Avionics News June 2015 - 18

industry

ONCE THE
MOST SOPHISTICATED
ELECTRONICS IN GENERAL
AVIATION PANELS, THE ONCEDOMINANT COMBINATION
VHF NAVIGATION AND
COMMUNICATIONS RADIO
BENEFITED FROM SOME OF THE
SAME DIGITAL ADVANCES THAT
HELPED USHER IN THE ERA
OF THE BURGEONING ALL-INONE WAAS GPS/VHF NAV/VHF
COMM. STILL, THE OLD IDEA
SEEMS TO HANG ON.

BUT FOR HOW
MUCH LONGER
AND IN WHAT
FORM?

LONG LIVE THE

NAVCOMM
A PART TECHNOLOGY LEADER SURVIVES IN A MORE-CAPABLE FORM

S T O R Y

T

B Y

he question came almost off-the-cuff but not
out of place - not among a small knot of pilots
gathered to memorialize a recently passed
colleague. "Does anybody still make an old-fashioned
NavComm?"
Sure, but it's not like it used to be. What is?
With the disappearance of some once-proud avionics
names went their contributions to VHF NavComm
variety. Collins radios long ago faded from the pistonaircraft/Part 23 scene; Bendix and King merged some
years back. ARC radios stopped coming when Cessna
stopped piston production.
Since then, Garmin emerged, but Narco went away
just a few years ago.
Avidyne and Aspen Avionics, two other relative
newcomers, don't make a VHF NavComm; Garmin
does, as do BendixKing and TKM Inc./Michel
Avionics.
18

avionics news

*

june

2015

D A V E

H I G D O N

Yes, the once-dominant NavComm remains in newproduct catalogs.
But in an avionics world gravitating steadily
away from a variety of boxes to fewer, oftenintegrated packages, there's no question that avionics
manufacturers continue to focus more on that singlebox solution, boasting a WAAS GPS navigator and a
multifunction display.
But a few stand-alones remain. Today's aircraft
owners and pilots face one of the slimmest selections of
NavComms since the concept first hit the market. Standalone comms and nav radios remain - but also in fewer
numbers.
The market lost one once-significant player in April
2011, when Narco entered a "no-assets bankruptcy" and
liquidated a month later. Some other smaller players
that once offered a panel-mounted VHF NavComm
dropped out of the market, as well.



Avionics News June 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News June 2015

Point of Communication
AEA Now
The View from Washington
International News and Regulatory Updates
Long Live the NavComm
Member Profile
Dealing Avionics
A New Helicopter Maintenance Association is Born
Aisles of Smiles
Leveraging Innovation
A Conversation With...
Member Profile
Business Basics
What’s Working?
What’s New
Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News June 2015 - Intro
Avionics News June 2015 - Cover1
Avionics News June 2015 - Cover2
Avionics News June 2015 - 1
Avionics News June 2015 - 2
Avionics News June 2015 - 3
Avionics News June 2015 - Point of Communication
Avionics News June 2015 - 5
Avionics News June 2015 - AEA Now
Avionics News June 2015 - 7
Avionics News June 2015 - 8
Avionics News June 2015 - 9
Avionics News June 2015 - 10
Avionics News June 2015 - 11
Avionics News June 2015 - The View from Washington
Avionics News June 2015 - 13
Avionics News June 2015 - International News and Regulatory Updates
Avionics News June 2015 - 15
Avionics News June 2015 - 16
Avionics News June 2015 - 17
Avionics News June 2015 - Long Live the NavComm
Avionics News June 2015 - 19
Avionics News June 2015 - 20
Avionics News June 2015 - 21
Avionics News June 2015 - 22
Avionics News June 2015 - 23
Avionics News June 2015 - Member Profile
Avionics News June 2015 - 25
Avionics News June 2015 - 26
Avionics News June 2015 - 27
Avionics News June 2015 - Dealing Avionics
Avionics News June 2015 - 29
Avionics News June 2015 - 30
Avionics News June 2015 - 31
Avionics News June 2015 - 32
Avionics News June 2015 - 33
Avionics News June 2015 - A New Helicopter Maintenance Association is Born
Avionics News June 2015 - 35
Avionics News June 2015 - Aisles of Smiles
Avionics News June 2015 - 37
Avionics News June 2015 - 38
Avionics News June 2015 - 39
Avionics News June 2015 - 40
Avionics News June 2015 - 41
Avionics News June 2015 - 42
Avionics News June 2015 - 43
Avionics News June 2015 - 44
Avionics News June 2015 - 45
Avionics News June 2015 - 46
Avionics News June 2015 - 47
Avionics News June 2015 - Leveraging Innovation
Avionics News June 2015 - 49
Avionics News June 2015 - 50
Avionics News June 2015 - 51
Avionics News June 2015 - 52
Avionics News June 2015 - 53
Avionics News June 2015 - 54
Avionics News June 2015 - 55
Avionics News June 2015 - 56
Avionics News June 2015 - 57
Avionics News June 2015 - 58
Avionics News June 2015 - 59
Avionics News June 2015 - 60
Avionics News June 2015 - 61
Avionics News June 2015 - 62
Avionics News June 2015 - 63
Avionics News June 2015 - 64
Avionics News June 2015 - 65
Avionics News June 2015 - 66
Avionics News June 2015 - 67
Avionics News June 2015 - A Conversation With...
Avionics News June 2015 - 69
Avionics News June 2015 - Member Profile
Avionics News June 2015 - 71
Avionics News June 2015 - 72
Avionics News June 2015 - 73
Avionics News June 2015 - Business Basics
Avionics News June 2015 - 75
Avionics News June 2015 - 76
Avionics News June 2015 - 77
Avionics News June 2015 - What’s Working?
Avionics News June 2015 - 79
Avionics News June 2015 - 80
Avionics News June 2015 - 81
Avionics News June 2015 - What’s New
Avionics News June 2015 - 83
Avionics News June 2015 - 84
Avionics News June 2015 - 85
Avionics News June 2015 - Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News June 2015 - 87
Avionics News June 2015 - 88
Avionics News June 2015 - Cover3
Avionics News June 2015 - Cover4
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