AvBuyer Magazine – August 2019

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onsider the future aircraft as an actual flying

craft, surrounded by a virtual sphere of

protected airspace. With this in mind, it

may be easier to understand how full

autonomy can become acceptable.

The virtual sphere is what the wider world

experiences, whether that’s air traffic control, other

aircraft (manned or unmanned), or any resource

used by aircraft.

You can think of that virtual sphere as both a

‘bubble’ of protected airspace, and a partitioned

segment of ‘cloud-based avionics’ dedicated to the

aircraft of interest.

The segment of the virtual sphere dedicated to

avionics will provide for off-board communication,

navigation and surveillance (CNS). The transfer of

CNS to the physical aircraft will be via a bi-

directional ‘single digital complex word’ that uses a

closed-loop system.

Communication: Is a data set, and the transfer of

the digital word itself from and to the aircraft.

Navigation:Is the control of the aircraft and the

command portion of the digital word. The actual

navigation calculation and steering function is an

off-board process. This, in turn, is converted aboard

the aircraft into electro-mechanical drive

commands. The resultant movement of the aircraft

is monitored and provides instantaneous feedback

acting out a reactive closed-loop system.

Surveillance: The outer bubble of the virtual sphere

is really the surface of a surveillance screen. This

bubble is a result of the closed-loop system and

associated with ‘desired versus actual’. Because of

low latency in the advanced communications, this

will equate to real-time monitoring, maintaining an

effective, protective flight-shield to the aircraft.

114
Vol 23 Issue 8 2019
AVBUYERMAGAZINE http://www.AVBUYER.com

AVIONICS AVBUYER .com

What’s the Future of Avionics?

(Part 3 )

Ken Elliott continues his reversed time journey from the future back to the

present, covering the evolution of avionics. This month, he considers the

virtual sphere of protected airspace surrounding the aircraft of the future...

C

A

Ken Elliott is a

veteran with 52 years

of aviation experience

focused on avionics,

in General and

Business Aviation.

Having a broad

understanding after

working in several

countries on many

aircraft types and

avionics system, he

has contributed to

several work groups

and committees,

including for

NextGen, Airport

Lighting, Human

Factors, Unmanned

Aircraft and Low

Vision Technology.

In retirement, he is

striving to give back

the knowledge gained

with an eye on

aviation’s future

direction.

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