Finally, Cloud Services For the Flight Deck

Honeywell has released its new Anthem flight deck, a modern, cloud-connected flight deck system that channels the intuitive interfaces of everyday smartphones. Closer to the small devices than traditional glass-panel avionics, Anthem features an always-on connection and touchscreen.

Eschewing the usual connections for updates allows for seamlessly updated maps, unified consumable status tracking, and flight plan transfer. The new flight deck is suitable for every type of aircraft from large passenger planes to general aviation craft, and, as the segment expands, air mobility vehicles. 

“Honeywell is not just launching a new flight deck today — we are changing the way pilots operate aircraft and creating a more intuitive experience than ever,” said Mike Madsen, president and CEO, Honeywell Aerospace. “In the same way we moved from flip phones to smartphones, Honeywell Anthem will transform the pilot experience with customizable controls operated quickly and easily with a few swipes of the finger.”

With the ability to wirelessly check status, update flight data, and track the usage of time-limited parts, the preflight flow could save up to 45 minutes each flight, according to Honeywell. Integration with popular EFB apps allows pilots to load and store their flight plan remotely. Operators should love being able to plan out their next flight at lunch, and load it up from their tablet without all the trouble of keying in waypoints to the FMS. Maintenance personnel will also enjoy the streamlined service process, as Anthem’s cloud capabilities act as the intermediary between them all, enabling simple requests and notifications when the service is completed. 

Users can also customize displays for their particular tastes or flight profile in the panels. Pilots can rearrange features, gauges, and indicators as they wish, and a built-in web browser allows third-party developers to run widgets or show websites in the Anthem cockpit display. Honeywell describes a preflight check where pilots pull up live radar imagery for the area above them, and the live cameras of their destination. Honeywell’s Forge is their software platform that integrates ground and air management, allowing operators the ease of knowing in advance exactly what parts need replacing, when they will need it, to minimize panicked, last-minute overhaul restrictions that hurt dispatch reliability. 

Most flight deck avionics are released to the selection of jets and turboprops, but the Anthem advertised as an excellent solution for nearly everything.

It has been selected by upcoming electric mobility aircraft manufacturers Lilium and Vertical Aerospace for use in their VA-XR and Lilium Jet as their choice of avionics. 

“One of the many great things about Honeywell Anthem is its ability to fit any aircraft — both literally and figuratively. It’s scalable and customizable, meaning we can bring this into almost anything that’s currently flying or will fly in the future. That’s great news particularly for our UAM customers,” said Stephane Fymat, vice president and general manager, Urban Air Mobility and Unmanned Aerial Systems, Honeywell Aerospace. “The VA-X4 and 7-Seater Lilium Jet will revolutionize urban and regional air travel, and those will be some of the first platforms in the world to use Honeywell Anthem, which will, in turn, completely change how we pilot aircraft.”

FMI: www.aerospace.honeywell.com