi-Fi within many devices not thought of specifically as radios, Bluetooth
devices which can have significant range, FRS (Family Radio Service), CB radios, ISM
band devices, two-way pagers, and all manner of handheld radios from low band VHF
to over 1 Ghz, and many GPS-enabled devices which can act as secondary emitters,
usually from local oscillator injection. Any or all of these could be operated in the cabin
area either deliberately or accidentally. In fact, all the aviation communication and navi-
gation bands are now bracketed both above and below by a sea of potential RF emis-
sions, and are now clearly at risk.
Keep in mind, all RF emissions at any frequency also contain harmonics, unwanted
spurious content, and produce mixer (sum and difference) products at the victim
receivers. This synergistic unhappiness dramatically increases the chances of acci-
dental in-band interference, even though no emitting source is nominally actually
on that frequency intentionally. The potential is also there for highly elevated noise
floor levels, which can compromise system operation, especially for GPS, which is an
extremely low level service.
In addition, new aircraft have increased composite structures with no shielding, pro-
viding much easier RF contamination paths, and lower resistance to unwanted signal
contamination. This trend is especially profound in helicopters, which not only have
huge window areas and tightly packed cabins with antennas very close by, but now
have minimal RF shielding in literally every direction.
Human Behavior
Its important to look at passengers behavior while in flight. In 2006, the IEEE published a
very useful study, in which researchers spent three months in 2003 scanning 37 domes-
tic flights for PED emissions. They found passengers used cell phones on the average
at least one to four times per flight, even during landing, and despite being told not to
do so. They also found emissions could clearly interfere with GPS reception, echoing
NASA studies. In addition, they detected signals showing at least one phone was on and
attempting to attach to a network. As noted earlier, it is unrealistic to expect passengers
to do anything to curtail PED use, even to maintain their own safety.
it is the combination of multiple sources, and their combined
spurious emissions, that erode the safety margin of operating
avionics systems.
The article also confirmed what I have seen in testing it is the combination of mul-
tiple sources, and their combined spurious emissions, that erode the safety margin of
operating avionics systems. It is the gap between what FAA accepts as allowable sig-
nals and what the FCC accepts as allowable spurious emissions in approved devices
that is the root of the problem. GPS, DME, NAV and COM interference were all observed
though combinatorial interference using FCC approved devices. The key to this situation
is to control the environment so that even passenger non-compliance does not threaten
airworthiness.
Both the FCC and PED equipment makers are to blame for these potential PED prob-
lems. FCC permitted spurious emission levels are far too high and enforcement of com-
pliance, especially on imported low end equipment is minimal, and largely self-policed.
Many items from kids toys to music players have no real FCC oversight, yet are plastic-
housed significant emitters loaded with noisy digital circuits, and often wireless links as
T-PEDs.
Little or no effort is expended to make airplane mode easy to find on equipment like
cell phones to iPads, and many items have no clearly marked power-off switch. Some-
thing as simple as a certification flight safe program to check equipment for unwanted
emissions would totally change the dynamic created by the toothless government regu-
lations in force. Making certification compliance a USER and MAKER effort issue, not a
flight crew issue is a critical safety step we are currently missing.
It is very important to note that once spurious emissions standards are set (and espe-
cially if they are set poorly), then component makers and designers will use them as the
de facto design levels. Filters and other related parts will be made to those specs, and no
effort will ever be made to improve them by any manufacturer. There is simply no reason
to do so, and a direct financial disadvantage to do it.
Lack of an incoming emissions test of passengers is the next practical problem to
overcome. Self-check-in makes this much worse, as there is no opportunity to advise
passengers or determine if they are cooperative enough for flight. A simple RF scan as
people travel through the gangway, with a divert back if emissions are found, would be a
hugely helpful tool.
In addition, it is important to include warning information in the seat pocket hand-out,
not to leave the RF defense to over-worked and harried flight attendants. It must spell
out all electronic equipment is to be OFF during take off and landing, and communication
from the plane during approach, take off and landing is an actionable offense according
to Homeland Security. Some action by Sky Marshals is preferable periodically to clarify
that it is not a joke.
Physical proximity is an important issue for interference, and small aircraft and heli-
copters are much more susceptible to PED/T-PED interference than larger airlines simply
system design
because the close proximity of the user to the system, and the lack of shielded bar-
riers. Helicopters are an especially difficult problem because the use of unshielded
composites is now common, it is not easy to even achieve good antenna perfor-
mance, and inter-system interference is the norm rather than the exception. Add-
ing the RF burden of PEDs and T-PEDs simply increases problems for every system
because shielding between the user and the victim system is negligible in almost
every direction.
The normal use of a cell phone or other T-PED is often by the users head, and thus
close to the outer top skin of the airframe, this makes coupling to the coax cable
runs, as well as through the windows to the antennas more likely. NASA studies on
airliners showed a series of coupling models that clearly highlight windows, air ducts,
composites and door seams as the principal emission pathways into external anten-
nas. This coupling factor was about 80 to 85dB in a large aircraft, amazingly high
when you consider there is no real line of sight possible.
The smaller the airframe is, the higher the coupling factor, and so the higher the
chances of unwanted interference to onboard systems. In addition, roof access coax
feedlines will be most susceptible to T-PEDs, a factor often easily forgotten.
Hardening the Airframe:
1. Windows seem to be the key to RF suppression in large ships, but simply may not
be effective in helicopters due to their physical design. Use of either clear conduc-
tive coatings like ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) (up to ~40dB attenuation) or conductive
micromesh (up to 60-80dB) can dramatically reduce both RF leakage out, as well as
incoming signals to discourage users from attempting cell phone calls.
2. Use of extra shielding on all antenna feedlines, with the outer (non-current-carrying)
shield bonded at each mounting clamp. This is in essence, a Triaxial cable with the
outer braid treated for non-corrosion, and externally exposed and clamped. Use
of an inner foil to achieve 100 percent coverage under the braid is recommended.
A single cable conduit is also ideal if possible at airframe construction time. In
essence, provide a well shielded path for any RF cables transiting the passenger
cabin area.
3. Use of a well-grounded thin cover foil over all wiring exposed to the cabin area, so
that all cabin exposed wire runs are shielded from gross signals, especially in over-
head areas.
4. Use of passivated conductive seam tape over all mechanical body seams, and con-
ductive mesh filters in air ducts. Add door RF finger seals if possible.
5. Install an RF tight quarantine area for problem devices found in flight. Use of a zip
lock highly conductive bag may also work if the item is left with the passenger.
6. Install RF sniffer monitors or provide portable sniffers for crew in the cabin to look for
problem RF transmissions.
7. Install Radiax (leaky cable) or GORE Cable-Based Antenna style internal Wi-Fi sys-
tems (probably floor run to avoid roof mounted GPS antenna interference), with
demonstrated non-interference to ships systems. This provides the 2-way pathway
for useful and safe passenger communication at low RF levels. Make it under pilot
control, so it can be disabled during approach/landing and take-off. Use a 50 ohm
attenuator to reduce system output, and stabilize the cable to reduce unwanted
emissions due to ringing.
8. Modify any cabin wall sound insulation to also be RF absorbent, to dramatically
reduce reflections within the cabin and emissions into wiring.
Part of the fix to this problem is somewhat counter-intuitive, namely, implement one
effective Wi-Fi access method for all to use for free, which can be effectively controlled,
and try and render other T-PEDS ineffective, to discourage their use. In this way, the RF
environment can be made useful to passengers, but safe for on-board avionics. In addi-
tion, focus on this frequency allows direct frequency filtering to remove it, rather than
some kind of very lossy wideband filter in every system as a control technique.
The simple go-no-go test for a successfully hardened ship will be that reception of out-
side cell networks is not possible, but use of the internal Wi-Fi network is possible inside
only. If this can be achieved, then the likelihood of PED/T-PED transmission as a fault
trigger is dramatically reduced, and passengers can still have the link they insist on for
outside communication.
It is important to understand that short of removing all PEDs and T-PEDs from pas-
sengers, totally safe cabin operation is not possible, but it is possible to mitigate most
threats far better than we are doing now. This will have a weight and cost penalty that is
not trivial, unfortunately, but the risks are increasing, so some effective plan needs to be
implemented.
I would have had a lot more confidence in ship shielding as a viable tool if I had not
done experiments. To really consider physical shielding as effective, I felt I should be
able to show this effect using ambient signals over a 1Ghz range, an antenna linked to a
spectrum analyzer, and a suitable shield.
In my test, I used a small broadband test Yagi antenna tied to my IFR A-7550, and a
desktop 1Ghz TEM cell (shielded RF test chamber, which will come into play again later
in our search for emissions).
This really highlights the shielding problem of an aircraft. Relative to handheld PEDs
and T-PEDs, the aircraft is NOT an effective shield, since the skin is a floating element,
acting more like an antenna element than a shield. In fact, the aircraft, by virtue of its
system design
insulated tires, is never really grounded at any time, and so not hugely effective as a
shield relative to floating internal items and external fields. Helicopters landing on metal
skid tubes are probably the only aircraft to ever become truly grounded. The airframe
skin will work for internal (airframe grounded) avionics, but may never be truly effective
for external fields. This is a situation not unlike being able to operate your cell phone in an
elevator high up, which despite being a sealed metal box, can still operate.
These are very low-level emissions, and frankly are impressively so. For reference, the
signature from my iPad was similar, but my homemade larger TEM cell that it fits in is not
clean enough to use as a public data source, but take comfort from the fact that the iPad
is also a low (but not zero) emitter.
Please note though emissions exist, and certainly at frequencies not expected. This is
the story of almost all PEDs and T-PEDs, they all add to the RF background, and T-PEDs
dramatically so. Once you blend together 100 of these in the cabin area, the picture
becomes a lot murkier as to how safe they really are going to be in flight.
Any plan going forward has to recognize the unwillingness of passengers to cooperate,
and the increasing RF pollution we will face. I doubt there is a single solution for every air-
frame, but I believe it is possible to improve the situation if everyone makes some effort.
Clearly the risks are not zero, so doing nothing, especially in the face of rising T-PED RF
levels and widening frequency coverage is just not going to be a viable option.
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
walter2@sphere.bc.ca.
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Supply Agreeemnt
Mid-Continent Instrument and Avionics,
based in Wichita, Kan., signed a distribu-
tion and supply agreement with A123 Sys-
tems, of Waltham, Mass., by which Mid-
Continent will offer A123s Nanophosphate
lithium-ion battery technology for aviation
applications. Mid-Continents True Blue
Power division initially began by offering
two inverters and the TS835 Emergency
Power Supply. Under the agreement, True
Blue Power will provide lithium-ion cells,
modules and custom power solutions to
the aviation community.
Visit www.truebluepowerusa.
FAA STC ODA
FAA awarded Pro Star Aviation, of Lon-
donberry, N.H., a Letter of Designation
for the FAA Supplemental Type Certifi-
cate (STC) Organization Designation
Authorization. This designation allows
Pro Star Aviation to act on behalf of FAA
Mission Computer
Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense
Solutions (CWCDS) introduced the
Multi-Platform Mission Computer
(MPMC) 9105 VMC (Versatile Mission
Computer). The system is an ultra
compact, volume optimized sys-
tem designed for space, weight and
power (SWaP)-constrained vetronics
and avionics applications, the com-
pany said. This COTS subsystem
features a compact and lightweight
small form factor ideal for use on
platforms such as UAVs, helicopters
and ground vehicles.
The MPMC-9105 VMC meets or surpasses the MIL-STD-810F Test Method Stan-
dard for Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests, and for
EMI as per MIL-STD-461 Requirements for the Control of EMI Characteristics of
Subsystems. It will meet a wide range of environmental tests including temperature,
altitude, shock, vibration, fluid susceptibility, voltage spikes, and electrostatic dis-
charge. The circuit cards installed in the sealed compact chassis are completely iso-
lated from external environmental conditions such as humidity, dust and sand. Visit
www.cwcdefense.com.
new products
when approving and issuing STCs.
As an ODA, Pro Star Aviation said it
will manage and control STC projects
from start to finish with minimal over-
sight from FAA. Visit www.prostaravia-
tion.com.
Satcom Device
DeLorme, of Yarmouth, Maine, intro-
duced inReach two-way satellite com-
municator. The Iridium system allows for
two-way personal text messaging, mes-
sage delivery confirmation, SOS alerting
and remote GPS real-time Flight Fol-
lowing/Ping-Me Locating. The inReach
device also interfaces wirelessly with
Android and Apple smartphones.
Visit www.delorme.com.
Sales Ofce
Innovative Solutions & Support, of
Exton, Pa., opened an Atlanta sales and
field service office to support its prod-
ucts in the commercial air transport,
military and corporate/business aviation
market segments.
The office is located at 100 Hartsfield
Centre Parkway, Suite 535, Atlanta, Ga.,
30354. Visit www.innovative-ss.com.
1553 Integration
Data Device Corp. (DDC), of Bohemia,
N.Y., added real-time LabWindows/CVI
and LabVIEW functionality to its Lab-
VIEW support package. The expanded
BU-69093 package allows engineers to
integrate Mil-Std-1553 and ARINC 429
hardware and software systems ensur-
ing the utmost data integrity while sav-
ing valuable time, effort and cost, the
company said.
Visit www.ddc-web.com.
Electronic Flight Bag
Jeppesen introduced Boeing Enroute
Application, a Class 3 electronic flight bag
(EFB) system that replaces paper en route
charts in the flight deck for commercial
operators.
It is designed for use with certified and
integrated aircraft EFB systems, desig-
nated as Class 3. The Boeing Enroute
Application provides an interactive, data-
driven en route display based on naviga-
tion information from Jeppesens global
en route library, the company said.
The Boeing Enroute Application is
compatible for integration with Block
Point 3.7 and 4.4 EFB platforms. Pilots
using the Boeing Enroute Application
are able to filter preferred en route dis-
play information through selection of
airports, airways, waypoints, airspace,
NAVAIDs and terrain on-screen.
Visit www.jeppesen.com.
Hardware Certications
TriaGnoSys, based in Oberpfaffenhofen,
Germany, has been awarded EASA Part
21 Design Organization and Production
Organization Approvals, meaning the
company can build, design and certify
hardware for aircraft.
In conjunction, TriaGnoSys has
received EASA ETSO certification for its
GSMConneX system, which includes
the AeroBTS+ in-flight entertainment
and connectivity platform that provides
GSM mobile phone and Wi-Fi services,
as well as wireless distribution of IFE
content. Visit triagnosys.com.
Distribution Partner
OnAir and Inmarsat signed a contract
finalizing the appointment of OnAir as
the first Aviation Distribution Partner for
Global Xpress (GX), the global Ka-band
network to provide in-flight broadband
connectivity for the aeronautical market.
OnAir currently uses Inmarsat Swift-
Broadband (SBB) to provide the con-
nectivity for Mobile OnAir and Internet
OnAir, and has been jointly working with
Inmarsat on a deployment path from
SBB to GX.
Visit www.onair.aero.
Legend Panel
Cobham has added another removable
legend panel to the N301A family of
audio controllers. The N301A-3xx series
includes a selection switch that allows
operators to choose compatibility of the
N301A between commercial and military
headsets.
Cobhams removable legends are
available in kits with multiple text
options, including international languag-
es, and legends are customizable to suit
operator specification.
Cobhams N301A may be used in
new installations where single or mul-
tiple-user networks (up to 10 stations)
are required. User-controlled features
include enhanced noise reduction capa-
bility, split receive and intercom sys-
tem volume controls, Voice Operated
eXchange squelch control, an additional
RX input for the auxiliary transmit posi-
tion, and an extra nav aid position.
Visit www.cobham.com.
Fleet Management
Blue Sky Network, of La Jolla, Calif.,
released its New SkyRouter mobile
application, a fleet management portal
for land mobile, aviation, and marine
applications. It is a cloud-based sys-
tem designed to support connectivity
with remotely dispersed mobile assets.
Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Requester Publications Only)
1. Publication Title: Avionics Magazine 2. Publication Number: 1085-9284 3. Filing Date:
10/4/2012 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 12 6. An-
nual Subscription Price 99. Complete Mailing Address of Known Ofce of Publication:
Access Intelligence, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 20850-4024 Contact:
George Severine Telephone: 301-354-1706 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters
or General Business Ofce Publisher: Access Intelligence, C, 4 Choke Cherry Road,
2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 20850-4024 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of
Publisher, Editor, and Maging Editor: Publisher: Randy Jones, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd
Floor, Rockville, MD 20850-4024 Editor: Emily Feliz, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor,
Rockville, MD 20850-4024 Managing Editor: Debra Richards, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd
Floor, Rockville, MD 20850-4024 10. Owner if the publication is owned by a corporation,
give the name and address of the corporation immediately followed by the names and ad-
dresses of all stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of the total amount of stock:
Veronis Suhler Stevenson, 55 East 52nd Street, 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10055 11. Known
Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More
of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or other Securities: None 12. Non-prot organiza-
tion: not applicable. 13. Publication: Avionics Magazine 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data:
September 2012.
Average No. of No. Copies of
15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Copies Each Issue Single issue
During Preceding Nearest to
12 Months Filing Date
a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run) 9.723 10,164
b. egitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution
(1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions 7.703 7.719
(2) Inside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions 0 0
(3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, 357 328
and Other Paid or Requested Distribution outside USPS
(4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes 9 8
c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation 8,069 8,055
d. Nonrequested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)
(1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies 553 549
(2) Inside-County Nonrequested Copies 0 0
(3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS
by Other Classes of Mail 0 0
(4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail
(Include Pickup Stands, Trade Shows, Showrooms,
and Other Sources) 735 1,201
e. Total Norequested Distribution 1,288 1,750
f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) 9,357 9,805
g. Copies not Distributed (Ofce, Returns, Spoilage, Unused) 366 359
h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) 9.723 10,164
i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation 86.23% 81.15%
17. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will
be printed in the November 2012 issue of this publication
18. Signature of Owner: Don Pazour Date: 10/4/2012 PS Form 3526-R, August 2012
The system provides fleet managers
with around-the-clock connectivity with
assets via most Android or iOS mobile
phones or tablets, the company said.
Visit www.blueskynetwork.com.
ADS-B Capabilities
PASSUR Aerospace, of Stamford,
Conn., is integrating and displaying
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-
Broadcast (ADS-B) into its PASSUR
Integrated Traffic Management
(PITM) system. PITM is a web-hosted
integrated business intelligence platform
that targets key constraints through the
entire lifecycle of the flight, in order to
optimize fuel costs and other financial
metrics, carbon emissions, schedule
integrity, and the passenger experience,
the company said.
PITM is built on a proprietary network
of radar surveillance systems installed
throughout North America and interna-
tionally, integrated aviation databases
with historical archives, predictive ana-
lytical algorithms, and decision support
software. Visit www.passur.com.
U.K. Citation Center
Cessna opened the first Cessna-owned
Citation Service Center in the U.K.,
located at Robin Hood Airport Don-
caster Sheffield. The 50,000-square-
foot facility, rebranded as the Doncaster
Citation Service Center, offers a range
of services from maintenance to mod-
ernization and paint. Previously known
as Kinch Aviation Services, the business
has operated for 15 years and been a
Cessna authorized service facility for the
past four years. It becomes the fourth
Cessna-operated Citation Service Cen-
ter in Europe.
Visit www.cessna.com.
Phone STC
International Communications Group
(ICG), of Newport News, Va., received
two FAA Supplemental Type Certificates
(STC) for its ePhone cordless cabin tele-
phone system. Working with Chicago
Jet Group, ICG completed the first STC
on a Falcon 900 and collaborated with
L2 Consulting Services to complete
the requirements for a second STC for
the installation of the Digital Enhanced
Cordless Telephone device on a Boeing
737-800 operated by a U.S. airline.
The first STC covers the ePhones
docking station, handset and base unit
on the Falcon 900. Visit www.icg.aero.
ATM Support Tools
Lockheed Martin announced the avail-
ability of The Logic Suite, a set of deci-
sion support tools that helps connect
more passengers to their flights, reduc-
es surface congestion at airports and
lowers operating costs for airlines.
The Logic Suite is comprised of Ramp
Logic, which forecasts when an aircraft
is ready to depart; Departure Logic,
which allocates airline departure slots
based on runway availability and air
traffic constraints; Flight Logic, which
allows airlines to perform a risk analy-
sis of a flight plan based on current and
potential future restrictions (i.e., weather
delays) in the National Airspace (NAS);
and Flow Logic, which enables collab-
orative traffic flow management.
Visit www.lockheedmartin.com.
In-Seat Power
Astronics AES aircraft cabin power
system, manufactured by Astronics
Corp., based in East Aurora, N.Y., is
now available for sale as a stand-alone
5 Volt DC In-Seat USB charging sys-
tem designed to charge the latest pas-
senger electronics devices. This latest
EMPOWER stand-alone 5 Volt DC USB
In-Seat Power charging system provides
power to four individual USB Outlet
Units capable of simultaneously charg-
ing four iPads.
Visit www.astronics.com.
Distributor Agreement
Geotest-Marvin Test Systems has
named CoreTest Technologies a distrib-
utor for its TS-900 Semiconductor Test
product line in the U.K. and Ireland.
CoreTest Technologies, in Lincoln,
U.K., has experience supporting prod-
ucts for semiconductor and PCB test
in many market sectors including semi-
conductor manufacturing, automotive
electronics, consumer electronics, med-
ical electronics, aerospace, and military
and defense.
Visit www.geotestinc.com.
CONGREGATE...CONNECT...CONVERSE
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community where industry insiders congregate and connect with Aviation Today editors, colleagues and clients. Niche
groups offer venues for members to get input or expertise on specic topics, search for partners and nd opportunities.
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Join Today, its free!
19878
Robert K. Ortberg, Philip J. Jasper
Rockwell Collins appointed Robert K. Ortberg as the companys
president. He joins Clayton M. Jones, who continues as chairman
and CEO, in the newly formed Office of the Chief Executive.
As president, Ortberg is primarily responsible for the operational
management of the company, including oversight of its commer-
cial and government businesses and supporting functions. He was
formerly executive vice president and chief operating officer of the companys
Government Systems business, and previously served as executive vice president
and chief operating officer of Commercial Systems.
Additionally, the company has also named Philip J. Jasper executive vice presi-
dent and chief operating officer of Government Systems. Jasper has more than
20 years experience with Rockwell Collins, including previous roles as vice presi-
dent, business development, and vice president, mobility and rotary wing solu-
tions for the companys Government Systems business.
ICG Personnel Additions
International Communications Group (ICG), based in Newport News, Va., is
expanding its workforce.
Davert Leong has been hired as an electrical engineer. Leong joined ICG
after five years of service in the U.S. Army and with the California Army
National Guard.
David Casey was appointed lead embedded software engineer. Casey
brings experience in systems and software development associated with
GPS receivers, flight controls and multifunction displays. He spent 15 years
with Rockwell Collins, and previously worked at Honeywell, the Department
of the Army and GE.
Doyle Sisson was named project manager. Sisson has more than 25 years of
experience in aviation business development and program management. Pre-
vious employers include Boeing, Raytheon, AIS and Laird Technologies. More
recently, he was senior program manager at BaySys Technologies.
Additionally, Debbie Glass has been added as a technical writer. Glass joined
ICG from Avidyne Corp., where she wrote installation and maintenance manuals
for primary/multi-function flight display units. Previously, she worked for Rock-
well International and United Space Alliance.
Larry Levine, Darby Shields
Teledyne Controls, based in El Segundo, Calif., named Larry Levine vice
president of sales and marketing, with overall responsibility for the companys
Robert K. Ortberg
people
worldwide Sales, Marketing and Customer Account Management
teams.
Levine comes to Teledyne Controls with more than 30 years in the
aviation industry and solid experience in sales and marketing. Prior to
joining Teledyne, he was with Boeing in the Commercial Aviation Ser-
vices organization for more than 13 years. Previously, he also worked
with Decrane Aircraft Holdings, Litton Aero Products and Lockheed Martin.
Darby Shields, the former vice president of sales and marketing, is now in
charge of a new Business Development and Program organization at Teledyne
Controls focused on e-enabled solutions.
Scott McKenzie
Duncan Aviation, based in Lincoln, Neb., named Scott McKenzie
an avionics technical representative.
In this new position, he will provide technical service as well as
troubleshooting in support of avionics and instruments. In addition
to supporting customers with their avionics and instrument ques-
tions, McKenzie will assist in expanding the Duncan Aviation avionics bench
capabilities.
Gerry Block
Gerry Block, president and CEO of Sandel Avionics, has been appointed to the
General Aviation Manufacture Association (GAMA) board. GAMA is an interna-
tional trade association representing more than 75 of the worlds leading manu-
facturers of general aviation airplanes and rotorcraft, engines, avionics, compo-
nents and related services.
George Novak
George Novak has joined the Aerospace Industries Association as assistant vice
president of civil aviation. Most recently, Novak was director of safety, borders
and security with InterVISTAS Consulting. While at the firm he also worked on
regulatory and compliance issues, aircraft certification strategies and on interna-
tional policy issues involved with FAA, EU and ICAO standards.
Novak began his professional career in 1983 as an attorney with FAA. Sub-
sequently he worked as a consultant on a variety of U.S. and international legal
and regulatory issues for manufacturers, air carriers, airports and civil aviation
authorities.
John Bullis, Christian Zumkeller
Universal Avionics Systems, based in Tucson, Ariz., named John Bullis
regional sales manager of Northern Europe. Bullis is based out of London, and
Larry Levine
Scott McKenzie

responsible for the overall growth and development of Universal
Avionics product sales in the Northern European region.
Bullis began his career with Universal Avionics in 1998 in the posi-
tion of avionics technician, later moving into his most recent position
as field service engineer.
Concurrent with Bullis transition to regional sales manager for
Northern Europe, Christian Zumkeller transitions to regional sales manager for
Southern Europe.
West Star Sales Team
West Star Aviation announced changes within its sales team. Greg Byrnes has
been named senior vice president, sales, while Rick Brainard, previously vice
president of sales, has been named vice president of business development.
Byrnes was most recently vice president, sales and new business development
at Gulfstream Aerospace. At West Star, he will be responsible for generating the
maintenance and modification sales.
In his new position, Brainards primary responsibility will be the development of
new business for West Star. This includes the aircraft dealer and aircraft broker net-
work, managed fleet and fractional groups, as well as bankers and financial groups
associated with the leasing and financing of business aircraft.
John Bullis
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73258 AVSAd_horiz:15155_ral-1-4page 12/9/10 1:02 PM Page 1
2013
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 International Convention and Trade Show, MGM Grand
Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas. Visit www.aea.net.
April
9-11 Aircraft Interiors Expo, Hamburg Messe, Hamburg, Germany. Visit www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com.
8-10 Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center,
National Harbor, Md. Visit www.seaairspace.org.
1618 Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE), Shanghai Hawker Pacific
Business Aviation Service Centre, Shanghai, China. Visit www.abace.aero
22-26 AMC Open Forum and AEEC General Session, 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
29-Aug. 4 EAA AirVenture, Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wis.
Visit www.eaa.org.
calendar
Pg Advertiser Web Address
5 Carlisle Interconnect Technologies ........ www.CarlisleIT.com
17 Emteq Inc. ....................................................www.emteq.com
31 Esterline Power Systems ........................................................
........................................ www.esterline.com/powersystems
2 Goodrich ................................................. www.goodrich.com
7A Honeywell Aerospace ............................www.honeywell.com
10 PIC Wire & Cable ............................... www.picwire.com/avm
ad index
August
12-15 Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems Internationals (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
21-23 Association of the U.S. Armys Annual Meeting 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.
A FREE Avionics Magazine Webinar!
U
AV programs continue to evolve rapidly with a wide
range of applications and requirements develop-
ing in both military/government and civil operations.
Datalinks are critical to UAV operations and traditional
Line-of-Sight (LOS) technologies have certain limitations, requir-
ing alternative datalink solutions to accomplish their missions.
Satellite based datalinks provide an excellent alternative while
offering a Beyond-Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) capability. With recent
advancements in Inmarsats SwiftBroadband satellite services
and newer generation terminals which are smaller, lighter and
less expensive to deploy without compromising on performance
are now available today with more developments in the near
future to support and enhance UAV operations globally.
In this webinar, panelists will discuss the use of Inmarsat
SwiftBroadband terminals to extend and enhance UAV
operations. Using satcom data links such as SwiftBroad-
band can bring a unique set of capabilities to both UAV
manufacturers and operators due to the latest generation of
services and hardware.
Panelists from leading terminal manufacturer Thrane &
Thrane, a Cobham company, service provider Inmarsat and
systems integrator Cahon Systems will present their per-
spectives and insights on how to select the right terminal,
service and conguration to meet the needs of a beyond-
line-of-sight solution for UAV applications.
Beyond Line of Sight: Using Satcom
Datalinks to Enhance UAV Operations
Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 | 11 a.m. ET
Barry Jackson
Founder and Chairperson
of the Board of Directors
Cahon Systems
Andy Beers
Director, Aeronautical Sales
for the Americas Region
Thrane & Thrane
Cobham SATCOM
Panelists:
Emily Feliz
Editor in Chief,
Avionics Magazine
Moderator:
For information, or to register, visit
www.aviationtoday.com/webinars/2012-1205.html
Sponsored by
DIG_12_AVS_1112_Calendar_p58-60.indd 60 10/22/12 3:25:30 PM

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