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Honeywell products and components have helped give flight to almost every manned and unmanned aircraft, helicopter, and spacecraft to have ever graced our skies. Despite the vast breadth of offerings and many revolutionary technologies Honeywell has invented, few within the industry – let alone the flying public – appreciate the contribution that Honeywell has made to aviation over the past 100+ years.
A – Acronyms
No alphabetical journey through our products and services would be complete without mention of the ubiquitous acronym! No other industry in the world seems to be as acronym-obsessed as aerospace. I remember when I joined Honeywell, the never-ending use of acronyms was not only confusing, it made my head spin! There’s ADS-B, ACARS, APU, ADIRS and ADM* – and that’s just a few examples under A! Fortunately, I had the support of our brilliant engineers and product managers to make sense of it all.
B – Black Boxes
For more than 60 years, Honeywell has been the industry leader in flight data recorders for the commercial aviation industry. These devices, better known as ‘black boxes’, collect critical data during each flight. This includes cockpit voice (CV) data, the pilot’s communications in the cockpit as well as the dialogue between pilots and air traffic controllers, as well as flight data (FD) – how the aircraft systems perform in-flight. The flight recorders ensure that, in the event of an accident, investigators can use the data to learn more about the chain of events leading up to it.
The newest Honeywell Connected Recorder – 25 (HCR-25) retains mandatory flight and cockpit voice data in a crash-survivable memory unit. This recorder also enables operators and manufacturers to remotely access the data at any time, opening the way for enhanced maintenance predictability and operational insight through data analytics. In addition, in the event of an emergency, the data on board will be quickly accessible to investigators. The new HCR-25 meets the requirements of the upcoming 2021 European Aviation Safety Agency 25-hour cockpit voice recording mandate.
C – Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an advanced multi-mission helicopter. Its iconic double-rotor design makes it immediately recognizable worldwide. The Chinook undertakes multiple roles for armed forces around the world, with the US Army and Britain’s Royal Air Force its’ two largest users. The Chinook entered service in 1962 – and remains in active service today, having seen action in conflicts ranging from the Vietnam War to Afghanistan. It remains one of the few aircraft to be developed during the early 1960s – along with the fixed-wing Lockheed C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft – that has remained in both production and frontline service for over 50 years, albeit with significant upgrades.
From humanitarian disaster-relief operations, in-theatre troop deployment and supply as well as casualty evacuation, the Chinook is known and loved for its versatility and power. This power is delivered by two Honeywell T55 engines. Despite its size, the Honeywell-powered Chinook remains one of the fastest helicopters in the US Army. To date, Honeywell has manufactured more than 6,000 T55 engines, which have logged approximately 12 million hours of operation on the CH-47 and MH-47 Chinook helicopters.
D – Displays
Honeywell has been at the forefront of intelligent flight deck design for decades. Our engineers have helped drive the evolution from cockpits crammed with individual dials and indicators to cathode ray tube (CRT) and then state-of-the-art liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. Today, thanks to Honeywell, flight data is presented on intuitive, easy-to-read multi-function displays – easing pilot workload, reducing fatigue, and improving situational awareness.
Although Honeywell flight management systems and other software are present in many Airbus, Boeing and other air transport platforms, it is in business aviation where Honeywell display technology dominates – and continues to evolve. Across the business aviation segment from general aviation, superlight jets and large turboprops to the largest bizliners from Dassault and Gulfstream, Honeywell has collaborated with manufacturers to design bespoke cockpits to revolutionize pilot interactions. The Symmetry cockpit, for example, that features on the Gulfstream G500, G600 and flagship G700 is one of the most advanced in business aviation, with integrated touchscreen controllers aimed at making displays “more intuitive, integrated and significantly more user-friendly”.
Today, Honeywell Aerospace continues to lead the way in avionics, including displays, information management systems, and flight management systems – for commercial, military, and business aircraft. Furthermore, Honeywell is preparing for the next likely cockpit change: the advent of single-pilot passenger transport operations.
* ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast), ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System), APU – Auxiliary Power Unit, ADIRS - Air Data Inertial Reference System and ADM - Automatic Descent Mode
Check out the next blog in this series. Part Two Echo - Hotel.
Want to know more about Honeywell Aerospace’s products or services? Feel free to leave a comment below for a potential future blog topic.
