The most unsung aviation invention of the past 40 years isn’t diesel engines or glass panels, but the lowly headset, without which most of us would be deafer than we already are. And if headsets are to do their stuff, they need to be plugged into effective intercom systems (ICS), a product category that improves with each new iteration.
Panel-mount ICS dominates the market, but there’s still a place for small, battery-operated portables in legacy airplanes with no electrical systems or perhaps in modest aircraft whose owners don’t want to invest in panel-mount gear. And who can blame them?