Honeywell Aerospace is a major provider of business aircraft engines but the focus of its efforts to reduce aviation’s environmental footprint is at least as much in the cockpit as in the powerplant. According to Rob Wilson, president, Honeywell Aerospace Business and General Aviation, the pursuit of greater flight efficiency delivered by advanced guidance, surveillance and other avionics systems has the potential to significantly reduce fuel burn, engine emissions and noise.
For example, Honeywell’s recent analysis of traffic at Los Angeles International Airport has shown that the use of continuous descent approaches alone could reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 30 percent and nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions by 40 percent, while also cutting the local noise footprint. The company recently got clearance from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to help business aircraft pilots get approval to use RNP (required navigational performance) approaches after realizing many had difficulty doing so.
