Open to innovative ideas

Engineers are realizing the importance of tapping into the talents of external resources

Page 6 > Scott Zogg named 2006 Inventor of the Year

Page 7 > Meet our 2006 CorporateEngineers of the Year

Page 10 > Employees in Australia, France working to protect

our environment

HorizonsA magazine for the employees and friends of Rockwell Collins, Inc. > Volume 12 Issue 2 > 2007

Page 3 >

www.rockwellcollins.com/horizons

t Rockwell Collins, we have an

enormous talent pool and

intellectual property that is

stretched around the world. We also

have enjoyed a great deal of success in

recent years, but believing that it can

continue forever is one of our greatest

dangers. After all, success is not a birthright.

Even American entrepreneur Bill Gates — the

founder of Microsoft — has been quoted as saying

that any company is “just two years away from failure.”

I couldn’t agree more.

If we want to further enhance our growth in the

years ahead, we must continue

adopting new ways of doing

things that will allow us to be

ready for and agile enough to

operate in a world that is

undergoing incredible —

and in some cases frightening — change. We must

continue producing the innovative solutions that our

customers are asking for — solutions that are smarter,

faster and more cost-effective.

But, not only must we be innovative — which is one

of the pillars upon which our company exists — we

Success is not a birthright

also must be willing to tap into the

brains of people outside of Rockwell

Collins — people who are situated

around the world and have perhaps already developed

the technologies we might need to help advance our

products and our business.

In this issue of Horizons, you will learn about Open

Innovation — an initiative we launched in November

2005 and one that continues to gain momentum as we

work to determine how

to accelerate growth and

remain successful in this

highly competitive market-

place.

Open Innovation is about

realizing that we don’t have to do everything from

scratch. It’s about understanding that it’s all right to

rely on global technology, innovative sourcing, and

intelligence networks to provide our customers with

top-notch products and solutions.

I encourage each of you to learn more about this

initiative, and to think about how much more we could

realize as a company if each of us were open to new

ideas … open to innovations capable of helping us

invent the products and solutions of tomorrow.

Clay Jones

Chairman, President and CEO

A

HorizonsVolume 12 > Issue 2 > 2007

6 > Destined to become an engineerScott Zogg spent his boyhood days dreaming about

turning problems into products. Today, he is the Rockwell Collins 2006 Inventor of the Year.

8 > Fascinated with flying; energized by engineeringSteve Robbins combined his passion for flying with his interest in

engineering. Now, this native of Bristol, England, is our 2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year for Government Systems.

Also in this issue:2 > Letters to the editor

12 > Across our company13 > Service anniversaries

Back cover > Facility spotlight

3> Open to innovative ideasInstead of developing everything from scratch,

Rockwell Collins engineers are realizing the importance of tapping into the talents of external resources.

7 > Finding his ‘true calling’It took Mike Espenes a few years to decide on an engineering

career. Today, this Wisconsin native is our 2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year for Commercial Systems.

9 > Like father, like sonRob Frank decided to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue

an engineering career. Today, this Iowa native is our 2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year for Shared Services.

Visit Horizons online for the following Web extras:• A closer look at Kent Statler, executive vice president for Rockwell Collins Services

• Feature stories on the 11 finalists for our 2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year awards• An article about our Open Innovator quarterly award winner

• A feature about B-1 Developer and Pilot Larry Jordan of Texas• More information about what's taking place across our company

• Additional service anniversaries• Recent retirements

• In memoriam

On the cover > Principal Engineering Manager David Baugh worked with engineers at a Florida-based technology company to help create one of the world's first cognitive radios for the

military domain. Baugh believes the continued use of external ideas and products will help our company provide better customer value. Photo by Paul Marlow, The Creative Gene, LLC

8 > The power of a simple choiceFind out how employees in Australia and France

are working to protect our environment.

Publisher: Tim Burris

Editorial director: Larry Riley

EDITORIAL TEAM:Managing editor:

Robert Fleener +1.319.295.8791

Editor:

Jill Wojciechowski +1.319.295.4998

Copy editor:

Ruth Anne Denker +1.319.295.0643

Staff writers:

Kathy Hogan +1.319.295.3932

Anne Wiskerchen + 319.295.7533

CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE:Mike Aubey, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Jenny Becker, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Phyllis Blech, Bellevue, Iowa

Evelyne Carradot, Blagnac, France

Grace Du, Beijing, China

Carson Hampton, Tustin, Calif.

Doreen Hansen, Tustin, Calif.

Karen Hildebrand, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Sandra McFarland, Binghamton, N.Y.

Dan McLarney, Binghamton, N.Y.

Shauna Pierce, Richardson, Texas

Renee Rabe, Decorah, Iowa

Dawn Reyes, Richardson, Texas

May Roberts, Irvine, Calif.

Cindy Shanks, Decorah, Iowa

Nena Smith, Tustin, Calif.

Danny Wang, Shanghai, China

Sandy Waterman, Irvine, Calif.

How to contact us:Email:

jkwojcie@rockwellcollins.com

Mailing address:

Horizons

Rockwell Collins

400 Collins Road NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52498-0001

Phone:

+1.319.295.4998

Fax:

+1.319.295.9374

Web address:

www.rockwellcollins.com/horizons

How to contact the Ombudsman:

Phone: +1.866.224.8137 or

+1.319.295.7714

Email: ombudsman@rockwellcollins.com

Horizons is published bimonthly byRockwell Collins EnterpriseCommunications for our employees,retirees, shareowners and customers. We seek to inform and inspire our readersby incorporating our company’s Vision,business goals and other enterprise-wideinitiatives throughout our publication. We also strive to spotlight issues and concerns that impact our employees, our company and our industry.

© 2007 Rockwell Collins, Inc. All rights reserved.

A worldwide perspectiveIt is wonderful to see articlesabout Rockwell Collins locationsaround the world finally beingpublished in Horizons magazine.This allows our readers to learnabout what is happening atthose locations from both abusiness and community perspective.

I also enjoy reading articlesabout new acquisitions — suchas Anzus, Inc., and IP Unwired— which were published inVolume 11, Issue 4, 2006. I especially noticed the timeli-ness of these articles, whichprovided a warm welcome toour new employees, and alsogave current employees anopportunity to learn about thenew companies that had joinedour Rockwell Collins family.

I also truly enjoy the newonline version of Horizons. This is a great addition. I enjoyreading it at my leisure and alsohave found several articles thatare not available in print.

Heidi BealsCedar Rapids, Iowa

A renewed focus on our peopleThe new redesign of Horizonsmagazine — and its renewedfocus on our people — is fantastic.

As a member of theEngineering & Technology orga-nization at Rockwell Collins, Ifrequently hear my Design &Development Cycle TimeReduction project team mem-bers refer to the importance ofour “people, processes andtools.” Please note the referenceto “people” comes before any-thing else, because “people” arean essential ingredient in ourrecipe for success. The bestprocesses and tools in the worldwill not make a difference with-out dedicated people working

to implement them.In recent issues of Horizons

— both the print and newonline versions — the pho-tographs and quotes providedallow our readers to becomemore engaged. For example, inthe article “A look ahead atFY’07,” which was published inVolume 12, Issue 1, 2007, it wasmuch easier to understand ourbusiness. Instead of being writ-ten in marketing and corporatespeak, this article was more per-sonal because it was explainedby our colleagues. Articles thatinclude employee perspectivesand real-life testimonials aremuch more motivational.

I really appreciate yourefforts to incorporate our people into this publication. I believe our readers —employees, retirees, customers,shareowners and potentialemployees — are now beinggiven a more accurate picture of what makes Rockwell Collinssuch a great place to work.

Kristen BrownCedar Rapids, Iowa

Wellness program embracedWeight loss resolutions were afrequent topic of conversationamong Dallas Service Baseemployees in 2006. When

Service Representative AndyGarcia caught wind of theseconversations, he decided toapply the same concept used bythe television reality show, “The Biggest Loser,” to help hiscolleagues shed their extrapounds.

The weight loss competitionhe organized continued for sixweeks. At the end of the compe-tition, a winner was announced.As the weeks and monthspassed, the pounds that ouremployees worked so hard tolose started finding their wayback.

At the beginning of 2007, theweight loss competition startedonce again. This time, however,we decided to make it a recur-ring event — one that wouldstart again every six weeks — inan effort to help our employeessustain their weight loss goals.

Halfway through this year’scompetition, Andy talked withour local management aboutintroducing a local wellness program in Dallas. His concernwas that our competition alonewould not provide the neces-sary information and supportour employees needed.Ironically, we also learned atthat time about the introduc-tion of the new wellness program at Rockwell Collins.

I believe our company’s newwellness program is a greatopportunity to help employeesincorporate changes into theirdaily lives by making healthierlifestyle choices. The DallasService Base has fully embracedthe desire to get healthy andphysically fit, and we thank ourcompany for helping us do so.

Renee HubenerDallas, Texas

Horizonsletters to the editor

2 H O R I Z O N S > 2 0 0 7

Letters guidelinesHorizons provides its letters page for readers to state their opinions. The page is intended to encourage an exchange of ideas and information that stimulates dialogue on issues or events in ourcompany. The opinions may not necessarily reflect those of Rockwell Collins. Letters must include name, organization and a telephone number for verification purposes. Letters maybe edited for grammar, syntax and size.

Open to innovative ideasInstead of developing everything from scratch, engineers at Rockwell Collins are realizing the importance of tapping into the talents of those outside of our own company.

David Baugh’s eyes light up withenthusiasm when he talks aboutthe manner in which he and his

engineering colleagues at RockwellCollins helped create one of the world’sfirst radios of its kind for the militarydomain.

A principal engineering managerfor SoftwareCommunicationArchitectures, Baughwas convinced thatintegrating commer-cial cognitive radiotechnology — invent-ed and certified by aFlorida-based company for use in public utility applications — with existing hardwaresuch as the Talon panel-mounted radio

could be done. He was right.About four months after collaborating

with engineers at Adapt4, LLC, the Floridatechnology company that had alreadyreceived certification from the FederalCommunications Commission (FCC),Rockwell Collins successfully demonstrated this new technology that many previously believed was stillyears in the making.

“We have recognized for quite sometime that (cognitive radio) is the radio ofthe future,” said Raj Aggarwal, vice president of Global Technology andSpecial Projects at Rockwell Collins. “But in our minds, the technology andcertification that were needed to bring it to life were still a few years away.”

A smarter, faster and more efficientway to transmit information to and fromfixed, mobile and other wireless communication devices, cognitive radiotechnology will ultimately help military

pilots communicate more effectively andpotentially keep them out of harm’s way.

Many involved in the integration ofAdapt4’s technology into Rockwell Collinshardware believe that the continued use of external ideas and products will ultimately help our company create andmarket new capabilities and, in turn, provide better customer value.

“The whole point of open innovation isrealizing that we don’t have to do every-thing ourselves,” said Baugh. “We need to

V O L U M E 1 2 > I S S U E 2 3

By Jill Wojciechowski

Photo by Paul Marlow, The Creative Gene, LLC

(continued on Page 4)

> A virtual view – Principal Systems Engineer Tim Etherington believes the success of our SyntheticVision technology might not have happened withoutassistance from several external sources in the aero-space industry, education and government arenas.

“The whole point of open innovation is realizing thatwe don’t have to do everything ourselves.”

— David Baugh> David Baugh

start looking at what other people haveused and try applying it to our productsand market segments instead of doingeverything from scratch.”

Being smart innovatorsWith the global business climate changing at an unprecedented pace andcustomers demanding quicker and morecost-effective solutions, senior leaders atRockwell Collins have realized the importance of adopting new ways ofdoing things.

Nan Mattai, senior vice president ofEngineering & Technology at RockwellCollins, encourages our employees tospend more time accelerating the use oftechnologies from external sourcesinstead of reinventing wheels that others

might have alreadydeveloped.

“We have to be smartinnovators,” said Mattai.“We have to be willing tocollaborate inside andoutside of our own fourwalls in order to bringthe best solutions to ourcustomers. That’s one ofthe ways in which wewill continue to acceler-ate our growth andremain successful in thishighly competitive marketplace.”

Launched in November2005, the OpenInnovation initiativeincludes the use of global technology, innovative sourcing, andintelligence networks toprovide our customerswith solutions fasterthan ever before.Reduced cycle times fornew product develop-

ment also are a benefit of this major initiative.

Both Mattai and Aggarwal agree thatthis process complements and integrateswell with our existing internal technologyprocesses. However, getting more than5,000 engineers from around the worldto buy into this concept is a seeminglymore difficult task.

“Our mindset at Rockwell Collins sim-ply needs to change,” admitted Aggarwal.“The idea of open innovation will eventu-ally catch on because we have no otherchoice. No business is safe and, at theend of the day, it is our job to understandand anticipate what our customers’ trueneeds really are; we don’t have to be limited by our own brains.”

According to Aggarwal, a recent surveyof high-technology Fortune 500 compa-nies indicated that about 25 percent ofthose questioned currently gather about40 percent of their ideas and technolo-gies from external resources. By 2012, itis anticipated that about 75 percent ofthose same companies expect 40 percentof their ideas to come from outside.

“Rockwell Collins hasn’t even reachedthe first 25 percent, so we are definitelybehind the eight ball,” said Aggarwal.“We need to become more than aresearch and development company. We need to become a company thatconnects, develops and takes our products to the marketplace.”

Tim Etherington agrees. A principal systems engineer in the AdvancedTechnology Center (ATC), Etherington hasspent the past several years working onour Synthetic Vision technology, whichprovides pilots in low visibility conditionswith a virtual view of what they wouldsee outside the cockpit on a clear day.

While the transition of this technology

4 H O R I Z O N S > 2 0 0 7

> A culture shift – Raj Aggarwal, vice president of Global Technology and Special Projects at Rockwell Collins, believes theOpen Innovation initiative will allow our company to provide our customers with products and solutions faster than ever before.

Photo by Paul Marlow, The Creative Gene, LLC

Open to innovative ideas(continued from Page 3)

Open Innovation Community of Practice

The next Open InnovationCommunity of Practice (CoP) will be held in early May. Details were still being finalized at press time.

For information, employees areencouraged to visit the Open

Innovation CoP TeamSpace, which isaccessible via “O” in the RWEB Index.

“We have to be smartinnovators. We have to be willing to collaborate inside and outside of our own four walls in order to bring the best solutions to our customers.”

— Nan Mattai

from ATC to our commercial marketsegment resulted in three major avionicsprogram wins last year, Etheringtonbelieves that success might not have hap-pened without assistance from severalexternal sources in the aerospace indus-try, education and government arenas.Among those companies were Max-Viz,Inc., the Air Force Research Lab, NASALangley Research Center, TechnicalUniversity of Delft in the Netherlands,and The University of Iowa.

“We might have been able to bring thistechnology to fruition without buildingthose external relationships, but it wouldhave taken us a lot longer and wouldhave cost a lot more money,” he said.“One could always argue that we couldhave done this on our own, but it reallyhelped to be able to rely on the knowl-edge from each of those outside sources.”

Broadening our portfolioAt Rockwell Collins Cabin Systems inTustin, Calif., Principal Systems EngineerPaul Sapp is one of several team members involved with investigatingnew technology for the future of our air-borne TV and broadband data systems.

Because of the different product linesand multiple areas of business in thatfacility, Sapp says relying on externalsources for innovative ideas instead ofalways counting on internal developmentis commonplace in Tustin.

“Open innovation fits into the waywe’ve been doing business in California,so it’s not that much of a cultural shift forus,” he said. “We recognize that this isabout being able to play on a larger playing field because we’re tapping intothe brains of a lot of other people.”

Like Baugh and Etherington, Sapp feels

that the ability to broaden our portfolioby looking outside of our own companyfor essential technology is definitelycatching on. To argue that open innova-tion is not a good thing, he said, isextremely difficult but he realizes thatsome people are resistant to change.

“Change is never easy, especially whena company is enjoying the type of successthat we have been over the past fewyears,” said Sapp. “But we have toremember that we can’t become

complacent.”For Etherington, whose Synthetic Vision

team was recently honored with the2006 Prometheus Award for Innovator ofthe Year from the Technology Associationof Iowa (TAI), developing new technolo-gies will only continue to become moreand more expensive.

An alternative, he believes, is to haveengineers take advantage of technologiesthat have matured past the initial start-up level, making the probability forsuccess much higher than if they tried to invent everything on their own.

“Engineers like to solve problems —that’s why we chose this career — sothere tends to be a lot of that ‘not-invent-ed-here’ syndrome,” he said. “Our world iscontinually shrinking and is becomingvery competitive … we need to stop andthink about how much more we canaccomplish when we don’t have to doeverything ourselves.”

V O L U M E 1 2 > I S S U E 2 5

> Investigating new technology – Principal Systems Engineer Paul Sapp says relying on externalsources for innovative ideas instead of always counting on internal development is commonplace atour facility in Tustin, Calif.

Web extra: Read about James West, our first quarterly Open Innovator

award winner, in Horizons online atwww.rockwellcollins.com/horizons.

<h>

Submit your ideasIf you have ideas about innovativetechnologies or questions aboutthe Open Innovation initiative atRockwell Collins, please contact

Raj Aggarwal via email atrkaggarw@rockwellcollins.com

or at (319) 295-6053.

Photo by Laurel Hungerford, Laurel Hungerford Photography

6 H O R I Z O N S > 2 0 0 7

A n admirer of American inventorand businessman Thomas Edison,Scott Zogg spent his boyhood days

dreaming about how cool it would be toinvent something. Today, with sevenpatents lining the walls of his RockwellCollins office, and 12 more pending at theU.S. Patent Trademark Office, it’s safe tosay that Zogg has made his dream a reality.

“I like making stuff work — turningproblems into products,” said Zogg, whowas recently named the Rockwell Collins2006 Inventor of the Year. “That’s one ofthe reasons people go into engineering— to solve problems.”

A native of Grand Forks, N.D., Zogg originally set out to follow in his father’sfootsteps, much the same way two of hisbrothers did. But one-and-a-half yearsafter he entered college as a chemistrymajor and pre-med student, Zogg decided to take a different route.

“My dad was a physiologist at The

University of North Dakota, and two ofmy brothers are in the medical field, so Ifigured that was in my genes,” said Zogg.“But it didn’t take me long to realize thatI was destined to become an engineer.”

Recently promoted to director ofAdvanced Radio Systems, Zogg has hadthe good fortune of working on a varietyof successful projects since joiningRockwell Collins more than two decadesago. He has been involved with work onboth the commercial and governmentsides of our business, and was recognizedin 2002 as one of six Engineers of theYear.

His recent recognition as Inventor ofthe Year, however, is a result of the contri-butions he made toward the develop-ment of the Defense Advanced ResearchProjects Agency’s (DARPA) TacticalTargeting Network Technology (TTNT).More specifically, he was honored forinventing a waveform, architecture, andchannel access control mechanism toreceive wireless data simultaneouslyfrom multiple sources.

“The TTNT technology, developed forDARPA, is now in the process of transi-tioning to MIDS-J,” explained Zogg. “Itallows broadband Internet connectivity,which will directly impact our warfight-ers and allow them to be more effectivein their missions.”

A graduate of The University of NorthDakota with a Bachelor of Science degreein electrical engineering, and TheUniversity of Iowa with a Master ofScience degree in electrical and computerengineering, Zogg admits he is extremelyproud to work for Rockwell Collins.

“Our company has such a rich history,”he said. “From the legacy of Art Collins, tothe Apollo landing on the moon, to all ofthe new technology we are developingtoday, this is an amazing place. We areopen and honest with our customersand, when we say we’re going to dosomething, we follow through.”

That’s also a personal philosophy forZogg as well, and is something he tries toinstill in those around him.

“We have so many talented engineersand scientists here, so many peopledeserving of an honor like this award,”said Zogg. “Being picked as that one inno-vative person is a tremendous honor.”

By Kathy Hogan

Destined to become an engineerScott Zogg spent his boyhood days dreaming about turning problemsinto products. Find out how this 2006 Inventor of the Year made thosedreams come true.

Photo by Paul Marlow, The Creative Gene LLC

<h>

> Inventor of the Year — North Dakota native and 2006 RockwellCollins Inventor of the Year Scott Zogg was honored for his workon the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA)Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT).

V O L U M E 1 2 > I S S U E 2 7

I t’s quite obvious — from the excitment in his voice — that MikeEspenes loves his work as a systems

engineer at Rockwell Collins. Ironically, ittook this native of La Crosse, Wis., a fewyears to find his true calling.

“This is my fourth career,” admittedEspenes. “I started out in construction, Itried to sell real estate for awhile, andthen I worked as a union painter.”

But when the 1980s home construc-tion boon took a dive, Espenes decided toreturn to college to pursue a degree thatmight eventually help him find a way tocombine his passion for airplanes withhis interest in math and science.

“I always did well in math and science,”said Espenes, who also is a licensed pilot.“But writing software was always reallymy thing. I originally wanted to workwith aviation simulators.”

Today, more than 12 years after relocat-

ing to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and joiningRockwell Collins, Espenes spends his daysdeveloping advanced flight managementfeatures for flight deck avionics.

His most recent project, and one forwhich he was honored recently as the2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year forCommercial Systems, included workingclosely with our customers fromGulfstream, a top producer of businessjet aircraft.

“My job is to interface with our cus-tomers, to listen and understand theirrequirements and their architectures,” hesaid. “On occasion, I host them whenthey visit our facilities in Cedar Rapids,and sometimes I am required to travel totheir facilities to show them our newsoftware and products.”

Despite his recent success, Espenesremains humble and is quick to give cred-it to the teammates that help him applyinnovative applications to our aviationproducts and software.

“Working within a team is essential —nothing would get done without my col-leagues,” he said. “We can’t do everythingourselves — we’re not super engineers.”

But given Rockwell Collins’ success inrecent years, some might beg to differ.For the third consecutive year, our company has delivered results that eithermet or exceeded long-term performancegoals, thus leading to industry-leadingfinancial results.

“Our customers really want our prod-ucts and services, and they keep comingback,” said Espenes. “It’s really excitingthat our products are in so many differentairplanes. Our customers know they cantrust us, and that’s a good feeling.”

With all of this recent success comes a schedule that Espenes admits can bechallenging to manage. Still, this graduate of the University of Wisconsin— La Crosse, can’t imagine doing anything else.

“We’re oftentimes asked to turn thingsaround very quickly,” he said. “Somehow,we’re able to keep up and we oftenexceed expectations. That’s what makesthis career so exciting and so rewarding.”

Finding his ‘true calling’Although it took Mike Espenes a few years to decide on an engineeringcareer, it was well worth the wait. Today, this Wisconsin native is our2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year for Commercial Systems.

Photo by Paul Marlow, The Creative Gene LLC

By Kathy Hogan

<h>

> Engineer of the Year — Wisconsin native Mike Espenes was honored as the 2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year forCommercial Systems because of his work in developing advancedflight management features for our flight deck avionics.

8 H O R I Z O N S > 2 0 0 7

When Steve Robbins isn’t busyrock climbing, snowboarding ordesigning the new patio and

deck for the northern California home heshares with his wife, Sue, he’s offparagliding — sometimes as high as6,000 feet and for as long as two hours.

“It’s like a big parachute that enablesyou to fly,” said Robbins, who followed inhis father’s footsteps and became anengineer. “I think engineering and flying

are in my blood. My father was my friendand mentor, and the main reason I chosethis particular career path.”

A native of Bristol, England, Robbins’father was actively involved in cockpitdevelopment for the BAC Concorde. Healso helped design other aircraft such asthe Avro Vulcan Bomber, the Vicker VC-10,and the English Electric Lighting, whichmade quite an impression on his son.

“There was something fascinatingabout airplanes, physics and engineer-ing,” said Robbins. “I knew I wanted to

have an impact on the cockpit displaysthat were being used in various aircraft— just the way my father did.”

It made sense then when Robbinsdecided to pursue a degree in physicsfrom the University of Exeter in England.And for the past 21 years, he has been anaerospace engineer. He’s been involved inoptics technology since 1988, and hasdesigned head-up displays (HUD) andhelmet-mounted displays (HMD) sincethen.

Prior to joining Rockwell Collins in Julyof 2001, he worked for GEC-MarconiAvionics (now part of BAE Systems), andlater became an engineering manager forthe Cockpit and Human Factors Researchand Development Team at BAE Systemsin the United Kingdom.

“During that time, I managed the inte-gration of helmet-mounted displays ontothe Hawk 200 aircraft and carried outflight and simulation trials to investigatethe operational effectiveness of HMDs,”he said.

The work he performed on past HMDsprepared Robbins for his current roletoday as a principal optics engineer forthe Rockwell Collins display systems busi-ness in San Jose, Calif. He now spends hisdays working on our HMD product line.

“This is a display that fits on the pilot’shead so he can view the display whereverhe is looking,” explained Robbins. “Itallows the pilot to point missiles at tar-gets and allows the aircraft system to cuethe pilot to planned and sensor-detectedtargets.

“The latest displays, including theRotationally Symmetric Visor (RSV) HMD,will allow the pilot to see in the dark,” hecontinued.

In fact, it was Robbins’ significant con-tributions to our HMD product line forwhich he was recently honored as the2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year forGovernment Systems.

“I am extremely honored to have beenselected for this prestigious award,” saidRobbins. “Simply being nominated wasrecognition enough, so actually receivingthe award is phenomenal. I am very excited.”

Fascinated with flying;energized by engineering

Photo by Steve Castillo, Steve Castillo Photography

Steve Robbins realized his passion for flying and engineering at an early age. Today, this Bristol, England, native is our 2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year for Government Systems.

By Kathy Hogan

<h>

> Engineer of the Year — Steve Robbins,a native of Bristol, England, was hon-ored as the 2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year for Government Systems, due to his contributions to our Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD) product line.

Photo by Paul Marlow, The Creative Gene, LLC

V O L U M E 1 2 > I S S U E 2 9

R ob Frank remembers well the dayhis father received the 1994Rockwell Collins Engineer of the

Year award. He was a freshman at IowaState University in Ames, Iowa, and,although he was extremely proud of hisdad, he admits he had no desire to followin his footsteps.

“My dad always tried to get me inter-ested in engineering while growing up,”said Frank. “He even signed me up for acomputer programming class … but Iwanted to go into the fine arts — painting or music.”

But thanks to his father’s persuasiveways, the younger Frank is now carryingon the family tradition as a second gener-ation engineer at Rockwell Collins. And,as if that wasn’t enough, he recentlyreceived the 2006 Corporate Engineer ofthe Year award for Shared Services foroutstanding work in the area of advancedtactical airborne communications.

“Just being nominated for this awardwas such an incredible honor,” said Frank,who is part of the Engineering &Technology organization. “So to actuallywin it … I’m just speechless.”

A graduate of Iowa State Universitywith a Bachelor of Science degree in elec-trical engineering, Frank began his careerat Rockwell Collins about six years ago.Today, he works side by side with hisfather, Gunther, who has been with ourcompany for more than 30 years.

“It is great to be able to work with mydad on a daily basis,” said Frank, whosewife, Elise, also is a software engineer in Commercial Systems DisplayApplications. “I think few people get theopportunity to find out in detail whattheir parents do. But to see him in action,to collaborate and argue with him everyday in the technical trenches … it’s reallycool.”

As the lead systems engineer for theQuint Networking Technologies (QNT)program, Frank is extremely passionate

about his work and the career choice hemade.

“The really cool thing about engineer-ing is that it’s like structured art,” he said.“You have a problem laid out in front ofyou and you create this beautiful solution(for our customer).”

Frank’s work on the QNT includesfocusing on airborne wireless communi-cations and radio hardware technologies,which will be used primarily by the AirForce, Navy, and the Marines. In fact, hesays QNT will make a significant impacton our soldiers’ effectiveness in opera-tions ranging from the war on terrorismto large conventional conflicts.

“The customers we’re working with areright there in the middle of the war, sothey know what the problems are,” saidFrank. “That’s a big help to our engineerswhen it comes to finding solutions —real-time solutions for those soldiersfighting in the field.”

And while working with customerswho are helping to solve those battlefieldtechnological challenges is important,Frank also credits this year’s success to histeam members.

“The technical team I am on is out-standing,” he said. “They push each otherto the limit to see how far they can goand to see what incredible things can bedone and, when they reach their goal,they push even further.”

Rob Frank decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue a career in engineering. Today, this senior systems engineer is our 2006 Corporate Engineer of the Year for Shared Services.

By Kathy Hogan

Like father, like son

<h>

> Engineer of the Year — Rob Frank, anative of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, washonored as the 2006 CorporateEngineer of the Year for Shared Servicesfor his outstanding technical leadershipin the area of advanced tactical air-borne communications. He was per-suaded to become an engineer by hisfather, Gunther (background), withwhom he works on a daily basis.

10 H O R I Z O N S > 2 0 0 7

Photo by Evelyne Carradot

Each day we are faced with hundredsof choices. What to wear? What toeat? What work to finish first? But

how many times do we stop and thinkabout how the daily choices we make areaffecting our environment?

Concerns about the impact humansare making on our environment continueto increase, and it might seem like theseproblems are too large for one or twopeople to make a difference. But twoRockwell Collins employees — IanMcLean of Australia and Hervé Bellutof France — believe otherwise.

As a result, both are proving the powerof a simple choice by supporting effortsto protect the environment in the com-munities in which our company operates.

Cycling to a cleaner environmentHervé Bellut’s passion for cycling beganat an early age when he traveled to andfrom school. Today, as a software qualityengineer at Rockwell Collins in Blagnac,France, this passion has inspired him tostart a new, environmentally-friendlytrend known as “bus cycling.”

A program similar to carpooling thatconnects individuals who cycle to andfrom work in one group, bus cyclingmakes commuting safer and also pro-vides motivation for those who partici-pate.

“I truly believe that the more people Ican encourage to bike to work, the betterit will be for our planet,” said Bellut. “Buscycling can be implemented very easily inmost cities.”

Like most great ideas, the bus cycling

program originated from adversity after a local supermarket removed the fourparking spots available for bikes. Insteadof protesting, Bellut decided to turn thisnegative into a positive.

“I wanted to show people the environ-mental and personal benefits of using abike instead of a car,” he said. “So, I askedmy co-workers to bike to work with me.”

In August of 2005, Bellut launched thebus cyclist Web site, a repository of infor-mation — including several bus cyclingitineraries — about how bike enthusiastsacross France could join the program.

Hervé Bellut is passionate about biking. Ian McLean is committed toprotecting endangered species. Find out how these Rockwell Collinsemployees are working to protect our environment.

By Anne Wiskerchen

The power of a simple choice

> Hervé Bellut’s passion for biking and aclean environment prompted him to beginan environmentally-friendly trend inBlagnac, France, known as bus cycling.

“I wanted to show people the environmental and personal benefits of using a bike instead of a car. So, I asked my co-workers to bike to work with me.”— Hervé Bellut

V O L U M E 1 2 > I S S U E 2 11

Three months later, the Bus CyclingAssociation was created and, in just thefirst year, it attracted more than 30 members.

“It’s going to take time to achieve atotal shift in the mentality of com-muters,” Bellut said. “But people aretelling me how much they enjoy biking to work and that they don’t miss gettingin their cars each morning.”

In fact, the number of Rockwell Collinsemployees who bike to work in Francecontinues to increase. Currently, about 20employees travel by bike regularly, butthe numbers are expected to double thissummer.

Last year, Bellut received a grant fromthe Rockwell Collins Green Communitiesprogram. Entering its third year, this program is designed to help fund localprojects and programs that will positivelyimpact the environment in the communi-ties where we operate.

“Green Communities shows that ourcompany is committed to positive envi-ronmental action,” said Bellut. “It alsoencourages this sort of behavior amongour employees.”

Bellut continues to encourage his

peers, as well. Each month at the buscycling picnic, he demonstrates a low-impact option for cycling to work by demonstrating the electric bike he purchased with the money from theGreen Communities grant.

“Electric bikes offer an option to peoplewho are afraid of the physical effort ofcoming to work by bike,” said Bellut.“Thanks to Green Communities, peoplecan try this type of bike before they investin one.”

Saving a green communityBiking to work is one way to reduce theamount of pollution sent into our atmo-phere each day. But, there also are waysto restore already damaged areas, andemployees at Rockwell Collins inMelbourne, Australia, have been busydoing exactly that with the RegentHoneyeater Project.

In 1996, the Australian Department ofConservation and Natural Resourceshelped launch this project with the goalof restoring the box-ironbark habitat, aspecies of eucalyptus. This habitat is

home to the Regent Honeyeater — anendangered Australian bird — and about10 other endangered species. It is nowmanaged by area farmers concerned notonly about endangered species, but alsoabout the area’s widespread tree dieback.

Melbourne Avionic Technician IanMcLean is one of those volunteers. Andfor him, it’s more than just a volunteerproject; it’s a part of his life. McLean andhis family have been active participantsand advocates since the project’s beginning.

“The ecosystem was out of balance.Trees were dying and, as a result, therewas a tremendous loss of species,” saidMcLean. “We hope to restore the balanceby planting new trees and restoring theforest corridors.”

To date, close to 870 hectares — about2,150 acres — of healthy habitat havebeen restored as a result of volunteerefforts. In addition, the program hasbecome one of the most active volunteerconservation programs in the nation.

“It’s great to be part of a project that is

> Ian McLean, an avionic technician at our facility in Melbourne, Australia, is working hard to restore ahabitat that is home to an endangered Australian bird — the Regent Honeyeater — and about 10other endangered species.

> Software quality engineer Hervé Bellut (center)and several of his colleagues at our facility inBlagnac, France, bike to work on a daily basis.

(continued on Page 13)

Photo by Evelyne Carradot

Photo by Philip McLean

12 H O R I Z O N S > 2 0 0 7

Employees at Rockwell Collins inTustin, Calif., celebrated EngineersWeek with a carnival featuring a

variety of games and prizes.According to Nena Smith, senior

administrative assistant in Tustin, theevent was organized as recognition forthe facility’s 241 engineers. In the spiritof engineering, those who attended theevent were invited to take part in activities such as 5-pin bowling, Skee ball,Par 1 golf and a Frisbee toss, to name afew. Fresh baked cookies and beveragesalso were provided.

“We all work more efficiently, playmore safely and enjoy life more fullythanks to engineers,” said Doreen L.Hansen, senior engineering project assis-tant in Tustin. “Engineers really do makea world of difference, and we wanted torecognize them for their hard work.”

Engineers Week is a formal coalition ofmore than 70 engineering, education,and cultural societies, and more than 50

corporations and government agencies,dedicated to raising public awareness ofengineers’ positive contributions to ourquality of life. <h>

> Senior Software Engineer Shelley Zhu concentratesas she tries to maneuver a circular wand from oneend of a twisted wire to the other without setting off an alarm. Our employees in Tustin, Calif., playedthe game, referred to as “Frustration,” during anEWeek event. The game is similar to “Operation,”the Milton Bradley game that tests a player’s hand-eye coordination.

Tustin employees celebrate Engineers Week with fun and games

T he Rockwell Collins Simulation &Training Solutions (STS) Relay forLife team in Binghamton, N.Y.,

recently held a basket raffle as one of itsfund-raisers for the upcoming GreaterBinghamton Relay for Life.

Open to our employees and their family members, the basket raffle raisedabout $2,215 for the event, which will beheld Friday and Saturday, June 15 and 16.

Relay for Life is a fun-filled overnightevent designed to bring together thosewho have been touched by cancer. Themoney raised is for research and pro-grams of the American Cancer Society.

According to Sandra McFarland, captainof the STS Relay for Life team inBinghamton, there were eight differentbasket themes and each basket was puttogether by a team of employees. The

items within the baskets were purchasedor donated by employees and by variousbusinesses in the community.

“With all of the hardship within ourcommunity this past year due to theflood damage, we are truly amazed at thecommunity participation and the supportwe received for this event,” said KrisBlaha, a configuration analyst inBinghamton and captain of theWeekender Basket team.

McFarland, who is a program adminis-trator for Army Programs in Binghamton,said the enthusiasm for the raffle and thesupport of the Relay for Life at STS isnothing short of incredible. She addedthat fund-raiser success is only possiblebecause of the generosity and giving spirit of her colleagues.

“Our people are so generous,” saidMcFarland. “This is teamwork at itsfinest. I’m always totally amazed when Iadd the numbers up and find out howmuch we raised.”

At the 2006 Relay for Life, the STS teamwas the number one individual fund-rais-ing team and the number one corporate

fund-raising team, raising $22,000 in thefight against cancer. <h>

Binghamtonemployees teamingup to fight cancer

Web extra: Learn more about activ-ities at Rockwell Collins locations

around the world in Horizons online atwww.rockwellcollins.com/horizons.

> Rockwell Collins Simulation & Training Solutions(STS) employees Margi Price (left) and Erica Beamerhelped raise more than $2,000 for the upcomingGreater Binghamton Relay for Life. Both were teamleaders for the “Beat the Winter Blues” basket, whichwas part of the facility’s recent basket raffle.

Photo by Dan McLarney

Photo by Carson Hampton

45 YEARS

MarchOdious E. DeloachDolores I. RomanMarvin G.Witzenburg

AprilRudi BurkhardtKay D. CopelandSherrel K. Mc Kee

40 YEARS

FebruaryShirley M. BascomJean K. Jackson

MarchDelores M. Black

Patricia C. HoudekRichard B. LohseMari Ellen Spurgeon

AprilRaymond L. AvisSue A. SlaughterLeonard J. Steiner

35 YEARS

MarchConnie J. ElyJohn A. Schmidt

AprilCatherine J. JacksonHans-Jürgen SeilerShelley J. ShanahanLourdes P. Villicana

30 YEARS

JanuaryGisela Fladischer

FebruaryCraig D. PettitKathryn S. GrittonJoyce A. Rhines

MarchArlen E. BreiholzOrlin D. BuhrSharon L.

CiemnoczolowskHarald GielenSusan E. GraceLeann K. KnuppBrenda S. NessetCathy S. NovakPaula J. Peot

Helen E. Romanowsky

Debbie K. SmithSandy A. Wyatt

AprilLaVonne M. CardChristian CassanChristian ChamoleyBernd FischerVolker GehrigMarie Rose GianottiRichard E. GillilandAnnerose

GrießenauerDon S. GriffinDennis J. HoelkerThomas R. Mc CowanJoyce D. Miller

25 YEARS

MarchJustine L. BeaverBruce M. FeulingAlma E. FloresLinda K. HansonLaurie S. KuhnTerri R. MayMark W. OwensDebbie S.PopenhagenMichael G. RyanRobert W. Turnipseed

AprilBarry D. AlhadeffDouglas G. AndersonLorraine CulbertsonRonald L. GardnerJudy A. LensingDavid J. MontagueSusan L. MuenchPatricia A. NemethQua T. PhamSteven S. Seeley

Rockwell Collins Service Anniversaries

V O L U M E 1 2 > I S S U E 2 13

Employees at Rockwell Collins inBellevue, Iowa, raised more than$830 during a recent fund-raiser

that will benefit the mother of one oftheir colleagues.

Production Operator Tessa Putman’smother, Deb Schwager, is currently fighting multiple sclerosis, an autoim-mune disease that affects the central nervous system. Because the diseaseattacks the brain, spinal cord, and opticnerves, Schwager is in need of a specially-trained service dog.

According to Putman, it is this spiritof helpfulness that characterizes our production facility in Bellevue.

“Our employees are always really good about being supportive and helping others in need whether it’s playing a game or having a bake sale,”said Putman. “Bellevue is such a small community that we understand theimportance of lending a hand wheneverwe can.”

The money that was raised through the bake sale and bingo was donated to “Paws with a Cause,” a non-profit, national organization that trains assistance dogs for the disabled. <h>

Web extra: Learn more about howyou can take positive environmental

action at home and at work inHorizons online atwww.rockwellcollins.com/horizons.

The power of a simple choice(continued from Page 11)

> Rockwell Collins employees Krystal Parker (left) and Tessa Putman take part in a recent fund-raisingevent in Bellevue. The money that was raisedthrough the bake sale and bingo was donated to ‘Paws with a Cause.’

restoring nature, so that many of ourendangered native birds and animalshave a chance to survive and flourish,”said Steve Davenport, also an avionicstechnician in Melbourne.

“Our work will be appreciated by future generations.”

For McLean, the benefits far outweighall of the hard work chipping and clearing the area, digging holes, plantingtrees and shrubs, pot collecting, and publicizing the project.

“It’s been an amazing experience seeing the return of a near extinctspecies and watching the land return to life,” he said. <h>

Web extra: Rockwell Collins employeescelebrating 20 years of service or less

are now recognized online atwww.rockwellcollins.com/horizons.

Photo by Phyllis Blech

Bellevue employees host fund-raiser,contribute money to ‘Paws with a Cause’

A C R O S S O U R C O M P A N Y

Rockwell Collins offers congratulations and thanks to these employees who have marked 25 or more years of service with our company.

Rockwell Collins, Inc.400 Collins Road N.E.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52498-0001

PRSTD STDPOSTAGE AND FEES

PAIDPERMIT NO. 90

Cedar Rapids, IA

L ong recognized as a “sleeping giant”of global commerce and trade, Chinahas evolved into a complex market-

place of enormous economic opportunity.For more than 20 years, Rockwell Collins

has maintained operations in this countryand established a reputation for excellenceand reliability due to our employees’ expe-rience and dedication.

“Within the last couple of decades, theChinese aviation marketplace has beengrowing at an unprecedented rate in comparison to other countries,” saidMartin Lin, managing director of BusinessDevelopment for Rockwell Collins in China.“Our employees have learned to adaptquickly and have been able to meetcustomers’ requirements, and that has led to some very successful relationshipsand business contracts.”

Separate, yet focusedAccording to Lin, Rockwell Collins equip-ment has been installed in many airplanesmanufactured in China, and is on almostevery Western airliner operated within thecountry.

Working with companies such as XianAircraft, Harbin Aviation Industries Groupand AVIC I Commercial Aircraft Company

(ACAC), our employees have been able tosupply avionics systems and provide keyexpertise to engineers in the integration ofexisting aircraft.

“We also have upgraded the high frequency ground radio stations for theCivil Aviation Administration of China’s(CAAC) Air Traffic Management Bureau(ATMB), which is located in the southwestregion of China in a town called Lhasa,”said Grace Du, a sales specialist forGovernment Systems in our Beijing representative office. “It was a very significant contract and this installation is probably one of the world’s highest at12,500 feet above sea level.”

Sales and support of Air Transport

Systems (ATS) in Beijing, Shanghai andGuangzhou provide for the growing aviation needs of China’s burgeoningregional airline industry. Head-UpGuidance Systems (HUGS®), which allowaircraft to land and take off in low-visibilityconditions, is one of the products availableto our customers. Recently, PassengerSystems has been added to include passenger in-flight entertainment systemson commercial airlines.

“Our Shanghai office and its 14 employees provide sales and service forcommunication and cabin electronics solutions to the Chinese airlines and otherbusiness and regional aircraft customers,”said Ron Ho, sales director of CommercialSystems in our Shanghai office. “While wehave more than one location or facility inChina with different functions, the goal isthe same — to make Rockwell Collinsstand out and remain the most trustedname in avionics.”

— Sue Nading is a freelance writer.

Persistence, relationships help direct growth in China

> The Shanghai Service Center (above) is one of several Rockwell Collins locations in China.

<h>

Rockwell Collins Image

By Sue Nading

Web extra: Additional information about Rockwell Collins in China is

featured in Horizons online atwww.rockwellcollins.com/horizons.