Something New in the Air: Honeywell Urban Air Mobility Technology Makes NBAA Debut

It’s a bird… It’s a plane… no, it’s Urban Air Mobility, and this year it will have a starring role as Honeywell brings its latest technology to the Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas.

Honeywell will be showing its growing line of products for these innovative new aircraft, from small fly-by-wire computers to flat, powerful radars that can fit in one hand.

They’ll be on display Oct. 22-24 at the National Business Aviation Association’s separate showcase for unmanned and urban air vehicles, booth N1816B. It is the first public showing of the devices since their debut at the invitation-only Uber Elevate Summit in Washington, D.C. in June.

Urban air mobility refers to new breed of quiet, short-range aircraft that can take off and land vertically. Most employ multiple rotors or fans, electric or hybrid-electric power, and the latest navigation technologies.

More than 150 companies around the world are developing UAM prototypes, and Honeywell is working closely with leaders like Vertical Aerospace, Volocopter, Jaunt Air Mobility and Pipistrel. Uber and other transportation companies have announced plans to deploy fleets of UAM vehicles as flying taxis.

At BACE, Honeywell’s UAM experts will be on hand to answer questions about new offerings, including:

• The Compact Fly-by-Wire System, which packs the “brains” of an airliner’s flight control system into a package the size of a paperback book.
• The IntuVue RDR-84K Band Radar System, a flexible, software-based radar for collision avoidance and other uses
• Avionics and autonomous flight technology
• The AH-2000 attitude heading reference system, a GPS-aided navigation system that keeps aircraft safe and on course in congested urban airspace
• The HG4930 inertial measurement unit, a rugged, highly precise inertial sensor

Visitors will also get a close-up look at Honeywell actuators and the company’s hybrid-electric turbogenerator, a compact design derived from a flight-proven engine. The turbogenerator puts out 400 kilowatts of variable-frequency or direct current for powering multiple propellers or fans. Honeywell has also partnered with Denso to develop electric motors for UAM vehicles and other aircraft.

Of course, NBAA is synonymous with business jets and turboprops, and Honeywell’s main exhibit, at booth N4302, will feature the latest technology for these aircraft, as well products from the BendixKing line of avionics.

Get a sneak preview of our technology at our Urban Air Mobility page.