Avionics/Electronics

Avionics Heat Up, in a Good Way: As was apparent at Farnborough, if there is a single technology theme that today dominates how aircraft are designed, built, and operated, it is the transformational progress being made in aerospace avionics, and the human-machine interface.

The common feature shared by recent aviation platforms is the high level of systems integration, and the way in which information is displayed or made accessible, allowing previously unimaginable levels of situational awareness to be available to pilots and ground controllers. This has greatly eased the pilot workload and enhanced flight safety, especially when flying in poor weather or operating in unfamiliar or hazardous terrain.

The transition from analog to digital cockpit displays has been comprehensive, but more recently the development of interactive applications and associated technologies has promoted even more rapid progress, notably with the growing adoption of touchscreens, head-up displays (HUDs), and helmet-mounted displays (HMDs). The fusion of synthetic (computer generated) images with real-time inputs from onboard sensors has created a display revolution that is now working its way into a wide variety of avionics products aimed at aircrew and, in the case of commercial passengers, into global interconnectivity.