AirVenture Oshkosh Uses 3Com PalmPilot Organizers to Bring Airplane Judging Into the 21st Century
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — July 30, 1998 — The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is using 3Com(R) PalmPilot(TM) connected organizers to enable its aircraft judging staff to score and rank some of the 11,000 aircraft expected to participate in this week's AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in and convention. Volunteer members of the EAA have developed a custom software application for the Palm Computing(R) platform which enables show judges to rate aircraft while out in the field and then return to a central scoring station to download that data into a custom-designed database.
Andy Stadler, an EAA member and volunteer software developer, designed an application for the PalmPilot organizer which allows judges to score "homebuilt" aircraft in a variety of categories, from the strictly technical (including fuselage, power plant and landing gear) to the creative (including fit and finish, innovation and overall execution). The software application will automatically tally each score, providing the judge's overall score for that particular aircraft. Once the judge has made the rounds at the airshow, he returns to the central scoring station, pops the PalmPilot organizer into its HotSync(R) cradle and, at the touch of a button, downloads the scoring data into a PC.
"We've created a complete end-to-end solution that saves time and improves accuracy," said Stadler. "The Palm Computing platform encourages developers to design innovative, real-world applications to bring handheld computing to virtually any endeavor where user mobility is important."
Up to 20 judges will be using the PalmPilot organizers over a four-day period to score aircraft in the standard homebuilts category. Next year, the EAA will use Palm(TM) organizers for judging in all categories, including antique aircraft, warbirds, ultralights, seaplanes and rotor craft.
The 46th annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh will be held July 29-August 4 at Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wis. Over 11,000 aircraft — from vintage World War II B-17 bombers to the British Airways Concorde jet and state-of-the-art Navy fighter planes — and 800,000 attendees from all over the world are expected to participate in this year's fly-in, making AirVenture the world's largest sport aviation event.
About Palm Computing
Founded in 1992, Palm Computing, Inc., a 3Com company, has captured 63 percent of the worldwide standard handheld computer market (Dataquest, San Jose, Calif.). The Palm Computing platform provides an ideal framework for third-party developers and original equipment manufacturers to deliver compelling mobile computing solutions to customers. Today, more than 7,500 developers are creating software applications for the Palm Computing platform.
About 3Com
3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS) enables individuals and organizations worldwide to stay more connected by communicating and sharing information and resources anytime, anywhere. As one of the world's preeminent suppliers of data, voice and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered networking solutions to nearly 200 million customers worldwide. The company provides large enterprise, small and medium enterprise, carriers and network service providers, and consumers with comprehensive, innovative information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance local and wide area networks. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at http://www.3Com.com or the Palm Computing site at http://www.palm.com.
Editor's note: Andy Stadler developed his scoring application using Satellite Forms, the premier visual, rapid-application-development tool from SoftMagic Corp. (Boca Raton, Fla.). Satellite Forms Developer Edition 2.0 enables developers to quickly create applications for devices based on the Palm Computing platform.
PalmPilot is a trademark, and Palm Computing and HotSync are registered trademarks, of 3Com Corporation. This product is not manufactured by Pilot Corporation or Pilot Corporation of America, manufacturers and distributors of writing instruments. Other product and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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Palm Computing, Inc., a 3Com company
Elizabeth Cardinale, 650/237-6390
Elizabeth_Cardinale@3Com.com