Advanced Digital Avionics of the DC‐9 Super 80 Available to Purchase

The DC‐9 Super 80 will be delivered with advanced avionics in early 1980. This paper discusses from the aircraft manufacturer's point of view the avionics system architecture, its digital implementation, and some hardware details of most major system elements. New operational features are discussed including Category IIIa autoland, some new autopilot and autothrottle cruise modes, a head‐up display system, and a “hot on‐board spare” flight guidance computer. Finally, some of the advantages of the digital system over analog systems are noted.