Honeywell Aerospace to upgrade Primus Epic integrated flight deck

Honeywell Aerospace is planning to upgrade its Primus Epic integrated flight deck for business and commercial aircraft, to offer pilots better view of runways and taxiways in difficult environments.

The enhancements will include Honeywell’s 2D and 3D airport moving maps, SmartView synthetic vision system with updates for lower landing minimums, cockpit display of traffic information, touchscreen controls and flight deck connectivity.

Honeywell Aerospace flight test operations test pilot Sandy Wyatt said: "You might think that once a pilot lands a plane after an eight-hour trip the workload decreases and the job gets easier, but that’s not always true.

"At an unfamiliar airport and especially at night, pilots’ workload may dramatically increase once they land and turn off the runway and begin to taxi.

"Time demands require getting to the gate expeditiously; on-board tools and electronic airport maps can greatly enhance a pilot’s situational awareness, thereby improving safety for all the passengers."

With the updated SmartView Synthetic Vision, the aircraft will benefit from updated lower landing minimums, going from 200ft to 150ft.

The 2D airport moving maps allows pilots to view runways, taxiways, airport structures, and signs on the navigation display, while the 3D map will show out-the-window view of the airport on the primary flight display.

Primus Epic will have touch function for flight management window, radio tuning, flight planning, checklist, and systems control.

Claimed to offer enhanced and safer gate-to-gate experience, the latest features will be available for all Primus Epic-supported platforms in around two years.

Enhancements on Honeywell’s Primus Elite will include integrated primary flight display with synthetic vision system, XM meteorological aviation report and terminal area forecast, traffic collision avoidance system and on-wing field loading of application software and databases capabilities.

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Image: Primus Epic incorporates gate-to-gate technologies to allow pilots view runways and taxiways in difficult environments. Photo: courtesy of Honeywell International Inc.