Retrofitting Avionics: Closing the Performance “Generation Gap”

This paper will examine modern avionics and related developments coming from the electronics revolution and show how they can be applied to in-service aircraft to produce significant performance improvements. While it is recognized the discussion could be very wide ranging, this paper will focus primarily on some of the developments in which NASA-Langley Research Center has been involved, including advanced flight management concepts, flat panel displays, and innovative fuel gauge designs.

This paper will also look at emerging airspace system concepts, such as navigation using satellites and communications via data links, and provide a preliminary assessment of the impact of these concepts on in-service aircraft from the perspective of retrofitting avionics.