As 2020 comes to a close, we have compiled the top 10 most read articles published by Avionics International this year. Using our web data analytics platform Parse.ly, our traffic monitoring shows that these are the most read articles published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 20, 2020.
Look out for more coverage of the exciting world of aviation electronics and aerospace technology from our publication in 2021. Our regular news cycle will return on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.
Airlines based in the Middle East are resuming limited flight operations in support of COVID-19 passenger repatriation and going through maintenance checks, such as disconnecting batteries, as an Etihad Airways technician pictured here does. Photo: Etihad Airways
Middle Eastern carriers are resuming limited passenger flights, using the grounding of airplanes to perform extensive maintenance checks, and introducing new airport testing and mask wearing requirements in response to travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 coronavirus. This article published on Apr. 17, 2020, covers some of the new policies airlines in the region enacted in reaction to new international COVID-19 related travel restrictions.
The Airbus A220, pictured here, preparing for a demo flight at Chubu International Airport in Japan. (Airbus)
On this episode of the Connected Aircraft Podcast, we caught up with Jean-François Parent, head of engineering and chief engineer for the Airbus Canada Limited Partnership’s A220 program. This podcast, published May 29, 2020, provided a timely perspective on the safety of cabin air associated with passenger concerns about transmitting COVID-19 in-flight.
Lockheed Martin nabbed up to $2.3 billion in contract awards for the F-35 program prior to the end of 2019. Photo: Lockheed Martin
The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin five contracts worth a cumulative $2.3 billion at the end of 2019 for various work related to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, to include logistics services for delivered aircraft, long-lead materials, and upgraded software capabilities. This article, published Jan. 4, 2020, covered the contracts, awarded between Dec. 27-30, 2019 totaled $2.347 billion, per a Dec. 31, 2019 Defense Department contract round-up.
A thirty minute flight by an all-electric Cessna Grand Caravan, by MagniX and AeroTEC, brings electric aviation one step closer to primetime. (MagniX)
Skies were all-clear for Redmond, Washington-based MagniX’s first flight of the largest all-electric commuter aircraft yet. This article, published May 29, 2020, covers the first flight of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan retrofitted with a 750-horsepower Magni500 propulsion system.
Through the remote ID system, described in the agency’s proposed remote ID rule released on December 29, drone operators will be required to transmit via broadcast and network their location, their drone’s location, velocity, and identifying data to a centralized system, which a variety of remote ID USSs share and retrieve information from in near-real-time. This article, published May 14, 2020, covered some of the latest updates around the FAA’s Remote ID service.
Soon, Vistara Airlines’ cabin experience will feature in-flight Internet access for passengers. Photo: Vistara
This article, published Feb. 27, 2020, covered a new partnership agreement between Panasonic Avionics and Tata Group subsidiary Nelco Limited that made Vistara India’s first domestic airline to offer in-flight Internet access to passengers.
During their first quarter 2020 earnings call, Boeing’s chief executive provided updates on their work to return the 737 MAX to passenger-carrying service.
This article, published on Apr. 30, 2020, covered some of the latest updates around Boeing’s 737 MAX flight control software update.
An Airbus A320 operated by Pakistan International Airlines as flight PK8303 crashed just before reaching the runway at Jinnah International Airport, pictured here. Photo: Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
This article, published May 26, 2020, covered a report on accident investigators recovering the flight data recorder (FDR) from the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-8303’s Airbus A320 that crashed upon landing on May 22 near Jinnah International Airport.
Palantir CEO Alex Karp. (Keystone)
This article, published Nov. 2, 2020, covers a forecast by Denver-based Palantir Technologies, Inc. noting a major future increase in the company’s share of DoD, intelligence community, and other federal software business, as the company seeks to become the “central operating system for all U.S. defense programs,” per last month’s prospectus for the company’s initial public offering (IPO).
SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk discussed a number of hot topics facing his company and the broader aerospace industry during a keynote speech and fireside chat at SATELLITE 2020.
Our most read article of the year borrows coverage from sister publication Via Satellite Editorial Director Mark Holmes’ coverage of Elon Musk at SATELLITE 2020.
“If the schedule is long, the design is wrong,” was an adage shared by SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk as he waded into a range of topics on the first day of SATELLITE 2020 — from the value of a college education, management by rhyming, and updates on Starlink and Starship — while name-checking everyone from Homer Simpson, Sergei Korolev, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Larry Ellison.