Avionics News March 2015 - 72

series

B Y

STEVE 'JAKE' JACOBSON:

THOS E O F US AT
AVI DY NE L OVE BE ING
HE R E . I T WO UL D BE
HA R DE R FIND ING A
COOL E R JO B IN T HIS
TE R R I FI C, IMP O RTANT
I NDU S T RY. WE D O N'T
HAVE T U RNOVE R.

E VE RYONE
CONTR IBU TES ,
AND I T S H OW S .
STEVE "JAKE" JACOBSON of Avidyne

72

avionics news

*

march

2015

K E V I N

K N I G H T

Avidyne vice president of product management

W

hen Steve "Jake" Jacobson began designing
Avidyne's plug-and-play IFD440 and IFD540
"upgrade" replacements for the popular Garmin 430
and 540 GPS nav/comms, one of the first things he recalled was
his time as a young Air Force pilot in late 1987.
"Our base in the United Kingdom was really close to the
North Sea, which is treacherous," said Jacobson from Avidyne's
engineering complex near Boston. "When we flew sorties in A-10
Warthogs at night, the weather was always bad. You would be
sent on vectors for a long ILS that could take you 'feet wet' over
those dark, cold waters. Turning base was like entering an abyss.
You'd be asking yourself, 'Are those lights the boats or the stars?'
I'd think 'Look at the ADI' and ask 'Should it be black over gray
or gray over black?' I'd be falling apart. Wiggle your toes, take
a breath and focus on basics. At some point my brain would shut
down, and it could be hard pulling out of that."
He pauses for a moment and shakes his head. "At Avidyne, we're
designing products that must be powerful but easy to use, especially
during worst-case scenarios," he said. "Our design process starts
with high-stress, high-workload environments in mind. We can add
extra stuff as needed, but getting into a features arms race with your
competitors isn't a good approach. More isn't always more."
That's true but somewhat ironic since Jacobson is a classic
overachiever who has always added one personal challenge on top of
another.



Avionics News March 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News March 2015

Point of Communication
AEA Now
The View from Washington
International News and Regulatory Updates
'Cell'-ular Changes
Member Profile
NextGen Connection
Avionics Corrosion Control
Member Profile
AEA Convention Information
Business Basics
What's Working?
Aviation Insurance 101
Legal Ease
A Conversation With...
Best Advice
Aviation Aces
Honoring our Heroes
What's New
Before & After
Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News March 2015 - Intro
Avionics News March 2015 - Cover1
Avionics News March 2015 - Cover2
Avionics News March 2015 - 1
Avionics News March 2015 - 2
Avionics News March 2015 - 3
Avionics News March 2015 - Point of Communication
Avionics News March 2015 - 5
Avionics News March 2015 - AEA Now
Avionics News March 2015 - 7
Avionics News March 2015 - 8
Avionics News March 2015 - 9
Avionics News March 2015 - 10
Avionics News March 2015 - 11
Avionics News March 2015 - The View from Washington
Avionics News March 2015 - 13
Avionics News March 2015 - International News and Regulatory Updates
Avionics News March 2015 - 15
Avionics News March 2015 - 16
Avionics News March 2015 - 17
Avionics News March 2015 - 'Cell'-ular Changes
Avionics News March 2015 - 19
Avionics News March 2015 - 20
Avionics News March 2015 - 21
Avionics News March 2015 - Member Profile
Avionics News March 2015 - 23
Avionics News March 2015 - 24
Avionics News March 2015 - 25
Avionics News March 2015 - NextGen Connection
Avionics News March 2015 - 27
Avionics News March 2015 - 28
Avionics News March 2015 - 29
Avionics News March 2015 - 30
Avionics News March 2015 - 31
Avionics News March 2015 - Avionics Corrosion Control
Avionics News March 2015 - 33
Avionics News March 2015 - 34
Avionics News March 2015 - 35
Avionics News March 2015 - 36
Avionics News March 2015 - 37
Avionics News March 2015 - Member Profile
Avionics News March 2015 - 39
Avionics News March 2015 - 40
Avionics News March 2015 - 41
Avionics News March 2015 - 42
Avionics News March 2015 - AEA Convention Information
Avionics News March 2015 - 44
Avionics News March 2015 - 45
Avionics News March 2015 - 46
Avionics News March 2015 - 47
Avionics News March 2015 - 48
Avionics News March 2015 - 49
Avionics News March 2015 - 50
Avionics News March 2015 - 51
Avionics News March 2015 - Business Basics
Avionics News March 2015 - 53
Avionics News March 2015 - 54
Avionics News March 2015 - 55
Avionics News March 2015 - What's Working?
Avionics News March 2015 - 57
Avionics News March 2015 - 58
Avionics News March 2015 - 59
Avionics News March 2015 - Aviation Insurance 101
Avionics News March 2015 - 61
Avionics News March 2015 - Legal Ease
Avionics News March 2015 - 63
Avionics News March 2015 - 64
Avionics News March 2015 - 65
Avionics News March 2015 - A Conversation With...
Avionics News March 2015 - 67
Avionics News March 2015 - Best Advice
Avionics News March 2015 - 69
Avionics News March 2015 - 70
Avionics News March 2015 - 71
Avionics News March 2015 - Aviation Aces
Avionics News March 2015 - 73
Avionics News March 2015 - 74
Avionics News March 2015 - 75
Avionics News March 2015 - Honoring our Heroes
Avionics News March 2015 - 77
Avionics News March 2015 - 78
Avionics News March 2015 - 79
Avionics News March 2015 - What's New
Avionics News March 2015 - 81
Avionics News March 2015 - 82
Avionics News March 2015 - 83
Avionics News March 2015 - 84
Avionics News March 2015 - Before & After
Avionics News March 2015 - Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News March 2015 - 87
Avionics News March 2015 - 88
Avionics News March 2015 - Cover3
Avionics News March 2015 - Cover4
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