[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Avionics Lecture ] [ Industrial Visit ] [ Technical Paper Contests ] [ The IEEE Technical Week ] [ Programming Contest ] [ Other Activities ]

(12 September 1998, by Dr. S Modh from Air India)

Dr. Satish Modh of Air India, gave a introductory technical talk on the applications of electronics and computers in aerospace, or otherwise known as Avionics. The guest lecture was held on 12 September 1998, and was attended by sophomore and junior members. Dr. Modh began by introducing us to the concepts of how exactly it is that an airplane flies in the air. He then described the various systems that go into safe air travel, such as:

1. Systems used by the air traffic controllers in directing air traffic
2. Radar systems used to track commercial airplanes
3. Navigation systems used on board the aircraft
4. Take off and landing systems
5. Wing movement and control systems

Dr. Modh then went on to explain some basic principles behind a totally "fly by wire" aircraft control system, and compared it with the control systems used in older aircrafts. He then explained auto-pilot systems and instrument landing systems and how modern electronics is used to help pilots navigate and land airplanes.

He also spoke about systems where pilots would no longer need to be actually seeing outside an aircraft to fly them. He went on to explain that cameras that had a 270^o field of view could be fitted on the aircraft nose, and modern signal and image processing electronic circuits could be used to simulate exterior views outside an aircraft, that would allow pilots to take off and land aircrafts in very poor weather and in bad visibility conditions. He also spoke about mapped airport systems, where a computer on the aircraft, having such a camera, instead of actual windows, could refer to a database of airports, and show the pilot the landing approaches that particular airport.

He concluded with a small note on the role that we, as engineers, could play in the aviation industry, in assuring safe and comfortable travel.