Page 3 - Aerotech News and Review, July 9, 2021

ASB Avionics Inc. celebrating 27 years in Mojave

a complete FAA certified cockpit and and equipment prior to arrival of the nates the requirement for the exist-
autopilot upgrade for the L382/C-130 aircraft for mods. ing dual long-wire HF antennas and
family of aircraft, and developing a While growing into a reputable full- replaced the existing dorsal leading
patented and FAA certified HF Shunt service global business, the company edge allowing the antenna couplers to
antenna for L382/C130 Lockheed Her- is still a family affair. McNutt’s sons be mounted within the pressure vessel.
cules and Boeing B707/KC135 and Brian and Tom act as general manager This antenna requires minimal
B747 Classic that the company builds and facility manager, while his grand- maintenance, is immune to precipita-
under FAA PMA. ASB has served daughter Crystal serves as ASB Avi- tion static buildup, lighting strikes, and
more 1,000 individual customers. onics’ office manager. McNutt’s wife damaging antenna wire breakage, and
The company now maintains a Mary worked at ASB until recently. also reduces drag; improving fuel spe-
39,000 square foot hangar at Mojave Both Duane and his son Brian are cifics. The new antenna is designed to
Air and Space Port, including fabri- pilots, and the ASB Avionics team are be installed on all P-3 variants.
Courtesy photograph passionate about improving pilots’
ASB Avionics Inc., at the Mojave Air and Space Port. cation, bench repair, and sheet metal ability to communicate and navigate, P-3 shunt antenna drawing
shops, and employs more than 20 tech- even in remote locations or over long ASB Avionics has been serving the
by Cathy Hansen Navy after high school where he was nicians and other professionals includ- oceanic routes. They own and fly a air transport, corporate, military and
ing experienced systems engineers and
special to Aerotech News a flight radioman serving on Lockheed Cessna 182 for business and pleasure. general aviation avionics industry with
Constellations (“Super Connies”) in program managers. To expedite cus- ASB Avionics especially enjoys the highest quality in avionics repairs,
ASB Avionics, Inc., an FAA cer- the VVW1 and 3 Squadron in Guam. tomers’ return to service, ASB uses a customizing projects to meet each retrofits, and fabrication installations
tificated repair station since 1991 is a After his Navy service, he worked for modular design concept that allows for customer’s unique needs and will for 30 years.
family-owned and -operated business 20 years as an avionics tech for Aero assembly and testing of the installation send teams just about anywhere to “Our team at ASB Avionics is well-
based at the Mojave Air and Space Equipment in Van Nuys, Calif. Follow- install upgrades and/or train partner known and respected by manufacturers
Port. ing a four-year aviation stint in Alaska, companies. and service providers around the world
ASB provides avionics moderniza- he moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., to “I love what I do,” said McNutt. “I for our quality of service, expertise and
tion system design/build/installation work for Tracor Aviation as avionics don’t know that I’ll ever really retire.” our work ethic,” McNutt said.
services and equipment for aircraft manager/technician.
ranging from Cessna 172s to Boe- In 1990, McNutt opened his own ASB AVIONICS History of Dor-
ing 747s, with its business balanced business as “Avionics of Santa Bar- sal Antennas
among general and business aviation bara,” and later opened a second fa- ASB Avionics (ASB), under con-
and upgrading antiquated avionics cility at the Mojave Airport. In 1994, tract with the NOAA, developed a
with state-of-the-art equipment on the company name changed to ASB Dorsal HF (High Frequency) Shunt
large aircraft. A recent focus across Avionics, Inc. Antenna for their WP-3 fleet. The P-3
all classes of aircraft has been ADS-B McNutt shared the company’s vi- HF Shunt Antenna builds on ASB’s
and “2020” compliance and CNS/ATN brant history, which includes installing history of HF Dorsal Antennas for L-
“glass cockpit” upgrades. the cockpit avionics for NASA’s Boe- Courtesy photograph 382/C-130, KC-135, 707, 737, and 747
Duane McNutt, ASB Avionics’ ing 747, the Stratospheric Observa- aircraft.
founder and president, joined the tory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), Duane McNutt The P-3 HF Shunt Antenna elimi-
82-year-old aerospace pioneer, to fly on Blue Origin

Sixty years after acing astronaut tests but paying customers. Blue Origin has yet to an-
barred because she was a woman, Wally Funk nounce ticket prices or when the public might
will rocket into space alongside Jeff Bezos in strap into the spacious six-seat capsule, which
just three weeks. reaches an altitude of about 65 miles, just beyond
Bezos’ company Blue Origin announced July the edge of space. The up-and-down flights last
1 that the pioneering pilot will be aboard the July 10 minutes.
20 launch from West Texas, flying in the cap- The reusable rocket is named for Mercury
sule as an “honored guest.” She’ll join Bezos, his astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in
brother and the winner of a $28 million charity space, and July 20 is the 52nd anniversary of
auction, as the first people to ride a New Shepard the Apollo 11 moon landing.
rocket. Funk, who lives in Texas, was the first female
At 82, she’ll be the oldest person to launch inspector for the Federal Aviation Administra-
into space. tion and the first female air safety investigator
Funk is among the so-called Mercury 13 for the National Transportation Safety Board. In
women who went through astronaut testing in the posted video, she said she has 19,600 flying
the early 1960s, but never made it to space — or hours and has taught more than 3,000 people to
even NASA’s astronaut corps — because they fly.
were female. Back then, all of NASA’s astro- She was among two dozen female pilots who
nauts were male military test pilots. underwent six days of rigorous physical tests —
Funk said she feels “fabulous” about finally the same ones administered to the Mercury astro- Courtesy photographs
getting the chance to go to space. naut candidates — in 1960 and 1961. The doctor
“I’ll love every second of it. Whoooo! Ha-ha. who had tested the Mercury 7 men had heard the Above: Mercury 13 astronaut trainee
Wally Funk, right, meets with Jeff
I can hardly wait,” Funk said in an Instagram Soviets planned to send a woman to space and he Bezos July 1, 2021. Left: Wally Funk
video posted by Bezos. wanted to see if women could endure the effects was the first female FAA inspector
“Nothing has ever gotten in my way,” she of weightlessness. and first female NTSB air safety
added. “They said, ‘Well, you’re a girl, you The candidates had to spend hours in an iso- investigator. The 82-year-old pilot will
can’t do that.’ I said, ’Guess what, doesn’t mat- lation water tank, swallow rubber hose, and get now be part of the first crew on New
ter what you are. You can still do it if you want needles stuck in their heads, among other things. Shepard, and the oldest person ever
to do it and I like to do things that nobody has Thirteen of the women — including Funk to fly to space.
ever done.” — passed. But the program was abruptly can-
In a cosmic twist, she’ll beat the late John celed, and the Soviets went on to launch the first
Glenn, who set a record at age 77 when flying woman into space — Valentina Tereshkova — in
aboard space shuttle Discovery in 1998. Glenn 1963. American woman piloted a spaceship — Eileen In the video, Bezos describes to Funk how the
pooh-poohed the idea of women flying in space, “They told me that I had done better and com- Collins aboard shuttle Discovery. Many of the four Blue Origin passengers will experience zero
shortly after he became the first American to or- pleted the work faster than any of the guys,” Mercury 13 women gathered at Cape Canaveral gravity for a few minutes, then land gently on the
bit the world in 1962. Funk recalled. “So I got hold of NASA four for that launch. desert surface and open the hatch.
“No one has waited longer,” Bezos said via In- times. I said I want to become an astronaut, Keen to get to space, Funk reserved a seat “You step outside. What’s the first thing you
stagram. “It’s time. Welcome to the crew, Wally.” but nobody would take me. I didn’t think that I years ago on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galac- say?” he asked her.
The Amazon founder is stepping down as the would ever get to go up.” tic rocket ship. She remains on the passenger “I will say, ‘Honey, that was the best thing that
company’s CEO on July 5. It wasn’t until 1983 that the first American list; the company plans three more test flights ever happened to me!” Funk replied, embracing
The upcoming launch — which follows 15 woman soared into space — Sally Ride, who from New Mexico, one of them with Branson on Bezos in a big bear hug.
successful test flights — will open the door to died in 2012. And it wasn’t until 1995 that an board, before launching customers. Associated Press
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