Spent the morning reading up about the history of Universal Avionics. I must admit that I knew very little about this avionics company till I got sucked into the rich and gripping history of a company that’s built on focus, and passion.

 If I were there, I would have honestly done no lesser. But honestly, I don’t think I personally may have been able to match the feat of any one of those fine gentlemen who waded the upstream current to emerge as one of the top players in the market.

 Market. Universal Avionics isn’t an air transport name. Its more on the regional, and the business aviation front. Suspended between the flooded general Aviation market (ruled by Garmin), and the Air Transport segment (ruled by the majors we all know, such as Rockwell Collins, Honeywell).

 What stands out in this book is passion: to serve the aviator, and to better the best. And this focus was not a result of a selfish corporate interest to grab the market and make more money. The interest, and commitment was to make the flight deck better.

 The 100 page book starts off with the basics of radio navigation, followed by the need to integrate the various sources of navigational information. This need resulted in the first device of Global Navigation, Inc., the GNS-500. GNI was founded by a pilot, who wanted nothing but the best in the flight deck.

 As time went on, corporate turmoil resulted in the formation of Universal Avionics, by those who were “kicked out” of Global Navigation Inc. The grudge and the brilliant few resulted in a smaller company that eventually gained a larger footprint, by thier sheer innovation and strife for excellence.

The book takes on through the various Flight Management Systems, Cockpit Voice Recorders, and Displays that Universal Avionics made. Its rich in its content, appealing to both the casual reader and an aviator, or a systems person, such as me.

 When I was done reading, I felt like I was one of them. My love in life is for the flightdeck, and the avionics therein, most notably, the FMS. And Universal Avionics prime focus is on the FMS.

 Read it here, at www.uasc.com/history/

 Loved it. And I’m going to bed a happy man. For no reason but the pure love and excitement for those who are as passionate about something that I am.