What is avionics?
Avionics are the aviation electronics systems that provide the functions and capabilities required for safe operation of aircraft throughout the world. Avionics encompass the ground, aircraft, and space assets required for control of flight of the aircraft, and its operation and movement while on the ground. Training systems incorporate avionics used in the aircraft. The air traffic control system is a global network of national air traffic control systems that seamlessly pass the control of international flights as they travel between countries and continents. Air traffic control globally coordinates the use of airspace. Airspace capacity is influenced by weather conditions and bad weather at landing or takeoff airports creates backups, delays, and cancelled flights. The avionics onboard an aircraft provides the crew the capability to manually or automatically control the flight of the aircraft in response to flight plans and air traffic control clearances. Avionics also provide passe
Short for aviation electronics, avionics is the field that involves the assembly and installation of electronic systems on all types of airborne and space related devices. Avionics play a role in the construction of airplanes ranging from small planes to large commercial aircraft. At the same time, avionics is essential to the creation and ongoing function of satellites and all types of spacecraft. The motivation behind the establishment of avionics as a specific field is usually considered to be related to military needs. Prior to the 1970’s, various electronic components and systems were developed under various types of disciplines, but not really considered in relation to functionality as a working unit. As the need for faster and more centrally controlled functionality became apparent, aviation electronics became the process of integrating all these various individual electronics into a cohesive working master system that would increase the overall efficiency of the aircraft. This
” A. A contraction of the words “aircraft electronics,” the term appears to have been first used during World War II. At that time it defined a military fire control system aboard naval aircraft. Even as late as the 1970’s many defense contractors used the word only in the military context. Any civil use of airborne electronics was simply termed “aircraft radio” and, indeed, one of the oldest companies in that business was ARC—Aircraft Radio Corporation, which produced some of the earliest equipment for instrument flying, pioneered by Jimmy Doolittle. With the semiconductor revolution that began with the transistor in 1947, it was clear that many systems in the airplane would become candidates for solid-state devices. Because of their light weight, low volume and small power consumption, transistors were soon designed into more than just aircraft radios. Instruments, displays, switches, inverters, sensors, actuators, converters and other devices enjoyed a major changeover to integrat
The word “Avionics” is a contraction of aviation-electronics, and is the term used for the electronic and electrical systems on aircraft and spacecraft such as the navigation, communications, flight data and control systems. Today these systems are a complex mix of computers, sensors, actuators, and control and display units that have to be interconnected and integrated within a very compact space. They have to work to in “real time” whilst maintaining high standards of safety and reliability in a high stress environment. As aircraft systems have increased in sophistication so the avionics component accounts for an increasing proportion of the value of the aircraft. Currently about half the aerospace industry’s turnover is related to avionics and the upward trend is almost certain to continue. Although avionics originated in the aerospace industry the expertise and technology are increasingly being used in other areas where complex, real time, safety critical systems are need. For inst
