The flight systems behind more-electric aircraft

Every pilot input sets off a chain of unseen events.

Moving a sidestick, extending the landing gear or changing engine power requires computers, sensors and control systems to exchange information almost instantly. Each system has a specific job, but none of them operates in isolation.

The addition of more electrical systems is prompting engineers to rethink how aircraft systems communicate, share information and support one another.

Flight systems coordinate information from across the aircraft, which is why Bob Buddecke, president and CEO of Electronic Solutions at Honeywell Aerospace, describes them as “the brains of the aircraft.”

That perspective shapes how engineers approach more-electric aircraft. Electrical power has to be generated and distributed, while flight systems interpret growing amounts of aircraft data and coordinate responses across multiple systems. 

For many years, aircraft systems were mainly developed around individual functions. Flight controls managed the aircraft. Avionics provided navigation and situational awareness. Propulsion generated thrust and electrical systems supplied power.

More-electric aircraft require greater coordination across those systems. Each one contributes information while responding to what other systems are doing.

For example, a pilot input may pass through flight control computers before commanding an electromechanical actuator. Sensors continuously monitor aircraft conditions. Flight management systems evaluate aircraft performance while sharing information across the cockpit and other onboard systems. Each function still serves its own purpose, but together they help the aircraft respond as a coordinated system.

Advanced air mobility has helped accelerate that approach. Many eVTOL aircraft rely on distributed propulsion, fly-by-wire controls and high levels of electrical integration from the beginning. Engineers must determine how information moves through the aircraft, how quickly systems respond and how to maintain redundancy if something fails.

Todd Giles, senior vice president of engineering and chief technology officer at Honeywell Aerospace, believes the work happening in one area of aviation is already influencing the broader industry.

“The advancement of AAM and those platforms has really accelerated this push,” says Giles. “And it has opened up the industry’s eyes to what else can be done on the bigger platforms.”

No two aircraft ask the same thing of their flight systems.

A commercial airliner is designed to move hundreds of passengers efficiently over long distances, while a military aircraft may need to fuse information from multiple sensors in rapidly changing environments. An AAM aircraft must coordinate distributed propulsion, fly-by-wire controls and highly integrated electrical systems within a much smaller platform.

Although the missions are different, the engineering challenge is similar. Each flight system must process information, coordinate with other onboard systems and respond reliably in real time.

Greater capability also increases demand on the aircraft’s electrical architecture. As Buddecke puts it, “Power requirements only go up.”

Adding electrical power alone isn’t enough. Engineers also have to determine what information matters, where it should be shared and how quickly different systems need to respond. Those decisions influence everything from aircraft handling to pilot workload.

Designing around electrical architectures changes how flight systems are developed. Instead of optimizing individual systems, engineers can consider how propulsion, flight controls, sensing and onboard computing work together across the aircraft.

Honeywell Aerospace brings together expertise in avionics, fly-by-wire controls, sensing and electrical systems to help manufacturers develop integrated flight systems across commercial, defense and AAM platforms. This systems-level approach gives manufacturers greater flexibility to coordinate aircraft functions and respond to different mission requirements.

The next generation of flight systems will be defined less by any one technology than by how effectively those technologies work together.