Avionics News January 2012 - 34

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We have to start with your name, Grady Dees. It sounds like a character in a novel. What kind of name is it?
Grady is southern, and I’m a Florida cracker. I was born in Florida as were my parents. I come from a long, southern tradition, but I don’t know where my parents got the name. I’m the middle of five children. Dees goes back to Scotland. I’ve traced my family history back to Scotland and the River Dee, so Dees is a permutation of that.

Grady Dees of Universal Avionics

With...
How long have you worked at Universal?
I joined in September 1991, so it’s more than 20 years. I joined the Navy in the early 1970s and did six years as an avionics technician. I attended both class A and class B school.

What’s the difference?
Class A is fundamental avionics. The Navy has more broad-based technical training than the Air Force. But, you have to have some electronics background, which I did from having taken some vo-tech electronics courses. Class B is advanced school that you don’t take unless you made the grade in that job category, so I went through an accelerated program. I spent a year in school out of my six years in the Navy.

What’s your current position at Universal? I’m director of technical marketing. I assist the marketing organization with determining how our products fit into aircraft applications – along with a small group of engineers who work with me. We do a lot of investigation on integration; we do a lot of integration testing with our products and other companies’ products to define what changes our products would require in order to integrate in various platforms. I do a lot of detective work. Once we determine what changes are necessary and evaluate the business case, I liaison with engineering and steer product development.

vionics niversal A Dees of U Grady

After the Navy, then what?
I went to Piper Aircraft after a short airline stint. I had a 14-year career at Piper, starting as an avionics technician on the flight line. I worked in an experimental shop for many years on the Piper Cheyenne III, IIIA and the 400. I enjoyed my time there and learned a lot beyond avionics. I worked in a variety of roles from production engineering to customer support and field support. In fact, that’s where I made my contact with the folks from Universal. I was hired by Don Berlin and worked for Chuck Edmundson for many years before he retired.

niversal Avionics Systems Corp. is a leading manufacturer of innovative avionics systems for business jets, turboprop aircraft, transport aircraft, helicopters, and regional and commercial airliners used by corporate, military and airline operators. The company offers advanced avionics as a retrofit solution for the largest diversification of aircraft types in the industry. Recently, Patricia Luebke, Avionics News contributor, spoke with Grady Dees to learn more about his work at Universal Avionics.
34
avionics news

U

Where did you start at Universal?
I was hired to build a customer support department since that was my background

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Avionics News January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2012

Point of Communication
AEA Now
The View From Washington
International News and Regulatory Updates
Rockwell Collins' Fusion Upgrades
Member Profile
Where Are They Now?
Before & After
Next Step in the GPS Battle
A Conversation With...
Touchscreen Avionics: Training Required
Sounding Off On Audio Panels
Member Profile
Advertisers Index
Aviation Aces
Business Basics
Meet the AEA Board
Theory & Practice
Legal Ease
Special Report
What's New
Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News January 2012 - Cover1
Avionics News January 2012 - Cover2
Avionics News January 2012 - 1
Avionics News January 2012 - 2
Avionics News January 2012 - 3
Avionics News January 2012 - Point of Communication
Avionics News January 2012 - 5
Avionics News January 2012 - AEA Now
Avionics News January 2012 - 7
Avionics News January 2012 - 8
Avionics News January 2012 - 9
Avionics News January 2012 - 10
Avionics News January 2012 - 11
Avionics News January 2012 - 12
Avionics News January 2012 - 13
Avionics News January 2012 - The View From Washington
Avionics News January 2012 - 15
Avionics News January 2012 - International News and Regulatory Updates
Avionics News January 2012 - 17
Avionics News January 2012 - 18
Avionics News January 2012 - 19
Avionics News January 2012 - Rockwell Collins' Fusion Upgrades
Avionics News January 2012 - 21
Avionics News January 2012 - 22
Avionics News January 2012 - 23
Avionics News January 2012 - Member Profile
Avionics News January 2012 - 25
Avionics News January 2012 - 26
Avionics News January 2012 - 27
Avionics News January 2012 - Where Are They Now?
Avionics News January 2012 - 29
Avionics News January 2012 - 30
Avionics News January 2012 - Before & After
Avionics News January 2012 - Next Step in the GPS Battle
Avionics News January 2012 - 33
Avionics News January 2012 - A Conversation With...
Avionics News January 2012 - 35
Avionics News January 2012 - Touchscreen Avionics: Training Required
Avionics News January 2012 - 37
Avionics News January 2012 - 38
Avionics News January 2012 - 39
Avionics News January 2012 - Sounding Off On Audio Panels
Avionics News January 2012 - 41
Avionics News January 2012 - 42
Avionics News January 2012 - 43
Avionics News January 2012 - Member Profile
Avionics News January 2012 - 45
Avionics News January 2012 - 46
Avionics News January 2012 - Advertisers Index
Avionics News January 2012 - Aviation Aces
Avionics News January 2012 - 49
Avionics News January 2012 - 50
Avionics News January 2012 - 51
Avionics News January 2012 - Business Basics
Avionics News January 2012 - 53
Avionics News January 2012 - 54
Avionics News January 2012 - 55
Avionics News January 2012 - Meet the AEA Board
Avionics News January 2012 - 57
Avionics News January 2012 - 58
Avionics News January 2012 - 59
Avionics News January 2012 - Theory & Practice
Avionics News January 2012 - 61
Avionics News January 2012 - Legal Ease
Avionics News January 2012 - 63
Avionics News January 2012 - Special Report
Avionics News January 2012 - 65
Avionics News January 2012 - 66
Avionics News January 2012 - 67
Avionics News January 2012 - 68
Avionics News January 2012 - 69
Avionics News January 2012 - What's New
Avionics News January 2012 - 71
Avionics News January 2012 - 72
Avionics News January 2012 - 73
Avionics News January 2012 - Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News January 2012 - 75
Avionics News January 2012 - 76
Avionics News January 2012 - Cover3
Avionics News January 2012 - Cover4
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