Lightweight Midsize Jet Targeted For '09 Certification

Chalk up a second aircraft manufacturer to announce this week the selection of Honeywell's latest avionics suite. On Wednesday, Spectrum Aeronautical said it has selected the Honeywell Primus Apex integrated avionics platform for its new Freedom S-40 mid-sized business jet.

"The Freedom is unique in the mid-size jet category because of its extraordinary capabilities and efficiency in a variety of missions," said Austin Blue, Spectrum's President. "We feel Honeywell's Primus Apex platform provides a combination of best-in-class features and rock-solid reliability that offer the flexibility our customers are looking for."

The Primus Apex configuration for the Freedom features four screens: 15" primary flight displays (PFDs) at the crew stations, and two 10.4" multifunction displays (MFDs). All use ultra-high resolution graphics, and the installation incorporates multiple redundancies for enhanced reliability. Additional features include advanced auto-flight control, graphical flight planning, paperless charts and maps, keypad data entry, and cursor control device technology. The system is also compliant with current mandates, such as Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) and Enhanced Mode S Diversity.

"Safety and reliability are key design considerations for the S-40, and so is the ability to operate world-wide," Blue added, "so Primus Apex is perfectly in line with those objectives. It's already certified in several applications and, like our aircraft, Primus Apex offers features typically found on business jets that cost millions more to purchase. We're confident that it will assure Freedom pilots easier flight deck operation and improved overall safety."

"The Freedom is a game-changing platform that can take full advantage of the features we've incorporated into Primus Apex," said John Todd, Vice President, Business and General Aviation for Honeywell Aerospace. "Our system's integration expertise will be an advantage for Spectrum as they continue the S-40's development and certification program."

Targeted for certification in 2009, the composite-bodied S-40 will provide seating for up to seven passengers, with a stand-up cabin offering up to six feet of height and width, and includes a private enclosed aft lavatory. Spectrum intends the S-40 to be approved for single-pilot operation, with maximum a speed of Mach 0.77 and non-stop range capability of 2,250 nautical miles at a cruising altitude of 45,000 feet.

The Primus Apex was selected by Pilatus for that planemaker's PC-12 NG. As ANN reported Saturday, Viking Air will also use the system on its re-introduced DHC-6 Series 400 Twin Otters, and Primus Apex has also been selected by Grob for its upcoming spn aircraft.

FMI: www.spectrum.aero