Field Service Engineer Knows Flight Management Systems

Lead Field Service Engineer Bill Nelson knows avionics. He’s got more than 35 years of experience, dating back to his days in the U.S. Marine Corps where he maintained radar systems on the legendary McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, which he calls “the greatest airplane ever to grace the skies.”

These days Bill focuses mostly on business aviation customers and helping them get the most out of their Honeywell avionics systems. In all, he’s been with Honeywell for about 19 years. A technical core team leader, Bill’s been based in Phoenix the last six years and has carved a niche for himself as one of the company’s resident experts on flight management system (FMS) technology.

“The great thing about Honeywell’s approach to technical support is that field service engineers need to be well versed in the full range of Honeywell integrated avionics systems and products,” Bill said. “So when a customer contacts one of us with a question or issue, we either know the answer or we know where to find it.”

That said, Bill has become the go-to guy on FMS, working regularly with a broad range of customers including operators, aircraft manufacturers, fractional lease companies and even airline and defense customers. As a private pilot himself, Bill can “talk the talk” when a pilot calls with an FMS question and, as a former technician, he can shift gears when the director of maintenance is on the line.

Honeywell pioneered FMS technology that improves the safety and efficiency of flight by automating various tasks, reducing pilot workload and computing the most efficient way to fly from Point A to Point B. Modern flight systems, like Honeywell’s Next Generation Flight Management System (NGFMS), rely heavily on software that improves situational awareness and maximizes efficiency.

“Today’s systems are incredibly intuitive, flexible and easy-to-use, thanks to advanced software designed by Honeywell,” Bill said. “We also rely on procedural data from the FAA and other aviation authorities to provide pilots with the most current information on routing, approaches and other critical factors. The FMS helps the pilots sort through all the options and choose the one that makes the most sense given the current circumstances.”

As a member of the Aerospace Technical Support (ATS) network, Honeywell’s global resource dedicated to providing customers with the best-possible service, Bill regularly fields questions from customers anywhere in the world. The ATS team is accessible 24-7, 365 through the MyAerospace portal or technical support hotline (855-808-6500 in the U.S. or 602-365-6500 internationally).

“We also have the opportunity to take input from customers and feed it back to the engineering department for use in developing the next software update,” Bill said. “In Customer & Product Support we never forget that we may be employed by Honeywell, but we’re working for the customer.”