Posted by Stefan
How important is avionics? You may be wondering if it’s the be-all and end-all in the aircraft industry, but to first answer that question, let’s delve a bit deeper into exactly what avionics is.
What is Meant by Avionics?
Avionics is an abbreviation for aviation electronics, which includes navigation, radio, and the monitoring of aircraft performance. It was pushed and implemented due to the demand of the military in the 1970’s, and involves the design, installation, and assembly of every electronic device on an aircraft, even if it is not powered by an engine.
How Important is Avionics?
Avionics are necessary to pilots in nearly every aspect of flying. From flight planning to safe take-off, cruising, and landing, avionics ensure that the journey is as smooth and as safe as possible.
Anyone who uses the avionics of an aircraft is impacted by it. From a small home-built aircraft to your commercial airliner, to missiles and military jets, avionics are a vital part of navigation, communication, and performance monitoring. They also help to effectively manage fuel systems, flight recorders, aircraft management systems, radar, and sonar. When properly used, avionics is an undoubtedly beneficial way to ensure optimal efficiency and professionalism when airborne.
Despite this, you may be shocked to learn that there is still some controversy surrounding the level of importance of avionics.
The Controversy of Avionics
When appropriately used, avionics are a must-have in any aircraft. However, an overreliance on technology over the past few decades has negatively impacted the need for human instinct and judgements, which certain situations may call for.
It could be argued that pilots who never learned to navigate an aircraft without the help of avionics, place themselves and their passengers in danger. Because of this, some pilots even look at advanced avionics with caution and avoid them as much as possible.
Of course, the fact that one pilot may not rely on avionics doesn’t make him ‘better’ than one who does. An effective way to approach it, is to have a balanced view and understand that pairing advanced avionics with human skill ensures the safest and most efficient journey.
Safety Is Paramount
Whether you’re pro or anti avionics, we can all agree that you and your passengers’ safety is the most important thing. So, if you’re interested in servicing or sourcing aircraft parts for your airplane, please feel free to contact us, or register for your 14-day free membership trial today!