A Brief History of the

Airlines International
Electronics Meeting (AIEM)

Dear friends of the AIEM -

some of you may have read this article in the May 1994 issue of Avionics Magazine. For good reasons,
the editor had to skip those parts of my draft which are only meaningful to AIEM insiders. Now here is
the full story for you to enjoy (I hope):
AIEM
Former AIEM chairman Hans-Peter Reichow recounts the meeting’s history and charter. Reichow, who
retired from Lufthansa recently after 34 years of service, chaired his twentieth and last AIEM in
Singapore in September 1993. We asked him in Singapore to brief us on history, technical thoughts,
and personal memories he has about the AIEM:

A Brief History of the

Airlines International
Electronics Meeting (AIEM)
by Hans-Peter Reichow
The idea originated in a group of radio engineers from seven airlines calling themselves the "European
Airlines Electronics Committee".
This "EAEC" all started by an informal get together in Paris in 1953 between five European airlines,
namely Air France, KLM, Sabena, Swissair and SAS. Lufthansa joined 1954, followed by BOAC (now
British Airways) in 1957, making it seven. - The EAEC still exists today, representing practical all major
European airlines, and is a formal member of the AEEC in the USA. Its objectives have been, in short,
to coordinate avionics installation and equipment requirements for the common benefit of the
participating airlines, to cooperate with AEEC in preparing ARINC equipment characteristics, and to
exchange information on any subject of common interest in the avionics field. - This was all before I
joined Lufthansa in 1959.
One member of the EAEC, Mr. Ronald D. Jones of BOAC, convinced the group that if only the airlines
discussed their problems among themselves, they would act like a snake eating its tail (a procedure
which lacks long-term planning). - So Ron Jones suggested to invite the manufacturers into their
meeting for a try. This was in 1959. Since it was his idea, it was held in London, and he chaired this
first meeting of its kind, then called the EAEC Maintenance Meeting. It was a surprising success.
Attendance was 44 delegates from 11 airlines, 35 from 20 manufacturers, and one from the aviation
authority, making a total of 80.
Everybody wanted this type of meeting to be repeated every year, with different airlines hosting. Ron -
since he had now the experience as a chairman - since he could speak the best English - since he
knew most manufacturers - was simply asked to carry on as a chairman. He was never formally
elected, he was just asked. The EAEC appointed a small steering group for this maintenance meeting.
When I became responsible for avionics maintenance in Lufthansa 1969, I almost automatically found
myself in that steering group also.
Two years later, I was a little too nosy: I had some comments about how to improve our meeting.
Which made me the vice-chairman for 1972. It so happened that the previous vice-chairman - Mr.
Schoehuizen (never mind the airline) - had all of a sudden disappeared - the rumor went that he had
married a rich wife and didn't have to work anymore. (I was obviously not as lucky as him!) - So, Ron,
being short of a vice-chairman, asked me to step in. I agreed, realizing that if I did not sneak out soon
enough, I'd probably become the chairman when Ron would retire some day.
Since that was yet several years to go, I did not worry at that time - until the fusion between BEA and
BOAC took place in 1974, with Ron stating that he would not chair the meeting any longer. He was
given a golden handshake by BOAC - I do not know how golden it was - maybe more silvery - but he
was not transferred to British Airways. He did not want to continue his chairmanship in this situation.
Obviously, now it was too late for me to get off the hook, so I became chairman for the 1974 meeting in
Zurich, and ever since. Ron helped as a technical adviser four more years, until he died in 1978.
In 1983, we changed the name of the meeting by deleting "European", since this restriction had really
never been valid, and had been ridiculed by attendance and venues. Over the years, typical attendance
rose to and stabilized in the range from 400 to 500 delegates. - The AIEM is now defined as providing a
 A Brief History of the
Airlines International
Electronics Meeting (AIEM)
Continued

forum for the avionics community worldwide - experts from airlines, aircraft and equipment
manufacturers, and aviation regulatory agencies -, to review the design, operation, maintenance, and
future development of avionics used on commercial transport aircraft. - Besides the formal sessions
with an agenda composed of previously submitted airline questions and comments, vendors
demonstrate their latest equipment in their hospitality suites. It is also a time for airlines and suppliers
to renew business relationships and establish new contacts.
There was a considerable development in system technology and complexity in the avionics world
since 1959. You readers of Avionics Magazine need not be told in detail. Catchwords during the AIEM
era were: Tube - Transistor - Microprocessor - Software. It is interesting to see how this development
reflects in the topics of the AIEM over the years. Here are a few quotes from the first meeting in 1959;
some are ridiculously out of date:
" ... analyzed the problem of 180° reversals (of ADF readings during ground test) caused by the aircraft
being grounded through the electrical power supply units."
" ... extremely high accuracies are demanded of the ATC Transponder, and difficulties are met for lack
of suitable test equipment."
" ... do not believe that Doppler Radar will present any maintenance difficulties."
" ... need to use suitable test methods as transistors could readily be destroyed by fault tracing
methods that had been used for years."
" ... I hope manufacturers have all taken note that the problem of testing a system should be taken into
account when the system is being designed and not left for the airline to puzzle over afterwards."
What about 1994 problems in contrast? - Cost of ownership - software documentation - proprietary
rights - feasibility of in-house repair.
What does the future hold? My personal predictions - in short-hand:
Essentially, avionic systems of modern aircraft are highly integrated networks, both functionally and
physically. If at all, you may want to distinguish: Controls - Sensors - Computers - Actuators - Indicators
- Data Transmission. Of these, sensors and actuators are computer in/out interfaces with the physical
world. As such, they suffer physical damage and need repair and maintenance. Nothing new really, just
improvement in technology, hence reliability. - Controls and indicators are computer in/out interfaces
with man. Since man does not change, problems of that interface will stick with us: handling damage,
maintenance, engineering changes, operational adaptations, workload distribution. Again: As before.
It is quite different with computers: They have gone and are still going to extreme complexity, extreme
cost, and remarkable reliability. Economically, these parameters tend to tip the scales away from in-
house repair. Only very large fleets would justify the immense cost for test equipment, spares
inventory, personnel training, and documentation. Perhaps, a lease of the complete system from the
manufacturer, including house keeping services, pay for each hour that the system is functioning
properly, may be a way for the future. It should be interesting to hear the aviation authorities' response
when that time comes. - At last, data transmission technology: experience is yet to be gained. I just
hope that the prediction of my predecessor as head of the radio engineering group, in 1963 or so, will
not become true: As long as you do not get rid of connectors in airplanes, you will have connector
problems delaying airplanes! - - -
Yet another crystal ball:
There were several attempts made from the AIEM side to combine the AIEM with the annual Avionics
Maintenance Conference (AMC) held in the USA and Canada, which has a similar scope, but a largely
different constituency. This issue is probably not closed for good, but after discussing several aspects
of it, such as the growing importance of avionics on new aircraft, such as AIEM attendance numbers
being stable and high, and considering the growing economic potential of the Asia / Pacific regions, the
AIEM has been encouraged to continue annually with venues in geographical areas not covered by the
AMC, as long as the AMC is not planning to switch continents every year.
 A Brief History of the
Airlines International
Electronics Meeting (AIEM)
Continued

Since 1964, 9 AIEMs were arranged in conjunction with the General Session of the AEEC (ARINC),
outside the USA, - in the same hotel - in adjacent weeks. In general, a 3 years cycle was kept for this
arrangement. It gives AEEC delegates easier access to the AIEM, and vice versa. Such it furthers the
cooperation between engineering and maintenance people. Also, this combination saves the vendors
some traveling and equipment shipping. The next such conjunction is this year in Portugal.

Now, away from technicalities and crystal gazing - to the lighter side of the AIEM:
This last one was my 20th AIEM as a chairman. - I am told that my way of chairing the meeting was
very typical, somehow particular, or as Clive Baxter (BA) put it: "Certainly, you have run the meetings
with teutonic efficiency - if I may put it that way! - I know that on occasions people have almost looked
upon you as the head master, you know, the 'You are not using the microphone properly - come and
see me in my study at 4 o'clock' - type approach." - Or when people expected my standard phrase, if
someone quoted some avionic unit in his airplane to have an MTBF of 5287 flight hours: "Only two
significant digits, please!" - Or my precise session timing - "Cesium clock controlled", they joked. -
Someone said I reminded him of that Lufthansa captain who commands his passengers to enjoy their
meals, tells them that everybody shall arrive precisely on time - that the flight altitude at present is
exactly 10,058.4 meters plus or minus 10 centimeters, and concludes: "I want from my passengers:
Absolute obedience! - And when I say: - Fasten seat belts! - I want to hear one click only!"
Naturally, over the years a lot of funny incidents or humorous statements occurred during the AIEMs.
Some of them may raise a little smile on the faces of those who know our meeting and its conduct, or
who have a strong imagination about it:

1. - The Baron's Table

You may know the "Baron's Table", a very distinguished restaurant in the wider Hong Kong area,
delicious and expensive - German food. Nevertheless - I will probably stay away from it the rest of my
life:
We were getting ready to prepare the Final Agenda for the Hong Kong 1981 AIEM. I had been looking
forward to this short Hong Kong business trip because I like Chinese food (Cantonese style). Where
else would I get it more genuine than in a Far East place? Tass Mylonas met me at the airport, and to
my absolute delight he announced that we would have dinner together that night. I explained to him
how greatly I appreciated this, because I really love Chinese food!
"No, Peter, we are going to a German restaurant." - "Tass, this kind of a joke ain't funny." Tass insisted
that he was serious: we had to go to a German restaurant that night. I began feeling sour: "I'm not
traveling half around the globe from Germany to eat at a German restaurant in Hong Kong. This is a
ridiculous proposition!" Tass became a little embarrassed and explained the situation: The Engineering
Director of Cathay Pacific - Mr. Stewart John - wanted to see and honor the AIEM chairman and
thought to do him a favor by inviting him to a very good restaurant. This establishment was located
near his home, so it was convenient for him, as his baby-sitter didn't have to stay so long.
There was no way around this - I confess the place was really excellent. They had tables for each of
the German states. It was nice to see slim and gracious little Chinese girls being dressed in Bavarian
Dirndl dresses, and I visualized them carrying dozens of beer mugs in their tiny arms to the Bavaria
Table!
Unfortunately, this event was not the end of the story. Tass Mylonas' boss, Mr. Gil Newman, found this
a very amusing incident, and he humorously chose to comment in Cathay Pacific's "List of
Recommended Restaurants" which he was preparing for the AIEM delegates, that the Baron's Table
was "the Chairman's favorite restaurant".
As things happen, none of the vendors realized that Gil Newman was only making a bad joke, and so I,
the chairman of the AIEM, found myself invited three times in a row to the Baron's Table for the AIEM
evenings. Only one time could I reject this offer and let the organizer switch restaurants, the other two
 A Brief History of the
Airlines International
Electronics Meeting (AIEM)
Continued

times some Big Wheel of the inviting folks had already arranged this from back home, and it would
have been embarrassing for the local people to make a last-minute change to the arrangement.
By the way, I took revenge on Tass (who is born Greek) and invited him to a Greek restaurant on his
next visit to Hamburg! - - -

2. - Engines running on Water

Ron Jones, our first chairman, had a cool and quick-witted humor:
During the Zurich AIEM in 1974, with the first oil crisis at its peak, we discussed corrosion of fuel
quantity sensors caused by water in the fuel tanks (we did this every year). Towards the end of this
discussion, Mr. Rajan of Iran Air surprised the audience with the ironic remark "In Iran we have no fuel
shortage, and we don't find much water in the tanks!" - After a somewhat bitter and retarded smile on
the faces of the airlines, Ron countered with an almost motionless face: "Perhaps this problem ought to
be solved by the powerplant people. They had better produce an engine that runs on water. Some of
the countries that have the oil don't have too much water, so we'll have the laugh on them."
(Documented in the 1974 Proceedings, pg. 93 i).

3. - Local Charm
As I drew the final seating chart for the 1981 AIEM in Hong Kong at 7.30 in the morning of the opening
day, the eager Chinese audio expert from Cathay Pacific reported: "The four microphones for the
manufacturers are checked okay." - I was alarmed: "Four is not enough for the manufacturers - look in
the floor plan - I want six floor microphones!"- "Yes, Mr. Chairman, as in the four pan, we checked six
four microphones!"

4. - Misjudged Genius
With the beginning of our jet operation in the early 60s, we experienced many problems with black box
rear connectors not fitting the airplane counterpart. My boss told me to look into the problem and find a
solution. - As a young engineer, I was then quite proud to have invented the "Paper Ring Test", which
later was widely used in the airlines and by the airplane manufacturers, to test DPA and DPD
connector interfaces.
Therefore, many years later, the following dialogue was a little surprising to me. At the AIEM 1970 in
London, BEA were asking for a simple and reliable method of testing plug and socket connectors.
Quote from the Proceedings:
Mr. Reichow - DLH
If BEA is asking for a method to check the engagement depth between the black box and the rear
connector, we have a very simple method. We put a little paper ring into the rear connector of the black
box, the diameter of which is of no importance, but the width is matched carefully to the individual
connector type involved, and you just insert the black box by which the paper ring is either crushed if
the engagement depth is all right; or if not, you had better do something about it. The paper rings can
be purchased from us for $ 1 each, one cent for the paper, and 99 cents for the engineering effort that
was spent on it!
Mr. Griggs - BEA
I am a little surprised that the subject is taken so lightly. I would have thought after all these years we
were justified in bringing up this problem and I think it warrants a good deal of discussion. We have
had quite a lot of air safety incidents, and squawks...
(documented in the 1970 Proceedings, pg. 97)
 A Brief History of the
Airlines International
Electronics Meeting (AIEM)
Continued

5. - Drainholes in Airplanes
In 1966, I spent a lot of weeks in Renton specifying airplanes with Bob Peterson from the Boeing
Company who was in charge of communication systems development. Over the weekends, we used to
go water skiing with his 14 ft runabout, equipped with a 50 HP Mercury Outboard, and with a boat
driver - his very shapely expert water ski daughter. I ended up buying myself an identical type of boat in
Seattle/Tacoma, and had it shipped back to Hamburg aboard one of our delivery flights.
This boat was the subject of a dialogue between Bob Peterson and myself at the AIEM in Rome 1967,
without the chairman Ron Jones noticing. So the following discussion on radio altimeter antennas took
place:
Mr. Peterson - Boeing
. . . some of the old antennas are starting to corrode at the mating of the connector. This area in the
bottom of the airplane is a very nasty environment: it is a bilge area, just about as bad as a boat. All the
condensation, hydraulic fluid, all kind of junk collects down there . . .
Mr. Reichow - DLH
. . . why do you not drill holes in the airplanes in this place? We do not usually float airplanes in water,
so drainage holes will really do a good job in taking the accumulated fluids out of the airplane; in fact,
we have requested Boeing in newer specifications of aircraft to do so, and I do not think there is a
general objection to this . . .
Mr. Peterson - Boeing
We do not drill holes in airplanes, for the same reason that you, Peter, don't drill holes in your boat!
Chairman (Ron Jones)
Mr. Peterson, I think Mr. Reichow deserves a fair answer for a serious proposal, and not such a
ridiculous comment! Is there anything against having holes in the aircraft skin in the right places, so the
fluid gets blown through by the pressurization?
Mr. Peterson - Boeing
The air-conditioning people might have some objections . . .
(This dialogue is documented in the AIEM Proceedings Rome 1967 pg. 91/92. However, the chairman
took the liberty to delete his critical remark after he heard the background story!)

6. - Infight
More than 20 years ago, we used to enjoy the rhetoric battles that went on between the chairman, Ron
Jones of BOAC, and his BOAC delegation down in the floor, especially Mr. Sexton who was working for
Ron.
I remember Ron looking down at Sexton while chairing the meeting - I think in Rome, 1967 - : "Mr.
Sexton, perhaps you could explain BOAC's attitude on interchanging of Cat II and Cat III systems?" -
Mr. Sexton was not quite sure what Ron Jones wanted him to say: "I don't exactly know what you are
driving at, Mr. Chairman?" Jones: "In that case, Mr. Sexton, I shall explain BOAC's attitude, and you
had better listen, so you will know the next time." The chairman explained BOAC's philosophy on Cat II
and III at some length. At the end of Ron's lecture, Mr. Sexton came back over the microphone: "Mr.
Chairman, while you were away from your office, planning this meeting here, the following change of
thoughts took place at BOAC: . . ."
(This dialogue was never documented. I think it was ignored by Ron Jones and should actually have
gone in the Rome 1967 Proceedings, top of page 48!)
 A Brief History of the
Airlines International
Electronics Meeting (AIEM)
Continued

It can be seen from these few examples that the spirit of this international community of airlines and
manufacturers here is great. We are an industry that is linking the globe and all countries and peoples
efficiently and peacefully. Air transport is literally living from peace on earth, living from free
communication between countries. If there is no peace, if there is no communication, we cannot fly
passengers, we cannot fly freight, we do not operate airplanes, we do not have manufacturers moving
and trading freely. - It really needs no difficult proof that the airline industry is a world-spanning activity
that is demanding, and depending on, peace. Without ever using that big word in big speeches and on
banners. This is good.
In the AIEM, we have nationalities and races and faces from all over the world. They sit next to each
other, they appreciate each other's knowledge and experience, and each other's personality, and
humor. But never have I seen or allowed any political influence or travel restrictions creeping into our
meeting.
This last AIEM in Singapore was organized and hosted by Mr. Chris Tay of Singapore Airlines, for the
second time (1988 and 1993). Our cooperation during that time was excellent - we became good
friends. He is the new AIEM chairman as of 1994. - Good Luck, Chris! -

My very best regards to all of you - Hans-Peter Reichow

Schaeferkampsweg 15 a
D 24558 Henstedt-Rhen
Germany
Phone +49 4193 77687
Fax +49 4193 76753
30. September 1994 eMail [email protected]