I think you are totally wrong.
After 24 years in the computer business I have noticed a dramatical droop
price-performance, nothing in the past has this history.
Take as an example The Control Visions product; "Anywhere" a gps, moving
map, database, HSI, EFIS, etc "instrument" for a price of 1100$ incl an
Ipaq. Or take the Arnav for 6000$. If you backup 10 years you might have
found these equipments on a brand new airliner to a cost of lets say
500.000$..... That is what I call a dramatical price drop.
Well not certifed in the case of Control Visions stuff for 1100$. Is a watch
---From your gas station for 10$ certified? No, but it is MORE accurate than
FAA's requirements.
People in the aviation instrument business need to watch out for the
revolution that is comming, let me give you one example, Northstar CT-1000
is priced at 10 000$, what is it? It is a simple handheld computer with
performance of about 4-5 years back, nothing more. It should, will be,
priced at max 1500$ and only if they bring the performance up to date.
I strongly belive that in 1-2 years the complete instrumentation for our
type of aircrafts will cost less than 5000$ incl com radio... and it will be
more accurate than any of the old mechanical inaccurate stuff of today.
I think that the revoultion we have seen in the yatching industry will
happen here as well.
The people in FAA need to be more aggresive to certify, and accept new
approches to what is safety. An example, IFR requires misc Radio nav
equipment... Why is not the gps-only accepted.. it is more accurate, more
reliable, etc.
Lets save money and get the electronic instrumentation on the move faster.
Kindest regards
Stefan
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-europa@aztec.houxou.com
Subject: Re: MEMS
I think there's a third view -- business reality. Aircraft-specific
components are marketed in an environment of tiny unit sales volume,
high product liability exposure, and gov't regulation. A general
consumer GPS costs $100; the VFR aviation version around $700, even
though gov't regulation is no factor. But if the cheap receiver and
processor engines common to them all did not exist were there no
general consumer market, a GPS would cost $10,000. Add another
$10,000 for IFR certification in a panel-mount.
Taking our example of an electronic attitude indicator, the market for
use in low-end, production aircraft is problematic. Liability
exposure for a unit to be used IFR is enormous, as are possible
certification costs for a separate power source (that's what vacuum
instruments give you), for each airframe type you seek gov't
approval. These costs would not apply so much to a backup instrument,
but owners can do that now with an electric gyro, but at the low end
they just don't.
That leaves the homebuilt market, but take the number of aircraft
completed annually, and estimate a third will have an attitude
instrument. Included in this market segment are folks content with an
attitude gyro bought at a fly market for $150. Even if our high-tech
gyro sensor had an OEM cost of $10, and ditto for a display device
that's outdoors-readable enough so people will buy it, there's no
pricing strategy at the probable unit sales volume to prevent huge
operating losses, except at very high price levels that the Lancair
IV-P crowd will still go for. After 30 yrs. experience with the
Internal Revenue Service, basement businesses thru Fortune 500, I can
say that even that one is a maybe.
Regards,
Fred F., A063
"Bob.Harrison" wrote:
>
> Hi! Hedley.
> Tradition, resistance to change by the "establishment" jobs for the boys
> syndrome, etc. etc. That's why I can't sell an invention that saves 2 days
> on the discharge of 200,000+ bulk carrier ships! Those that do it are paid
> on time and labour so the more time and more labour the more they get to
> claim.
> Buy my kit which eliminates both and they "shoot their selves in the
> foot"!!!! It's funny though that I've been successful in Brazil where
even
> life is cheap not even labour. They must realise the "telephone numbers of
> increased through put" must justify the change of attitude.
> Regards
> Bob Harrison G-PTAG
>
-----Original Message-----
> From: owner-europa@aztec.houxou.com
> Behalf Of hedley brown
> Cc: europa@avnet.co.uk
> Subject: MEMS
>
> I quote New Scientist: tiny chip-sized micro-electromechanical systems
> include gyroscopes, tilt sensors and accellerometers which can be bought
off
> the shelf and plugged in , made in a similar way to silicon chips so
they're
> cheap. Now why do I have to have a bloody great suction pump and a tonnage
> of whirling dervishes in my dashboard just to get the same information? I
> could now surely put my flight simulator software to good use and have an
> image on my palm-top in the cockpit just like the one on my play-screen,
> which , with input from the Garmin, is topographically correct and
visually
> corresponds to the attitude, speed, etc of the aircraft. All for a few
bob.
> What's wrong with the world - the technology exists and is cheap and we
> haven't got it. Woe!.....h
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