Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014 - 8

PILOT’S GUIDE

Advancing
Avionics
Companies Introduce Latest Products at AEA Convention

S T O R Y

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J O S E P H

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B U R N S I D E

Aspen Avionics, Avidyne and Garmin, to name but three,
incorporate new, lightweight technologies and leverage subscription-free ADS-B In traffic and weather information while
helping ensure compliance with the January 2020 ADS-B Out
requirement. Those companies and others also are incorporating increasingly sophisticated support for portable devices
like the iPad, enhancing their growing popularity and utility
in the cockpit for tasks including flight planning, charting and
situational awareness.
Does the average avionics shop or aircraft operator need
all these products? We’ll let the customer decide. But it’s nice
to have options. It’s also nice to know what’s available if a
customer requests it, or just to understand where to look for
solutions to uncommon problems. With that in mind, here is a
summary of the 27 companies that made presentations during the AEA’s New Product Introductions session at the MGM
Grand Hotel & Convention Center in Las Vegas.

n a very real sense, avionics design, manufacturing
and installation is about solving problems: How to
communicate? How to navigate? How to monitor an
aircraft’s systems and ensure safe operation? How to
entertain and inform passengers? And how to squeeze all of
these solutions into a flying machine that can still leave the
ground and reach its destination comfortably, safely, reliably
and repeatedly?
When unique challenges arise in aircraft operation and
design, engineers, technicians and operators devise solutions
and implement them. That the avionics industry is capable of
identifying, responding to and meeting the challenges posed
by an evolving market was clearly demonstrated during the
ever-popular Aircraft Electronics Association New Product
Introductions session at the 56th annual AEA International
Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nev. On March 26,
some 27 companies from all industry segments presented
information on their latest and greatest products during the
show’s Opening Ceremonies.
Need in-cabin Wi-Fi and multimedia storage/server
solutions? How many do you want? Looking for a flexible,
computer-assisted set of tools or high-tech materials to fabricate instrument panels and other cockpit components, all
in-house? Right over here. How about advanced LED cabin
mood lighting, USB-based recharging stations, portable
touchscreen test equipment or even a stability augmentation
system for popular helicopters? You came to the right place.
But what about traditional avionics – the electronic communication and navigation equipment installed in an aircraft’s
instrument panel – did the AEA Convention include any new,
sexy boxes? Of course. Freshly introduced products from

Aeroflex Test Solutions
Founded in 1937, Aeroflex is a global provider of highperformance microelectronic components, and test and measurement equipment used by companies in the space, avionics, defense, commercial wireless communications, medical
and other markets. Its Aeroflex Test Solutions division brought
to the AEA Convention the new model 3550 Touch Screen
Radio Test System, a portable, integrated unit designed for
digital and analog radio system testing.
Mike Farleigh, Aeroflex’s territory manager for GPS simulation and avionics, told attendees his company’s new 3550 test
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Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014