Future Flight

Technological advances in aviation are few, slow and occur in small increments. Aside from composite materials, airframes are essentially unchanged over the last 70 years. Engines? Well, there have been a few interesting attempts to modernize, but even the antiquated magneto spark remains dominant. So, the aviator seeking the latest advances has to focus on electronics, which, fortunately, are evolving at a remarkably fast pace.

Key Takeaways:

• While airframes and engines have seen minimal technological advancement over decades, innovation is rapidly occurring in aviation electronics, with recent products enabling wireless data transfer (GPS, flight plans, weather) between panel-mount systems and portable devices.
• Future cockpits are envisioned to feature tablets for extensive monitoring and control, widespread voice command and touch-enabled functions, and a single, user-configurable display.
• Continuous and affordable airborne data connections will enable direct communication with ATC and external networks, eliminating manual frequency changes, while advanced synthetic vision is expected to facilitate zero-zero landings.

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