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Part Three – Indigo to Lima
We’re taking an alphabetical journey through the history of Honeywell Aerospace and our contribution to the aerospace industry. So far, we’ve covered Alpha to Delta, and Echo to Hotel. In this edition, we look at technologies that help avoid those uncomfortable bumps in the flight, how we provide critical life support systems for our heroic military pilots and how we make all our journeys more entertaining and productive. We’ll also say hello to one of Honeywell’s most iconic, most recognized and most revered brands – BendixKing.
I – IntuVue
We’ve chalked up many aviation firsts in our 100+ years of service to the aviation industry. Included in these highlights is the introduction in 1953 of the first airborne weather radar system for commercial aircraft. Needless to say, weather radars have come a long way since the 1950s. Today, Honeywell remains at the forefront of advanced weather threat detection and avoidance technology with the IntuVue family of 3D weather radars.
Available for commercial air transport (RDR4000), business aviation (RDR7000) and military aircraft (RDR4000M) the RDR/IntuVue family represents a significant development in radar technology, building on the first clean sheet radar design to be implemented in 30 years, with a host of advantages over of 2D weather radar design.
The impact of weather on aviation is well documented. And given the science suggests that our changing climate will lead to a continued increase in extreme and variable weather conditions, the need for an advanced weather detection radar is of paramount importance. Operators of all aircraft types and sizes are looking for a solution that can provide greater passenger and crew safety and comfort, increased efficiency, and enhanced performance through better strategic and tactical decision making, and reduced pilot workload.
IntuVue provides advanced weather detection through all stages of flight – from taxi to take-off and throughout the entire journey - even through to approach and landing, providing pilots with an unparalleled picture of the weather in front of, below and even behind the aircraft.
J – JetWave
Over the past decade, Honeywell’s JetWave satcom hardware has helped to revolutionize Inflight Connectivity (IFC). By enabling commercial airliners, business, regional and military aircraft to connect to Inmarsat’s GX Aviation network, JetWave has delivered unparalleled connectivity to pilots and passengers alike. Delivered by four Inmarsat satellites covering the globe (polar regions excepted), JetWave delivers true broadband connectivity with speeds up to 50 mbps. This has literally transformed the passenger experience enabling a host of entertainment and business functionality and applications.
Don’t be fooled in to thinking that the demand for fast, reliable and always-on in-flight Wi-Fi is a fad or an experimental phase. The expectations for and of inflight connectivity amongst passengers will continue to grow as Millennials and Gen-Z’s start travelling for business and leisure.
But there’s more to connectivity than mile-high selfies. Honeywell Forge utilizes aircraft connectivity to deliver aviation’s most powerful cloud-based aircraft operations ecosystem. Encompassing all aspects of flight operations, Honeywell Forge combines critical operational data with flight data from the aircraft. It transforms raw data into actionable insights, enabling airlines to act quickly to enhance the well-being of passengers while maximizing profits for operators.
K – King … BendixKing
The BendixKing name is synonymous with general aviation aircraft the world over. Interestingly however BK can trace its history back to an auto-parts supplier to the Californian automotive industry in 1911. In 1929 the Bendix Corporation was renamed the Bendix Aviation Corporation to signify a new direction for the company – a direction which ultimately led to their acquisition in 1983 by the Allied Corporation. At the same time Bendix was merged with another acquisition King Radio Corporation to form Bendix/King. Over time the Allied Corporation became AlliedSignal and then finally Honeywell.
Today, BendixKing continues to design and support a full suite of avionics, including integrated flight decks, radios, transponders, transceivers, autopilots, radar-based storm sensors, and in-flight connectivity. Bendix King avionics are found on a variety of aircraft in the general aviation market, as well as some business jets, helicopters and military trainers, including aircraft manufactured by Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft, Pilatus, Hawker, Textron and Dassault.
BendixKings’ latest AeroVue Integrated Flight Deck is derived from the renowned Honeywell Primus Epic and Primus Apex avionics systems and combines category-leading functionality with the intuitive user experience of a glass-cockpit.
L – Life Support Systems
A unique characteristic of many products across our aerospace portfolio is you won’t necessarily see them, or indeed know they are even there – but you can rest-assured they are working to keep pilots, crew and passengers safe. A good example of this are our life support systems for military aircraft. Honeywell’s legacy companies were behind the development during WWII of the world’s first life support system for the B29 Superfortress, a cabin pressurization system that enabled allied bombers to fly at higher altitudes to avoid fighters and anti-aircraft fire.
Since 1945, Honeywell was cemented it position as a leader in the development and design of critical life support systems with over 500 million aircraft flight hours as well as an incredible 35,000 flight hours in space!
Our proven life support systems include Environmental Control Systems (ECS), Cabin Pressure Control Systems (CPCS), On-Board Oxygen Generation Systems (OBOGS) and Carbon Monoxide Removal Catalyst (COCAT). Uniquely, Honeywell offers customers a full service in-house capability including engineering experts, world class test facilities, production and repair & overhaul facilities.
Honeywell has Life Support Systems on many different aircraft, including: T-45 Goshawk; Gripen; F-35; F-22; EFA-Typhoon; PC-21; Indian AF Jaguar; Tucano; B-2; B-1B; Harrier; Hawk and Tornado.
Check out the next blog in this series. Part Four Mike - Papa.
Want to know more about Honeywell Aerospace’s products or services? Feel free to leave a comment below for a potential future blog topic.
