Chapter 1 Introduction to Avionics 1.1 History Avionics, which is “aviation electronics,” combines two large and exciting fields that reached maturity during the 20th century. Major developments in aviation date back to the 18th century with experiments in lighter-than-air craft, followed by flights in non-powered gliders. There was also much theorizing and experimentation in electricity during the 18th and 19th centuries. Marconi’s 1901 milestone, spanning the Atlantic with radio waves, was the most, advanced application of electricity for that time. It marked an important event in the birth of an industry that became radio engineering, precursor of electronics. A few years after Marconi’s achievement, on December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville ‘Wright also performed a feat never before accomplished: taking off, flying and landing in a manned, powered, heavier-than-air craft. Marconi’s transatlantic signals were not the first time messages were transmitted by radio. Nor was the Wrights’ flight the first time man ever flew. What they did differently was to thoroughly understand and solve their problems. These accomplishments were not by chance. Marconi. per- formed numerous experiments with radio and knew what it would take to span the Atlantic. The ‘Wrights were the first to use a wind tunnel to prove airfoil designs, rather than risking their lives to trial and error. 1.2 Flying Blind ‘Weather profoundly affected airline travel in the 1920s. A clear day was required not only for take off, but along the route and at the destination, Over long distances, consistently good flying, weather was unlikely. Without the ability to fly at any time, practical application of aircraft was severely limited. The US Army was so concerned about its military operations, it began an investi- gation in 1925 into what it called “blind flight”. Based on the 24 years since the Wrights first flight in 1903, the researchers determined a need for three systems to make blind flight possible. First would be an altimeter of sufficient accu- racy to enable the pilot to avoid unseen mountains and other obstructions. The instrument would require sufficient accuracy for landing at a fog-bound airport. Altimeters based on barometric pres- sure were already aboard aircraft, but accuracy was only on the order of 1000 feet, hardly precise enough for flight in low visibility ‘The second item was a reference to the natural horizon. When fog, clouds or other precipita- tion obscure the earth's horizon, a pilot cannot depend on his senses to determine up from down. If