NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2018 Jul 22, 16:19 -0700
Here are a few Rockwell International advertisements from the Aviation Week & Space Technology archives talking about the future civilian use of GPS or "The GPS" as the 1977 advert puts it.
In 1977: "When the system is opened to civilian use, it will offer navigation data to airlines, general aviation, merchant marine, pleasure boats and even ambulances and fire trucks."
In 1978: "And the best part is, GPS technology will someday be available for civilian use. The technology will provide precise and constant navigational data to airlines, general aviation, the merchant marine --even pleasure boats."
In 1979: "And the best part is, GPS technology could someday provide precise and constant navigational data to airlines, general aviation, the merchant marine --even pleasure boats."
Notice: "When...opened, ...will offer" in 1977 becomes "will someday provide" in 1978 and then "could someday provide" in 1979. Someone has asked marketing to lower expectations a bit with respect to that cornucopia of civilian applications...
Frank Reed
