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Press Release
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Honeywell Technology Helps Pilots Avoid Runway Overruns At Today's
Increasingly Crowded Airports
Software Upgrade to Existing Honeywell Safety Equipment Available in
2009
Runway Excursions Represent 96% of Total Runway-related Accidents
NBAA ORLANDO, Oct. 4, 2008 -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that
it has developed a software upgrade to its Runway Awareness and Advisory System
that will alert pilots if their approach to an airport is not within a safe
tolerance envelope of speed and glide path.
A stable approach is one where the aircraft approaches the runway within a safe
tolerance of the optimum speed and glide path. Approaches outside this
tolerance, usually too high or too fast, can result in hard landings, aircraft
overshooting the end of the runway or other anomalies that damage the aircraft,
cause passenger injury or even loss of life.
“Runway excursions represent 96% of the total runway related accidents and cost
the industry millions of dollars over the last 10 years,” said Bob Smith, Vice
President of Advanced Technology. “This stabilized approach technology upgrade
will be a quick and easy installation that will significantly lower the
probability of runway excursions and is a cost-effective and near-term solution
to a problem many in the industry see as one of the biggest remaining safety
concerns: runway overruns and hard landings.”
Designed to enhance flight crew situational awareness, the Honeywell system is
a software function that uses an aircraft’s Global Positioning System (GPS)
position, landing gear position, landing flaps position, aircraft speed,
vertical speed, approach profile and Honeywell’s runway database information to
provide verbal announcements to the flight crew if the stable approach criteria
are not met. Under normal landing conditions, no advisories would be
heard.
Honeywell’s stabilized approach technology capitalizes on the Honeywell
worldwide terrain and runway database, which has proven itself for over 800
million flight hours, and will be available as a software upgrade in mid-2009.
The system has been in simulator and flight testing and is expected to be
certified by the FAA and EASA by the end of 2008.
In 2004, Honeywell also developed the Runway Awareness and Alerting System
(RAAS) as a software upgrade to the Honeywell worldwide terrain database. RAAS
provides improved situational awareness to help break the chain of events that
can lead to a runway incursion, by providing timely aural advisories to the
flight crew during taxi, takeoff, final approach, landing and rollout on
runways and taxiways. RAAS in installed on more than 1,600 business aviation
and commercial transport aircraft.
Honeywell International is a $38 billion diversified technology and
manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and
services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive
products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township,
N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock
Exchanges. For additional information, please visit www.honeywell.com.
Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Honeywell’s aerospace business is a leading global
provider of integrated avionics, engines, systems and service solutions for
aircraft manufacturers, airlines, business and general aviation, military,
space and airport operations.
This release contains forward-looking statements as defined in Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements about future business
operations, financial performance and market conditions. Such forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties inherent in business forecasts as
further described in our filings under the Securities Exchange Act.
Media Contact:
Karen Crabtree
602-365-5255
karen.crabtree@honeywell.com
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