Behind the Looking Glass

Technology is one of the great temptations of aviation, especially when it comes to avionics. Having worked hard for years interpreting the signals given out by analogue systems, the new digital age of incredible capability and function can be a lure that’s hard to resist.

So why would you?

Technology inevitably eases cockpit workload whilst simultaneously presenting pilots with more information at their fingertips than they’d even had before. It increases safety, makes flight more efficient and looks very impressive to boot.

But there is one setback: although new avionics are state-of-the-science, the aircraft the general aviation community are wanting to fit them into are state-of-the-antique. Many general aviation aeroplanes are approaching 40 years old, with the bulk of the world’s fleet having already had careers spanning more than 20 years. They were designed for round analogue gauges with simplistic indications; not for today’s digital avionics that use intricate technology such as micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS).

It’s a mis-match that can make retro-fitting equipment to old aircraft a saga epic enough to eclipse a Tolstoy novel.

What’s the problem?

James McDonald from Flight Avionics in Moorabbin would have to be general aviation’s king of wry smiles. A passionate bloke who’s been around avionics since the Wright Flyer was a pushbike, he knows too well the dramas that can arise when pet projects go feral on their owners.

“It’s a strange industry,” he tells . “We want old aeroplanes to do what new ones will do. You wouldn’t try to put a sat-nav in