Honeywell Aerospace cockpit avionics brings safety features, situational awareness to Pilatus PC-24

GENEVA, 22 May 2013. Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. engineers sought an avionics suite for the company’s new Pilatus PC-24 Twin Jet. They found theirsolution at Honeywell (NYSE:HON), selecting a combination of components from Primus Epic and Primus Apex to provide the core functionality, safety, and display content for the Pilatus Advanced Cockpit Environment (ACE), designed specifically for the PC-24.

Primus Apex is on several platforms, including the Pilatus PC-12 NG. Primus Apex for the PC-12 NG and Pilatus ACE for the PC-24 draw on functionality from Honeywell's Primus Epic flight deck on larger cabin business and regional aircraft. Pilots will have access to safety features and operational functionality previously reserved for the most sophisticated global business jets, according to a company spokesperson.

SmartView Synthetic Vision System (SVS) provides pilots with advanced situational awareness, by synthesizing key flight information from multiple sensors and presenting it in one comprehensive picture on the cockpit's primary flight display, reducing the risk of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).

Honeywell's Integrated Navigation System (INAV) improves flight management through simultaneous display of flight path, traffic, terrain, airspace, airways, airports, and navigation aids. INAV's Graphical Flight Planning provides intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) features that allow pilots to better manage changes to their flight plans.

Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) II paves the way for future ADS-B In applications that allow optimization of spacing and traffic avoidance.

Wi-Fi capabilities for wireless data transfer between Pilatus ACE and supported portable devices.

Wide Area Augmentation System-Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (WAAS-LPV) offers navigational functionality with improved lateral and vertical accuracy, and enables pilots to make near-Instrument Landing System (ILS) Category 1 precision approaches.

Protected Mode - Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (PM-CPDLC/Link 2000) capability, which enables mandated data communication between pilots and air traffic control, reducing pilot workload and improving communications.

Required Navigation Performance Authorization Required 0.3 (RNP AR) capability to provide pilots with more accurate guidance for navigating challenging airports and terminal airspace and help improve the efficiency of landing with clearly defined, reliable, and repeatable flight paths.

"For our first twin jet, we wanted to make sure that the PC-24 had the latest avionics and technology to provide pilots with the safest flying experience possible,” Oscar J. Schwenk, chairman of the board, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. “Through our work with Honeywell on the PC-12 NG, we know that Honeywell's integrated flight deck products provide pilots with safety enhancements and technology that greatly increase operational efficiency and the overall flight experience. Therefore we decided to jointly develop the unique and customized Pilatus ACE focusing on the individual needs and requirements of the future PC-24 operator."