PARK COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

AVIONICS
Anna University Chennai
( Two Mark Questions and Answers )

Prepared by
Prof. S. SUDHAKAR, M.E., M.I.E., M.Ae.S.I.,

UNIT-I

1. Define Avionics Systems. Give the example.

All electronic and electromechanical systems and subsystems (hardware and software)
installed in an aircraft that are dependent on electronics for its operation.
Example: Fly-By-Wire, Autopilot, FMS

2. What are major drivers for avionics in civil aircraft?

Minimum flight crew operation (first pilot and second pilot)
Saving of crew salaries
Reduce the training costs
Reduce the maintenance costs
Weight reduction it can be translated into more passengers
Increased safety
Air traffic control requirements

3. What are major drivers for avionics in military aircraft?

Single seat fighter aircraft
Elimination of the second crew
Reduce the crew training cost
All weather operation and weapon system
Reduction in fuel consumption
Improved aircraft performance and control
Reduce the maintenance cost

4. Name at least five air data sensors.

Mach meter
Air speed indicator
Altimeter

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 Vertical speed indicators
Air temperature indicators

5. List any three data entry control systems.

Keyboard
Touch panel
Direct Voice Input (DVI) control

6. Differentiate between survivability and vulnerability.

Survivability: Capability of a system to continue to function in the presence of a non
nuclear threat.
Vulnerability: A measure of the characteristics that contributes to the degradation or loss
of a function in an object.

7. List the illities in avionics system.

Capability
Reliability
Maintainability
Certificabilty
Survivability
Vulnerability

8. What are major role of avionics?

To enable the flight crew to carry out the aircraft mission safely and efficiently.
The reduction in weight is also significant and can be translated into more
passengers or long range on less fuel.
Improve the aircraft performance and controls.

9. List out any four avionics sub systems.

Display system HUD, HMD, MFDS
Communication system VOR, LORAN, SATCOM
Flight control system FBW, DFBW, FBL
Navigation system INS, GPS, DME, ADF

10. What is an autopilot?

Autopilot is to control the flight of the aircraft and maintain it on a pre determined
path in space without any action being required by the pilot. The advantage of autopilot is
relieves the pilot and reduces the pilot work load.

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11. What is FMS? or What are the tasks carried out by FMS?
FMS is a Flight Management System and reduce the pilot workload and increased
aircraft performance.
The tasks carried out by the FMS,
Flight planning
Navigation management
Engine control
Flight envelope monitoring
Minimizing fuel consumption

12. List the various layers of avionics system.

Aircraft state sensors
Navigation systems
External world sensors
Task automation

13. What is the need for avionics in civil aircraft?

The avionics system to enable the flight crew to carry out the aircraft mission safely
and efficiently such as carrying of the passengers to their destination safely.
The reduction in weight is also significant and can be translated into more
passengers.

14. List the important requirements in design of avionics systems.

The importance of achieving minimum weight.
The adverse operating environment particularly in military aircraft in terms of
operating temperature range, acceleration, shock, vibration, humidity range and
electro magnetic interference.
The importance of very high reliability, safety and integrity.
Space constraints particularly in military aircraft.

15. What is an air data system?

Air data systems provide accurate information on quantities such as air density ratio,
aircraft height, air speed, static air temperature and Mach number. This information is
essential for the pilot to fly the aircraft safely and efficiently.

16. Give the general advantage of avionics over the conventional aircraft system.
The avionics system to enable the flight crew to carry out the aircraft mission safely
and efficiently
The reduction in weight is also significant
Reduction in fuel consumption
Improved aircraft performance and control

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 Reduce the maintenance cost
Reliability and Maintainability

17. What is FADEC?

Fully Authority Digital Engine Control Systems. This system automatically controls
the flow of fuel to the engine.

18. What is an integrated Avionics?

An integrated Avionics system is a combination of smaller sub-systems which are
combined, interconnected by avionic data buses to form a major system. So that the system
can carry out its tasks effectively are referred to as integration of avionics systems.

19. List the various mission phases for military and civil Aircraft.
i. Mission Air superiority, Ground Support, Passenger Transport
ii. Mission Segment Taxi, Take off, Cruise, Descent
iii. Segment Requirements Roll rate, Mach hold, Navigation
iv. Avionics Requirements Heading, Weight, Reliability

20. What are the steps involved in design of avionics system?

i. Requirement Analysis
ii. Preliminary design
iii. Detailed design
iv. Fabrication
v. Coding and Testing

21. Give few examples of Standards used in design of avionics system.

ARINC
DOD STD 2167A
DO-178
RTCA

22. What is the need for avionics in space systems?

Fly-by-wire system used for space vehicle's attitude and translation control.
Sensors used in the spacecraft for obtaining data.
Autopilot redundancy system.
On-board computers used in satellites for processing the data.
Reduced weight
Long life time mission

23. Give few examples of integrated avionics system used in weapon system.
Vehicle Management System (VMS)

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 Stores Management Systems (SMS)
Integrated Sensor System
Automatic Flight Control System
Cockpit Control Systems

24. Give few examples of integrated avionics system used in civil airlines.
Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA)
Integrated GPS and INS
Automatic Flight Control System
Cockpit Control Systems

25. What do you mean by Engine Control and Management?

ECM involves the control, efficient management and monitoring of the engines.
Modern jet engines have Full Authority Digital Engine Control System (FADEC). This
system automatically controls the flow of fuel to the engine.
The task include Engine Health Monitoring systems which measure, process and
record a very wide range of parameters associated with the performance and health of the
engines.

26. What do you mean by House Keeping management?

The term housekeeping management has been used to cover the automation of the
background tasks which are essential for the aircrafts safe and efficient operation. Such
tasks include:
Fuel management
Electrical power supply system management
Hydraulic power supply system management
Cabin / cockpit pressurization systems
Environmental control systems
Warning systems
Maintenance and monitoring systems

UNIT-II

27. What are digital systems?

A system which processes discrete values is called digital systems. Its Values are read on
displays. Example - Digital calculator, digital watches and digital computers.

28. What are digital computers?

A digital computer is a combination of digital devices and circuits that can perform
programmed sequences of operations with a minimum of human intervention.

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 Digital computers may be grouped into three categories:
Embedded computers
Personal computers and workstations
Mainframes

29. What is a volatile memory and give examples?

Memories that require the application of electrical power to store information are called
volatile memories or memory units that lose the stored information when power is turned
off are said to be volatile. Example: RAM

30. What is a non-volatile memory and give examples?

Memory units that retain the stored information even when power is turned off are said to
be non-volatile. Example: ROM

31. Give the advantages of digitization.

Digital systems are easier to design.
Information storage is easy.
High accuracy and precision can be achieved.
These are less affected by noise.
The circuit can be easily fabricated in integrated circuits.

32. What are the advantages of microcomputer?

Small size
Low cost
Portability
User friendliness

33. Give some advantage of core memory.

Low cost
Low power consumption
Durability
Low generation of heat
Non-volatility

34. What is microprocessor?

Microprocessor is an integrated circuit that contains all the functions of a central
processing unit of a computer.

35. What is Accumulator?

Accumulator is a register which contains one of the operands and stores results of most
arithmetic and logical operations.

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36. What is the purpose of accumulator in Intel 8085 microprocessor?
Registers are small memories within the CPU. They are used by the microprocessor for
temporary storage and manipulation of data and instructions.
The register A is the accumulator in Intel 8085 microprocessor. This is for temporary
storage used during the execution of a program. It holds one of the operands. The other
operand may be either in the memory or in one of the registers.

37. Explain the types of memories.

Based on placement in a computer system:
Main or internal memory
Auxiliary or secondary or peripheral memory
Based on their capability for data retention:
Volatile memory
Non volatile memory
Based on the construction material:
Semiconductor memories RAM, ROM
Magnetic memories core memories, bubble memories

38. Explain the major components of microprocessor.

Memory
Registers
Instruction decoder
Arithmetic logical unit
Control Unit
System Bus

39. Mention the operating speed of 8085 processor.

3.072 MHz

40. What are the addressing modes of 8085?

Immediate Addressing Mode
Register Addressing Mode
Direct Addressing Mode
Indirect Addressing Mode

41. Describe Memory mapped I/O.

Memory mapped I/O (MMIO) is mapped into the same address space as program
memory and/or user memory, and is accessed in the same way.

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 There are no specific I/O instructions. It allows the computer to use the same
instructions for both I/O transfers and memory transfers. Some instructions are memory
reference instructions and others are I/O reference. They are only one set of read/write
control signals.

42. Compare Memory-mapped I/O and Port-mapped IO.

Memory mapped I/O Port-mapped IO or Isolated IO

Same address bus to address memory and
I/O devices
Access to the I/O devices using regular
instructions
Most widely used I/O method
Different address spaces for memory and
I/O devices
Uses a special class of CPU instructions
to access I/O devices
x86 Intel microprocessors - IN and OUT
instructions

43. Describe flip flop as a storage element.

A digital computer needs devices which can store information. A flip flop is a binary
storage device. It can store binary bit either 0 or 1. It has two stable states: HIGH and
LOW, ie 1 and 0. It has the property to remain in one state indefinitely until it is directed
by an input signal to switch over to other state. It is a basic memory element. In the case
of D flip flop, when CLK is high, the flip flop sets. When CLK is low, the flip flop resets.

44. What are flag resisters?

Carry
Zero
Sign
Parity
Auxillary Carry

45. What are the types of ADC?

Flash ADC or direct-conversion ADC
Sigma-delta ADC.
Dual slope converter.
Successive approximation ADC

46. What is a combinational logic circuit?

Combinational logic is a type of digital logic which is implemented by Boolean circuits,
where the output is a pure function of the present input only. Some of the combinational
circuits are encoder, decoder, multiplexer and demultiplexer.

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47. What are flash memories?
Flash memory is a nonvolatile memory that erases data in units called blocks. A block
stored on a flash memory chip must be erased before data can be written, or programmed,
to the microchip. Flash memory retains data for an extended period of time whether a
flash-equipped device is powered on or off.
There are two basic types of Flash memory
NAND Flash memory
NOR Flash memory

48. What is aliasing?

The effects from sampling data at a sampling frequency below the frequency of the noise
components present in the signal so that spurious low frequency signals are introduced
from the sampled noise.

49. What is sampling frequency?

Sampling is a process of converting continuous time signals into discrete time signals.
The time period between two successive samples are called as sampling period (Ts).
Sampling Frequency (Fs) is equal to 1/Ts.

50. What is the difference between volatile and non-volatile memory?

The volatile memory retains its contents after switch off the power supply. But the non-
volatile memory losses its contents when the power is switched off.

UNIT-III

51. Differentiate between centralized and distributed architecture.

Centralized architecture:
A system design characterized by signal conditioning and computations taking
place in one computer or several very tightly coupled computers in one line replaceable
unit located in the avionics bay, with signals transmitted over one way data buses.

Distributed architecture:
A system design characterized by multiple processors throughout the aircraft
assigned computing tasks on a real-time basis as a function of mission phase and/or
system status, and processing also is performed at the sensors and actuators.

52. Define federated architecture.

A system design characterized by each major system such as thrust management
or flight management, sharing input and sensor data from a common set of hardware and
subsequently sharing their computed results other data buses.

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53. What is brick walling or partitioning in avionics architecture?
Limiting a failure to the sub-system in which it occurred and the effects of the
failure are not allowed to cascade to the rest of the system.

54. What is need for defining various avionics architecture?

Establishing the basic architecture is the first and the most fundamental challenge
faced by the designer.
The architecture must conform to the overall aircraft mission and design while
ensuring that the avionics system meets its performance requirements.
This architecture relies on the data buses for intra and intersystem
communications.
The optimum architecture can only be selected after a series of exhaustive design
tradeoffs that address the evaluation factors.

55. List the various types of avionics architecture.
First generation architecture Centralized architecture
Second generation architecture Federated architecture, Distributed architecture
Third generation architecture Pave pillar architecture
Fourth generation architecture Pave pace architecture

56. What is a pave pillar?

Pave pillar is a USAF program to define the requirements and avionics
architecture for fighter aircraft of the 1990s.

57. List the hardware elements in MIL-STD-1553B.

Bus controller
Bus monitor
Remote terminal

58. List the various types of words in MIL-STD-1553B.

Command words
Status words
Data words

59. What are the coupling methods used in MIL-STD-1553B?

Direct coupling method
Transformer coupling method

60. What are the characteristics for MIL-STD-1553B?

Data rate: 1 Mbps

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 Word length: 20 bits
Data bits/word: 16 bits
Message length: 32 data words
Transmission technique: Half-duplex
No. of remote terminals: 31
Encoding: Manchester II bi-phase

61. What are mode codes?

Mode codes are defined by the standard to provide the bus controller with data
bus management and error handling recovery capability.

62. Compare the MIL-STD-1553B, ARINC 429 and ARINC 629.

Function MIL-STD-1553B ARINC 429 ARINC 629

Data rate 1 Mbps 100 kbps or 12-14.5 2 Mbps
kbps
Coupling Transformer Direct Transformer or
method current mode
Transmission Half-duplex Simplex Half-duplex
technique
Word length 20 bits 32 bits 20 bits

63. Explain the status word of MIL-STD 1553B.

Status word is always the first word in a response by a remote terminal.
Bits (1 3) are the synchronization code that is identical to that of a command
word.
Bits (4 8) are the address of the terminal transmitting the status word.
Bits (9 19) are the RT status field. All bits in the field are set to logical zero
unless the named condition exists and bit (20) is the parity bit.

64. Explain the bus controller and Remote terminal of MIL-STD 1553B.
Bus controller:
The bus controller is incharge of all data flow on the bus and initiates all
information transfers.
It is also monitors the status of the system.
Several terminals may be capable of performing as the bus controller, but only
one bus controller may be active at a time.
Remote terminal:
Remote terminals are defined within the standard as All terminals not operating
as the bus controller or as a bus monitor. Therefore, if it is not a controller,
monitor or the main bus, it must be a remote terminal.

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 The remote terminal comprises the electronics necessary to transfer data between
the data bus and the sub-system.
Remote terminals consist of a transceiver, an encoder / decoder, protocol
controller, buffer or memory and a sub-system interface.

65. What is the need for Manchester II biphase encoding?

In MIL-STD 1553 data bus, all words are constructed using Manchester coding. A logical
1 begins +ve and transitions to -ve at mid-bit and a logical 0 begins ve and transitions to
+ve at mid-bit. Manchester coding is chosen since it is compatible with transformer
coupling and is self clocking.

66. Differentiate between Civil and military communication standards.

Civil standards:
ARINC 429
ARINC 629
AFDX
Military standards:
MIL-STD-1553B
MIL-STD-1773
STANAG 3910
HSDB

67. Differentiate between MIL and ARINC standard in terms of RT?

MIL-STD-1553B:
All the remote terminals can able to transmit and receive the data. Maximum no of
remote terminals is 31.
ARINC:
All the remote terminals can only receive the data. Maximum no of remote terminals
is 20.

68. What is the need for two different speeds in ARINC 429 data bus?
Two different data rates are used in ARINC-429. They are 12-14.5 kbps is used for
general-purpose, low criticality applications. High speed bus 100 kbps is used for
transmitting large quantities of data or flight critical information.

69. What are the functions of Terminal controller in ARINC-629?

Terminal controller provides Protocol Function and Data Validation. It acts as
Subsystem/SIM Interface. It converts subsystem data to Manchester for SIM and decode
Manchester data from SIM for subsystem. It also provides message and word sync
pulses. It provides inter-word string gaps.

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70. How is ARINC 629 different from MIL-STD-1553?
ARINC 629 uses word formats that are very similar to those in MIL-STD-1553, but it
does not have a bus controller. Instead, ARINC 629 gives each terminal autonomous
access to the bus based upon meeting three timing conditions stored in a Transmit
Personality programmable read-only memory, or PROM (XPP) in the host terminal. One
of these timing conditions is unique to the terminal. Another difference from MIL-STD-
1553 is the use of a Receive Personality PROM (RPP) to identify the labels of messages
to be recorded from the bus.

71. What is the function of bus monitor in MIL-STD-1553 data bus?

A bus monitor receives and stores selected bus traffic. It will not respond to any traffic
received, unless the traffic is specifically addressed to it. They are generally used to
receive and extract data for off-line purposes such as flight test, maintenance or mission
analysis.

72. What is Time Division Multiplexing?

MIL-STD-1553B defines the term Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) as the
transmission of information from several signal sources through one communications
system with different signal samples staggered in time to form a composite pulse train.

73. What is DATAC?

Digital Autonomous Terminal Access Communication (DATAC). A carrier sense,
multiple access, collision avoidance two-way data bus concept with an operating
frequency and word structure identical to MIL-STD-1553B data buses but without a bus
controller. Now it is called ARINC 629.

UNIT-IV

74. Define Glass cockpit.

A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument
System). On a glass cockpit aircraft, traditional flight instruments are replaced by an
EFIS through LCD screens displaying flight information in most convenient form, each
screen integrating several instruments.

75. What are the uses of night vision goggles?

Night Viewing Goggles (NVG) used in the HMD. This provides a complementary night
vision capability enabling the aircraft to operate at night (or) in conditions of poor
visibility.

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76. What is combiner?
The optical element of the HUD through which the pilot views the outside world and
which combines the collimated display image with the outside world scene is called
combiner.

77. What are the parameters displayed in helmet mounted display?

Altitude, Aircraft Pitch, Aircraft Heading, Airspeed, Aircraft Roll, Mach, Angle of
Attack, Horizon, Target Range.

78. Why monochrome CRT in fighter aircraft?

Ruggedness
High brightness
o It is achieved through an optimum match of the CRT phosphor and an
optical band pass filter covering the CRT face.
Ranging from 500 to 3000 foot candles.
Operates at about 23 KV accelerating voltage.
To achieve the resolution of 200 lines per inch, it uses laminar flow or dispenser
candles.
High contrast display

79. Define plasma panel.

Plasma displays are gas discharge displays which can be matrix addressed. High
brightness products such as tactical terminals exist with displays of 8 inch square and
resolution of 64 pixels per inch.

80. Differentiate LED & LCD.

Light Emitting Diode:
LED display is light emitting diode display, advancement to LCD for brighter
display and good side viewing.
An LED display is a flat panel display, which uses an array of light-emitting
diodes as a video display.
Liquid Crystal Display:
LCD is liquid crystal display.
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or
video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals.
Liquid crystals do not emit light directly.

81. Explain CRT and its usage in aircraft displays.

Cathode Ray Tubes are the corner stones of displays in modern aircrafts. The versatility
and other performance advantages of CRTs when compared to the traditional

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 electromechanical indicators have resulted in flexible, CRT based displays becoming
the centerpiece of every contemporary cockpit and a strong selling point for the aircraft.
Reasons for using CRTs as display devices in aircraft are versatile display
devices, excellent reliability, and Active display.

82. Name a few types of CRT.

Monochrome CRTs
Color CRTs
o Shadow mask CRTs
o Beam penetron CRTs
o Beam indexing CRTs

83. What is meant by DVI?

Direct Voice Input control is a system which enables the pilot to enter data and control
the operation of the aircraft avionic systems by means of speech. The spoken commands
and data are recognized by a speech recognition method. The recognized commands are
then transmitted to the aircraft sub-systems by means of the avionics data buses.

84. What are MFD and its significance in Aircraft?

A multi-function display is a small screen (CRT or LCD) in an aircraft by multi buttons
that can be used to display information to the pilot in numerous configurable ways.
The MFDs allow the pilot to display their navigation route, moving map, and weather
radar and airport information all on the same screen.
.

85. What is the advantage of HMD over HUD?

HMD allows the pilot to see the any direction view of the outside world.
High accuracy tracking with auto-boresighting
Active noise reduction (ANR)
Digital night vision sensor (NVG)
Lightweight

86. What is HOTAS?

HOTAS is a shorthand term which refers to the pattern of controls in the fighter aircraft
cockpit. Having all switches on the stick and throttle allows the pilot to keep his hands
on throttle-and-stick, thus allowing him to remain focused on more important duties
than looking for controls in the cockpit.

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87. What is a HUD and how does it work?
HUD is a heads-up display system whereby critical flight data is displayed on a glass
screen in front of the pilots so they do not have to look down into the cockpit at critical
times.

88. What is FLIR?

Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) is a sensor technology that creates shades-of-grey
imagery of objects from slight differences in black-body thermal emissions.

89. What are the advantages and disadvantage of Plasma Panel?

Advantages:
Excellent brightness
High resolution
A wide viewing angle
Better motion tracking

Disadvantages:
Susceptible to burn-in of static images
Requires more power thus more heat produced than LCDs
Shorter display life span
Poor reproduction of black
Does not perform as well at higher altitudes

90. Give the advantages and disadvantages of EL systems.

Advantages
Less power consumption
Long life
Efficiency - 80% of energy is converted to light
Lightweight
Flexibility - Can be applied to a flat or curved surface
Strength - Almost unbreakable
Low operating temperature
No Glare

Disadvantages
Color availability
Higher operating voltages (60-600 volts)

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91. What are the advantages and disadvantage of LCD?
Advantages:
Energy efficient, low-power
Excellent contrast
Immune to screen image burn-in
Lightweight and compact
Low flicker rates
Screens are available in a vast range of sizes
Sharp resolution and imagery
Superior resolution

Disadvantages:
The aspect ratio and resolution are fixed
Lower contrast than CRTs due to a poor black-level
Slow response times

92. What are the advantages of LED?

Less power consumption
Long operational life
High reliability
Minimum heat emission
Environment friendly
Very simple electronic circuits.
Life span around 100,000 hours
Screen size up to 90 inches

93. What are the types of LCD?

Passive-LCD
Backlighted-LCD

94. Name the key elements of a touch screen.

Polyester top sheet
Adhesive spacer
Glass layer
Adhesive layer

95. Write a short note on LED displays.

An LED display, or light emitting diode display, is a flat panel display that uses light
emitting diodes as the video display. An LED display panel can be either a small display
or part of a larger display. LED diodes are used in order to make up an LED display. A
light emitting diode is made up of a semiconductor chip which is surrounded by a
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 transparent plastic case. The plastic case allows the light to pass through it. The emission
of different colors including ultraviolet and infrared light depends on the semiconductor
material which is used in the diode.

96. What are the major factors to be considered for designing a HMD?
Weight
Size
Power
Resolution
Aspect ratio
Color

UNIT-V

97. Justify the need for certification.

Certification is a critical element in the safety-conscious culture on which civil aviation is
based. The legal purpose of avionics certification is to document a regulatory judgment
that a device meets all applicable regulatory requirements and can be manufactured
properly.

98. What is electronic warfare?

EW is defined as a military action involving the use of electromagnetic energy to
determine, exploit, reduce or prevent, hostile use of the electromagnetic spectrum and
action which relative friendly use of the electromagnetic spectrum.

99. What is meant by jammers in electronic warfare?

It is the deliberate radiation or reflection of electromagnetic energy with the object of
impairing the deployment of electronic devices, equipment or systems being used by a
hostile force.

100. Define Reliability and maintainability.

MIL-STD-721C defines as:
Reliability:
The duration or probability of failure-free performance under stated condition. The
probability that an item can perform its intended function for a specified interval under
stated conditions.

Maintainability:
Maintainability is defined as the measure of the ability of an item to be retained in or
restored to specified condition when maintenance is performed by personnel having

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 specified skill levels, using prescribed procedures and resources, at each prescribed level
of maintenance and repair.

101. What is meant by pilotage?

Pilotage in this sense is, of course, possible only under conditions of good visibility. In
this method, the navigator fixes his position on a map by observing known visible
landmarks.

102. What are the advantages of GPS?

High accuracy over the long distance flight time.
Easy to access.
Widely available (world-wide coverage).
Measurements are updated every 2 seconds.
Superior navigation capability.

103. Explain about P and C/A codes.

P codes [Precision]- Reserved for US military purpose
C/A codes [Coarse / Acquisition] - Available to public users

104. Name any two Radio navigation methods.

Range and bearing (R/O) radio navigation aids
VOR VHF Omni-directional Range
DME Distance Measuring Equipment
TACAN Tactical Air Navigation system
Hyperbolic radio navigation systems
LORANC
OMEGA
Satellite navigation systems
GPS
GLONASS
GALILEO
IRNSS
Terrain Reference Navigation systems (TRN)

105. What is DR Navigation?

DR navigation systems derive the vehicles present position by estimating the distance
travelled from a known position from knowledge of the speed and direction of motion of
the vehicle.

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 The term dead-reckoning abbreviated DR stands for deduced calculation. This is
the most common and widely used method of navigation. The major advantages of DR
navigation systems are self-contained and independent of external systems.

106. What are the advantages of INS?

High accuracy
Self-contained
Autonomous doesnt depend on other system.
Passive doesnt radiate.
Unjammable
Doesnt require reference to the ground or outside world.

107. What are different types of INS?

Stable platform or gimbal INS
Strap down INS

108. What is navigation system?

Navigation is the art of directing the movements of a craft from one point to another
along a desired path, has an origin going back to pre-historic times. Navigation system is
the determination of the position of the craft and the direction in which it has to go reach
the desired destination.

109. What are the different types of navigation methods in Aircraft?

Navigation by pilotage
Celestial navigation
Navigation by dead reckoning
Radio navigation (position-fixing navigation)
Satellite navigation

110. What is INS?

Inertial navigation is a system of dead-reckoning navigation in which the instruments in
the craft determine its acceleration and by successive integration, obtain its velocity and
displacement.

111. What is GPS?

GPS is a radio navigation system which derives the users position from the radio signals
transmitted from a number of orbiting satellites.

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112. Compare INS and GPS.

INS GPS
High accuracy over short distance High accuracy over long distance

Measurements are updated every 10 Measurements are updated every 2

seconds seconds
Dead Reckoning systems Satellite Radio systems

Restricted Access Unrestricted Access

113. What is flight control system?

A system that includes all aircraft sub-systems and components used by the pilot or other
control sources to control one or more of the following:
Aircraft flight path
Attitude
Air speed
Aerodynamic configuration
Ride
Structural modes

114. What is FBW?

Fly-By-Wire is a flight control system wherein vehicle control input is completely
transmitted as electrical signals and aerodynamic control surfaces are operated through
computers which are supplied with the pilots command signals and the aircraft state from
appropriate motion sensors.

115. What is FBL?

FBL (Fly-By-Light). Its a concept of utilizing optic fiber cables for the transmission of
mechanical movements from pilots joystick to the mechanical actuators near by the
control surface in the form of monochromatic light signals using suitable transducers. It
eliminates the amplification units, filter circuits, modulator units etc., which are at high
redundant levels in the FBW. FBL is more reliable and the signals passing through the
fiber optic cable never degrade and hence it contributes further low weight in the aircraft.

116. What is the advantage of FBW over conventional FCS?

Carefree manoeuvring.
Reduction in pilot workload.
Reduced weight.
Increased safety.
Reduction in crew training cost.
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 Easy configuration changes.
Optimized handling qualities over full flight envelope.
Improved lift/drag ratios and increased turning capability.
Reduced drag.

117. Explain strap-down navigation.

In strap down system the accelerometers are mounted on the vehicle platform and are
therefore, fixed to the vehicle coordinate system. Then the accelerometers measured in
vehicle coordinates. These are then processed in a computer along with the vehicle
attitude data derived from a system of gyros to obtain the velocity and displacement in
any desired coordinate system.

118. Define ECM & ECCM.

Electronic Counter Measures (ECM):
ECM is defined as actions taken to prevent or reduce the enemys effective use of the
electromagnetic spectrum.

Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM):

ECCM is defined as actions taken to ensure friendly use of the electromagnetic spectrum
against EW.

119. Explain RADAR.

Radar [RAdio Detection And Ranging] is an electromagnetic system for the detection and
location of reflecting objects such as aircraft, ships, space craft, people and natural
environments.

120. Explain illities of Avionics system.

The following illities are involved in the design of avionics systems.
Capabilities
Reliabilities
Maintainabilities
Certificabilities
Survivabilities
Vulnerabilities
Testabilities
Accessibilities
Affordabilities
Adaptabilities

121. Explain Gimbaled INS.

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 In stable platform systems the inertial sensors are mounted on a platform which is
isolated from any external rotational motion. In other words, the platform is held in
alignment with the global frame. This is achieved by mounting the platform using
gimbals which allow the platform freedom in all three axes.

122. What is digital-fly-by-wire control?

FBW flight control systems are implemented using digital technology, the vehicle control
input signals are transmitted as digital data using avionics data buses networks. The
signals are processed by digital microprocessors in the flight control computers which
carry out the following tasks:
Voting, monitoring and consolidation.
Control law implementation.
Reconfiguration in the event of a failure.
Built-in-test and monitoring.

123. Draw the block diagram of glide slope system.

124. How is Radar classified?

Primary Radar
o Pulsed Radar
Doppler Radar
Moving Target Indicator (MTI) Radar
o Continuous Wave (CW) Radar
Modulated Radar
Unmodulated Radar

Secondary Radar

125. What are the types of communication systems used in aircraft?

High-frequency (HF) communications (2 to 30 MHz)
Very high-frequency (VHF) communications (100 to 200 MHz)
Ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) communications (200 to 400 MHz)
Satellite communications (SATCOM) (1-6 GHz)

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126. Describe the various dead reckoning navigation systems used in aircraft.
Inertial Navigation System (INS) - most accurate and widely used systems
Doppler / Heading reference system - widely used in helicopters
Air data / Heading reference system - lower accuracy
Doppler/Inertial navigation system combination

127. What are inertial sensor systems?

Inertial sensor system comprise set of gyros and accelerometers which measure
the aircraft angular motion and linear motion about the aircraft axis.
These sensor systems to be an Inertial Navigation System (INS) which provide
accurate velocity data and position data.

128. Explain Weather radar.

Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar,
is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type
(rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable
of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the intensity of the precipitation.
Both types of data can be analyzed to determine the structure of storms and their potential
to cause severe weather.

129. What is celestial navigation?

Celestial navigation is accomplished by measuring the angular position of celestial
bodies. Almanacs giving the position of celestial bodies at various times are readily
available. The navigator measures the elevation of the celestial body with a sextant and
notes the precise time at which the measurement is made with a chronometer. These two
measurements are enough to find the position of the craft on the face of the globe.

130. What are the advantages of DFBW over analogue systems?

Hardware economy
Flexibility
Built in test capabilities
Reconfiguration in the event of failures
Digital avionics data buses

131. Why digital FBW?

Airframe design freedom.
Enhanced survivability and maneuverability.
Superior aiming, tracking and weapon delivery.
Reduced pilot workload and turnaround time.
Advanced control modes.
Reduced aircraft size and weight.

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 Carefree manoeuvring.
Increased safety and aircraft performance.

132. What is Schuler tuning?

The feedback of the inertially derived vehicle rates of rotation about the local level axes
of an INS so that the system tracks the local vertical as the vehicle moves over the
spherical surface of the Earth.

133. Classify Electronic warfare.

Electronic Warfare Support Measures (ESM)
o Signal intelligence (SIGINT)
o Electronic intelligence (ELINT)
o Communication intelligence (COMINT)
o Radiation intelligence (RINT)
Electronic Counter Measures (ECM)
o Jamming
o Deception
Manipulative
Imitative
Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM)
o Anti-ECM
o Anti-ESM

134. List the various mission of ECM systems.

Stand-off ECM
Escort ECM
Self-screening / Self-protection ECM
Mutual support ECM

135. Define Stand-off ECM & Escort ECM.

Stand-off ECM:
Missions are those which are conducted outside the lethal zones of hostile weapons
control systems to provide ECM support for friendly forces to hostile forces.
Escort ECM:
It is conducted by ECM elements assigned to accompany and support the combat
elements.

136. Define Self-protection ECM & Mutual support ECM.

Self-protection or self-screening ECM:

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 It is conducted by individual combat elements to deny acquisition, tracking, or fire
control data to hostile weapon systems.
Mutual support ECM:
It involves the coordinated conduct of ECM by combat elements against hostile
acquisition and weapon control radars.

137. Describe Electronic Support Measures.

ESM is involving actions taken to search for intercept locate and immediately radiated
electromagnetic energy for the purposes of immediate threats recognition and the tactical
employment of forces. The key functions of ESM are
Intercepting
Identifying
Analyzing
Locating source of hostile radiations.

138. List the certification authorities for civil aircraft.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), USA.
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE).
Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), Europe.

139. What are the types of certification required for avionics equipment?
Technical Standard Order (TSO)
Supplemented Type Certificate (STC)
Type Certificate (TC)
Amended Type Certificate (ATC)
Service Bulletin (SB)

140. What is Doppler navigation?

Doppler navigation is a self-contained dead reckoning system which gives a continuous
indication of position by integrating the speed and the crab angle of the aircraft as derived
from measurement of the Doppler effect of echoes from directed beams of radiant energy
transmitted from the craft.

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