Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

Honeywell has turned loose its software developers and tasked them with speeding up delivery of useful mobile apps to the aviation community. Part of Honeywell’s GoDirect one-step services shop, this effort enables Honeywell (Booth 2200) to deliver safety innovations much faster, because these apps don’t require certification. Updating the apps can also go much faster, because no regulatory approval is required.

 


One of the first GoDirect products is the Flight Preview app, which allows pilots to “fly” an instrument approach depicted on the Apple iPad to help them become familiar with the procedure and the runway environment before flying the actual approach. Another app is the Weather Information Service app, which went live earlier this year. The Fuel Efficiency app, which was developed with technology the company gained through its acquisition last year of Bulgarian company Aviaso, helps airlines track fuel tankering, potable water loads, flaps use, etc., to see how the flight could be flown more efficiently. For maintenance operations, the MyMaintainer app taps into data from the aircraft and tracks crew-alerting-system messages. The app can point to the origin of the fault, track the history of similar faults and send messages to a central office for corrective action.

 


Flight Preview: The app was developed by Honeywell’s flight management system (FMS) engineering team. “It has the same FMS logic in our FMS products applied in this application,” said Kiah Erlich, general manager of Honeywell's Flight Support Services business.

 


Flight Preview allows pilots to select an airport and any of its available instrument procedures, choose the transition, then preview the entire approach, including, if desired, the missed approach procedure. Previewing the approach means viewing a simulated fly-through on two panes on the iPad. The left pane shows a 2-D Google Maps-based “movie” of the approach, and the right side shows the approach plate. “Push ‘play’ and you’re watching a movie about that approach,” Erlich said, “with terrain, the street view, minimums, each transition and the missed approach.” When “flying” a previewed approach, the user can speed up or slow down the action.

 


Honeywell sees the Flight Preview app as a tool for instrument students as well as experienced pilots. “We’re working with a couple of airlines on getting Flight Preview into their ops specs to count toward their airport training,” she said. Pilots might want to preview approaches while planning a flight, or the app can also run as a standalone without Internet access, allowing pilots to use the app as a briefing tool to preview an approach during low-workload phases of flight, or when given a reroute with a different approach procedure.

 


Weather Information Service: This app is designed to help pilots assess weather conditions during preflight and while in flight. Users can input a flight plan, including waypoints, and view the current and forecast weather over the route. Various weather imagery can be displayed, including radar, cumulonimbus tops, winds, clear air turbulence, icing and Sigmets. A vertical situation display (VSD) shows a profile view of the forecast conditions based on the selected cruise altitude. For example, a purple area depicted on the weather map shows widespread clear air turbulence, but viewing the same condition on the VSD shows the location and altitude of medium and high forecast conditions along on the planned route.

 


A forecast slider button allows the user to project ahead up to 24 hours to see how conditions are expected to change. Another slider moves the weather observation backward by as much as three hours. Touching images on the map pulls up specifics about the current and forecast weather conditions, airport weather, Pireps, Sigmets, etc.

 


Weather is available worldwide on the Weather Information Service app. The user can set the auto update time and forecast and look-back periods as desired, to prevent too much data use when flying with the app and tapping into the aircraft’s air-to-ground or satcom service. Or updates can be requested manually by turning off the auto-update feature.

 


A super-handy feature in the app is Digital-ATIS, which eliminates the need to dial up a frequency to listen to the ATIS information, if on-board connectivity is available, or to pull up the D-ATIS from the FMS. Not all airports offer D-ATIS, but it is available at most major airports.

 


Weather Information Service is available on the iPad and also on Microsoft Windows and Surface 3 tablets. &nbsp;

New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

Big Benefits Come in Honeywell Apps 

Honeywell’s GoDirect apps deliver safety and efficiency benefits to pilots and technicians.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Amy Wilder

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

STCs include Textron and Hawker aircraft 

FreeFlight and Collins Team Up on ADS-B Integration 

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Power lines can be nearly impossible to see with the naked eye.

Obstacle Detection Tech Helps Helicopter Pilots Avoid Power Lines

Jessica Reed

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Company unveiled the LT-4250 series two-panel LED suite and the LT-4441 All-In-One LED suite

Luma Tech Launches LED Solutions for Cessna Conquests

MRO installed Universal Avionics’ InSight flight display system in trijet

Flight Deck Overhaul Adds Modern Tech to Falcon 900

News and information about crew, passenger, aircraft and airport security issues.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

NBAA-BACE 2016

More In Avionics

FreeFlight and Collins Team Up on ADS-B Integration

STCs include Textron and Hawker aircraft

Obstacle Detection Tech Helps Helicopter Pilots Avoid Power Lines

Power lines can be nearly impossible to see with the naked eye.

Luma Tech Launches LED Solutions for Cessna Conquests

Company unveiled the LT-4250 series two-panel LED suite and the LT-4441 All-In-One LED suite

Flight Deck Overhaul Adds Modern Tech to Falcon 900

MRO installed Universal Avionics’ InSight flight display system in trijet

FCC Exploring Alternatives To Mitigate GPS Interference

Jamming and spoofing are compromising GNSS capabilities

Astronics Launches SkyShow Server with FlightPath3D

The moving map solution, announced at AEA, was developed in partnership with FlightPath3D

Garmin Adds CO Detector, Updates GTR 205 Radios

Carbon monoxide detector mounts remotely and works with Garmin avionics

Aspen Avionics Showcases Engine Monitoring Integration

New feature uses a split-screen approach for the Evolution multifunction display

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN