EXCEL ENGINEERING COLLEGE

(Autonomous)
Department of Aeronautical Engineering
VII Semester
AE8751-Avionics
Regulations 2017

UNIT I – Question Bank

PART A

Q.No Questions Marks CO BL

1 What is avionics? 2 CO1 L1
Avionics is derived from the combination of avionics and electronics.
2 Define the term avionics systems. 2 CO1 L1
All electronic and electromechanical systems and subsystems (hardware and software)
installed in an aircraft that are dependent on flight crew to carry out the aircraft mission
safely and to meet the mission requirements with minimum flight crew.
3 What are the advantages of using avionics in civil aircraft? 2 CO1 L1
 Increased safety,
 Air traffic control requirements,
 All weather operation,
 Reduction in fuel consumption,
 Improved aircraft performance and control and
 Handling and reduction in maintenance costs.
4 Mention the advantages of using avionics in military aircraft? 2 CO1 L1
 A single seal fighter
 Cost less than an equivalent two seal version
 Elimination of the second crew member
 Reduction in training cost
 Reduction in weight
5 Write the illities of Avionics system. 2 CO1 L1
 Avionics are the electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites, and
spacecraft.
 Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and
management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fitted
to aircraft to perform individual functions.
6 Write short notes about Flight Management Systems (FMS)? 2 CO1 L1
 Outputs from the GNSS sensors, air data sensors and other on-board sensors
are used by FMS to perform the necessary navigation calculations and provide
information to the flight crew via a range of display units.
 The flight management system provides the primary navigation, flight
planning, and optimized route determination and en route guidance for the
aircraft and is typically comprised of the following interrelated functions:
navigation, flight planning, trajectory prediction, performance computations,
and guidance.
 To accomplish these functions the flight management system must interface
with several other avionics systems
7 List the functions carried out by the FMS? 2 CO1 L1
 Flight Planning
 Navigation Management
 Engine control to maintain the planned speed of mach number
 Control of the aircraft flight path to follow the optimised planned route.
Minimizing fuel consumption.
8 Enumerate the steps involved in Avionics System Design? 2 CO1 L1
 Requirement Analysis
 Preliminary design
 Detailed design
 Testing and maintenance
9 Give various systems where the avionics used in aircrafts. 2 CO1 L1
 Avionics are the electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites, and
spacecraft.
 Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and
management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fitted
to aircraft to perform individual functions.
10 Justify the need for communication system in civil aircraft? 2 CO1 L1
 To provide Reliable two way communication between the ground bases and
the aircraft or between aircraft is self evident and is essential for air traffic
control
 To warn the pilot of impending storm conditions in order to make possible all
weather of flight.
 Necessary to have a link between the aircraft and the ground
 Necessary to have a high reliable safety measures for the aircraft and the
passengers
 Necessity to know and analyze the causes of accident and errors to avoid in
the future course
11 Provide the classifications of memories? 2 CO1 L1
 Memory is the most essential element of a computing system because without
it computer can’t perform simple tasks.
 Computer memory is of two basic type – Primary memory / Volatile memory
and Secondary memory / non-volatile memory.
 Random Access Memory (RAM) is volatile memory and Read Only Memory
(ROM) is non-volatile memory.
12 Why sensors are used in avionics system? 2 CO1 L1
 Pressure Sensors.
 Temperature Sensors.
 Force Sensors.
 Torque Sensors.
 Speed Sensors.
 Position & Displacement Sensors.
 Level Sensors.
 Proximity Sensors.
13 What is a volatile memory and give examples? 2 CO1 L1
If the information stored in memory is lost when electrical power is switched off, the
memory is called volatile memory. For example the RAM is a volatile memory. Static
RAM and Dynamic RAM of two types. Bipolar RAM, MOS RAM.
 14 Why number system is still need to be known in avionics? 2 CO1 L1
A numeral system (or system of numeration) is a writing system for expressing
numbers; that is, a mathematical notation for representing numbers of a given set,
using digits or other symbols in a consistent manner.
15 Define EEPROM. 2 CO1 L1
The data can be erased by applying an electric field, with no need for ultraviolet light.
We can erase only portions of the chip.
16 Mention the purpose of EPROM. 2 CO1 L1
It can be reprogrammed. To erase data from it, expose it to ultraviolet light. To
reprogram it, erase all the previous data.
17 What is digital computer? 2 CO1 L1
Digital computers are computers that process the data in binary form ie. 0's and 1's.
The main benefit of digital computers is that they are quick and re-programmable.
18 Why Radix is important in avionics? 2 CO1 L1
The radix or base of a number system is defined as the number of different digits which
can occur in each position in the number system.
19 Is Radix point is necessary? 2 CO1 L1
The generalized form of a decimal point is known as radix point. In any positional
number system the radix point divides the integer and fractional part.
20 Difference between octal number and hexadecimal number system. 2 CO1 L1
OCTAL NUMBER HEXADECIMAL
SYSTEM NUMBER SYSTEM

Has 8 Symbols Has 16 symbols

Symbols are Symbols are 0 to 9 and

0,1,2,3,4,5,6,and 7 A to F where A is equal
to 10, B is equal to 11
and so on till F

Positional Value Positional Value

system system

Value expressed in Value expressed in

base of 8 base of 16

E.g (256)8 E.g (6E5)16

PART- B

Q.No Questions Marks CO BL

1 Explain the need of Avionics in civil, military and space systems. 16 CO1 L2
Civil aircraft

 For better flight control, performing computations and increased control over
 flight control surfaces.
 For navigation, provide information using sensors like Altitude and Head
Reference System (AHRS).

 Provide air data like altitude, atmospheric pressure, temperature, etc.

 Reduce crew workload.

 Increased safety for crew and passengers.

 Reduction in aircraft weight which can be translated into increased number of

passengers or long range.

 All weather operation and reduction in aircraft maintenance cost.

Military aircraft

Avionics in fighter aircraft eliminates the need for a second crew member like navigator,
observer etc., which helps in reducing the training costs.

 A single seat fighter is lighter and costs less than an equivalent two seat
version.
 Improved aircraft performance, control and handling.

 Reduction in maintenance cost.

 Secure communication.

Space systems

 Fly-by-wire communication 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.

2 Describe integrated Avionics system and its need. 16 CO1 L2
The Avionics and Weapon System (AWS) in any modern day fighter aircraft enables
the pilot to perform various mission functions.

Functional requirements of AWS are,

(i) Receive Inputs from sensors, communication systems, Radio navigation systems,
Identification system, Missiles, Electronic counter measures system, Pilot controls.
(ii) Computation of required parameters for Navigation and Fire control.
(iii) Transferring the computed results to displays, Audio system and weapons.
(iv) Controlling of weapon launch / Firing.
(v) Control / Co-ordinate / manage sensors optimally.

Sensors
A device which detects or measures a physical property and records, indicates, or
 otherwise responds to it. like, Radars, Inertial Navigation System, Air Data System,
Forward Looking Infrared Sensor, etc,.

Communication Systems
It is a digital datalink system for transmission of short messages between aircraft and
ground stations via airband radio or satellite. Data Link, Voice Link

Radio Navigation System

Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) is a Ultra High Frequency Navigation system.

Identification System
Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) is designed for command and control. It identifies the
friendly targets but not hostile ones.

Missiles: Locked on to target

Electronic Counter Measures Systems

Radar warning receiver, Self-protection jammer, Offensive jammer. Self Protection
Jammer – It is used to prevent detection by enemy radar by jamming the signal of
hostile radar.

Pilot Controls
Hands on stick and throttle controls

Parameters for Navigation and Fire control

 Navigation Algorithms – Guidance to steer point
 Fire Control Algorithms – Weapon Aiming, Missile Launch

Control Weapon Launch / Firing

Weapon selection and preparation, launch sequence and jettison (throw or drop from
the aircraft).

3 Give the reason that why avionics is having many sub systems? Explain the few 16 CO1 L2
systems.
Avionics system function for enabling the crew to carry out the aircraft mission.
The core avionics system is depicted. In the core avionics system, the systems which
directly interface with pilot are given below:

Display System
It provides the visual interface between the pilot and the aircraft systems.

Types
 HUD - Head Up Displays
 HMD - Helmet Mounted Displays
 HDD – Head Down Displays

Communication System
It provides the two way communication between the ground bases and the aircraft or
between aircrafts. A Radio Transmitter and Receiver was the first avionics system
installed in an aircraft. The different types of frequencies used for several ranges are
given below.
 Long Range Communication – High Frequency (2 – 30 MHz)
Medium Range Communication – Very High Frequency (30 – 100 MHz)
Military Aircraft – Ultra High Frequency (250 – 400 MHz)

Nowadays satellite communication systems are used to provide very reliable

communication.

Data Entry and Control System

It is essential for the crew to interact with the avionic system. Ex: Keyboards, Touch
Panels to use direct voice Input, Voice warning systems and so on.

Flight Control System

It uses the electronic system in two areas.
(i) Auto Stabilization
a.Roll Auto Stabilizer System
b. Pitch Auto Stabilizer System

(ii) FBW Flight Control Systems

It provides continuous automatic stabilization of the aircraft by computer control of the

control surfaces from appropriate motion sensors.

For control and navigation of the aircraft the air data quantities are essential.
Air Data Quantities are,

 Altitude
 Calibrated Airspeed
 Vertical speed
 True Airspeed
 Mach Number
 Airstream Incidence Angle.

The air data computing system computes these quantities from the outputs of sensors
which measure the static and total pressure and the outside air temperature.
4 Provide the design approaches of avionics system. 16 CO1 L2
Starting point for designing a digital avionics system is a clear
understanding of the mission requirements.
The three stages of avionics system design are:
 Conceptual design
 Preliminary design
 Detailed design

Conceptual design considerations are,

The end result of conceptual design is an artist‟s or engineer‟s conception of the
vehicle/product.
Example: Clay model of an automobile.

Preliminary design considerations are,

How big will it be?
How much will it weight?
 What engines will it use?
How much fuel or propellant will it use?
How much will it cost?

Detailed design considerations are,

How many parts will it have?
What shape will they be?
What materials?
How will it be made?
How will the parts be joined?
How will technology advancements (e.g. lightweight material, advanced airfoils,
improved engines, etc.) impact the design?

DESIGN and TECHNOLOGY

Specific things to be considered while designing an Avionics Systems are,
(i) Functional Requirements
(ii) Cost
(iii) Required Safety level
(iv) Selection of Design
- Allocation of functions to sub-systems
- Identification of failure modes and its effects
(v) Implementation, Testing and Evaluation
(vi) Validation
(vii) Reliability
(viii) Flexibility
(ix) Weight
(x) Power

Major Design aspects are,

a) Basic Architecture
b) Inter system communication
c) Incorporation of fault tolerant system
d) Evaluation of system design

System Architectures
i) Centralized
Signal conditioning and computations are done by computers in an avionics bay and
the signals are transmitted over one way data bus.
Advantages
Simple design, Software can be written easily.
Disadvantages
Long data buses are required, Possibility for damage.
ii) Federated
Sharing of input, sensor data and computed results over data buses.
iii) Distributed
Multiple processors are used for computing the task under real time basis. This
Architecture is used in modern avionics system.

5 What is memory? Explain different types of memories used in this world. 16 CO1 L2
It is a circuit that can store bits – high or low, generally voltage levels or capacitive
charges representing 1 or 0.

CLASSIFICATION OF MEMORIES
Memory stores binary instructions and data for the microprocessor. The read/write
memory is made of registers, and each register has a group of flip-flops or FET that
store bits of information. The Flip-Flops are called memory cells. The number of bits
stored in a register is called memory word.

ROM stores information permanently in the form of diodes. Group of diodes can be
viewed as registers. In a memory chip all the registers are arranged in a sequence and
identified by binary numbers called memory address. The size of the memory chip is
specified in terms of bits.
To communicate with memory, the MPU should be able to
i) Select the chip
ii) Identify the Register
iii) Read from or write into the register
Read/Write and ROM – Microprocessor uses this memory for executing and sharing
programs.

Read/Write Memory
The memory is volatile, i.e. all the contents are destroyed when the power is turned off.

RAM
This memory is made up of flip flops, and it stores the bit as a voltage. It is more
expensive and consumes more power than dynamic memory. It has low density but its
speed is very high.

DRAM
This is made up of MOS transistor gates, and it stores the bit as charge. It has high
density and it consumes low power, and cheaper. But the charge leak is a
disadvantage for it.

ROM
It is a non-volatile memory.

Masked ROM
A bit pattern is permanently recorded by the masking and metallization process.

PROM
It has nichrome or polysilicon wires arranged in a matrix. This memory can be
programmed by a special PROM programmer. The process is known as burning the
PROM and the information stored is permanent.

EPROM
This memory stores a bit by charging the floating gate of an FET. High voltages are
required to charge the gate. All the information can be erased by exposing the chip to
ultraviolet light through its quartz window.

Disadvantages
The erasing process takes 15 to 20 minutes.
The entire chip has to be erased.

EE-PROM
 This is similar to EPROM, except that information can be altered by using electrical
signals at the register levels rather than erasing all the information.

Flash Memory
The Flash memory can be erased either entirely or at the sector level. These chips can
be erased and programmed atleast a million times. This is suitable for low power
systems. Zero power RAM is a CMOS R/W memory with battery backup built internally.
It includes lithium cells and voltage sensing circuitry. When the external power supply
falls below 3V, the power switching circuitry connects the lithium battery.

6 Describe about the digital number system with few examples. 16 CO1 L2
Arithmetic operations using decimal numbers are quite common. However, in logical
design it is necessary to perform manipulations in the so-called binary system of
numbers because of the on-off nature of the physical devices used. Numbers
expressed in base 2 are called binary numbers. They are often used in computers since
they require only two coefficient values. The integers from 0 to 15 are given in Table
1.1-1 for several bases. Since there are no coefficient values for the range 10 to b 1
when b > 10, the letters A, B, C, . . . are used. Base-8 numbers are called octal
numbers, and base-16 numbers are called hexadecimal numbers. Octal and
hexadecimal numbers are often used as shorthand for binary numbers. An octal
number can be converted into a binary number by converting each of the octal
coefficients individually into its binary equivalent. The same is true for

hexadecimal numbers. This property is true because 8 and 16 are both powers of 2.
For numbers with bases that are not a power of 2, the conversion to binary is more
complex.

Binary to Decimal:

Octal to Decimal:

Hexadecimal to Decimal:
Conversions in fractions:

Conversion of decimal to binary ( base 10 to base 2):

Example: convert (68)10 to binary

68/2 = 34 remainder is 0

34/ 2 = 17 remainder is 0

17 / 2 = 8 remainder is 1

8 / 2 = 4 remainder is 0

4 / 2 = 2 remainder is 0

2 / 2 = 1 remainder is 0

1 / 2 = 0 remainder is 1

Answer = (1 0 0 0 1 0 0)2

Conversion of decimal fraction to binary Fraction:

Example: Convert (0.68)10 to binary fraction.

0.68 * 2 = 1.36 integer part is 1

0.36 * 2 = 0.72 integer part is 0

0.72 * 2 = 1.44 integer part is 1

0.44 * 2 = 0.88 integer part is 0

Answer = 0. 1 0 1 0…..

Example: convert (68.68)10 to binary equivalent.

Answer = 1 0 0 0 1 0 0. 1 0 1 0….

Conversion of decimal to octal (base 10 to base 8):

Example: convert (177)10 to octal

177 / 8 = 22 remainder is 1

22 / 8 = 2 remainder is 6

2 / 8 = 0 remainder is 2

Answer = (2 6 1)8

Conversion of hex to decimal (base 16 to base 10):

Example: convert (F4C)16 to decimal = (F x 162) + (4 x 161) + (C x 160) = (15 x 256) + (4

x 16) + (12 x 1) = (3916)10

Conversion of decimal to hex (base 10 to base 16):

Example: convert (4768)10 to hex.

= 4768 / 16 = 298 remainder 0

= 298 / 16 = 18 remainder 10 (A)

= 18 / 16 = 1 remainder 2

= 1 / 16 = 0 remainder 1

Answer: 1 2 A 0

Conversion of binary to octal and hex:

•Conversion of binary numbers to octal and hex simply requires grouping bits in the
binary numbers into groups of three bits for conversion to octal and into groups of four
bits for conversion to hex.

Thus, (11 100 111)2 =(347)8

(11 100 010 101 010 010 001)2 = (3025221)8

(1110 0111)2 = (E7)16

(1 1000 1010 1000 0111)2 = (18A87)16

Digital arithmetic: Many modern digital computers employ the binary (base-2) number
 system to represent numbers, and carry out the arithmetic operations using binary
arithmetic. In performing decimal arithmetic it is necessary to memorize the tables
giving the results of the elementary arithmetic operations for pairs of decimal digits.
Similarly, for binary arithmetic the tables for the elementary operations for the binary
digits are necessary.

Name & Signature of Subject Incharge Course Coordinator HOD IQAC