AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES
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Honeywell Doubles Down on FMS-Guided Visual Approaches
Honeywell Doubles Down on FMS-Guided Visual Approaches
Honeywell is doubling the number of available FMS Guided Visual Approaches, expanding the reach of stabilized approach capability to more runways.
What You Will Learn in This Article
- How FMS-guided visual approaches enhance flight safety and stability by providing consistent lateral and vertical guidance, especially in challenging or visually demanding conditions.
- The operational benefits for business jet pilots, including reduced workload, improved situational awareness, and better energy management during approach and landing.
- Honeywell’s expansion of FMS-guided visual procedures to 50 runways worldwide, driven by direct feedback from business aviation operators to support safer, more standardized approaches.
Visual approaches are often the only option for business jet pilots landing at runways without published instrument approach procedures. Flying these approaches can be challenging and complex. Adding FMS-guided visual approaches provides the pilot with clear lateral and vertical guidance to improve safety and stability. FMS-guided visuals can be coupled to the autoflight system to help the flight crew remain more heads-up and with eyes looking outside the flight deck for terrain and traffic.
In October, Honeywell is doubling the number of available FMS-guided visual approaches from 25 to 50, expanding the reach of stabilized approach capability to more runways at busy business aviation airports from Kansas City Downtown airport and Las Vegas to Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Nice, France, to name a few.
To choose the new procedures at these airports, Honeywell consulted a source very familiar with challenging approaches – the business jet operators and pilots who fly them every day.
"We sought feedback from Honeywell customers on which airports and procedures would be the most useful and deliver the most value. We always welcome suggestions for new FMS-guided visual approaches and urge pilots and operators to contact their Honeywell representative or a Flight Technical Services Team member to make a request."
— Erik Tobler, Technical Pilot with Honeywell Aerospace
Improving Safety and Reducing Pilot Workload
“FMS-guided visual approaches provide pilots the assistance they need to fly challenging approaches in a safe, stable and standardized manner”, Tobler continued. "By providing a consistent and repeatable lateral and vertical flight path, these procedures help flight crews manage aircraft energy, anticipate setting proper configuration and reduce last-minute corrections, especially in challenging conditions.”
They also reduce crew workload in busy terminal environments, provide more consistent and predictable approach paths and enhance situational awareness, especially at night or in reduced-visibility conditions.
The FAA, EASA, and ICAO favor improving flight safety and reducing unstable approaches, unnecessary go-arounds, and runway overruns – of which FMS-Guided Visuals can play a significant role as a tool in supporting these industry goals.
“Unstable approaches are a leading contributor to runway excursions, hard landings and loss-of-control accidents during the landing phase,” Tobler said. “FMS-guided visual approaches provide an extremely effective way to improve stability in one of the most critical phases of flight.”
For more information, contact your Honeywell representative or email the Technical Services Team.
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