Thank You from the General Conference Chair

My sincere thanks go out to all the volunteers and participants who contributed to make this another outstanding DASC! Our theme for the year, “Integrated Modular Avionics Is the Modern Approach,” was very well received, with solid attendance in the dedicated track and supporting Plenary panel session. Many of our other traditional anchor areas continued strong in their participation, to include Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Communication / Navigation / Surveillance (CNS).  And we continue to see growth in new areas such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

We thank our founding sponsors for their continued support, the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Digital Avionics Technical Committee (DATC) and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Aerospace and Electronics Systems Society (AESS). This year we were anchored by two industrial sponsors who provided invaluable resources and visibility: MITRE’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (MITRE/CAASD) and Rockwell Collins. Thanks also to 13 exhibitors and our break sponsors for their contributions.

We had over 260 participants in the conference this year, with attendees from 18 countries and including 12 spouses who participated in a focused program for them. Our technical program consisted of 150 papers divided into five tracks this year, supported by the addition of poster sessions. Presentations at our opening Plenary session and IMA Panel Lunch supported our technical program and conference theme. Post-produced conference CDs of the proceedings will be mailed out to each registered attendee by 15 December.

This was only a very brief recap of our 27th DASC. As usual we thank you for your comments on the survey forms, which we will combine with our own lessons learned to help next year’s committee continue to fine tune the program. We hope to see you at the 28th DASC in Orlando!

It was truly an honor and privilege to lead this year’s team who staffed the organizing committee in a very professional manner.  You might not even know that they are all volunteers providing a not-for-profit service back to our industry, not paid conference staff from an organization that produces numerous conferences each year for profit. Much like a family owned business, our conference has a lot of heart.  Thank you all for a very successful year, culminating in a memorable conference!

John R. Moore
27th DASC General Chair