Page 9 - AAA MAY - JUNE 2016 Online Magazine

FEATURE QUESST

Commercial Supersonic Technology (CST) acceptable noise levels,” says Brett Pauer,
Project to aid in overcoming the issue of Nasa CST subproject manager at Armstrong
sonic booms as a roadblock to commercial Flight Research Center. “We have partnered
supersonic flight. with avionics companies like Honeywell
In the first year under the contract, to translate our Nasa algorithms into an
Honeywell and Nasa have designed and integrated avionics system that is tested and
developed predictive software and display evaluated by pilots.”
technology that has been successfully tested The conceptual designs used under
in flight over commercial airspace. Nasa’s Commercial Supersonic Technology
“Nasa is committed to making supersonic Project are tied to Honeywell’s Interactive
flight over land a reality, and key to achieving Navigation (INAV) technology.
this is to reduce the impact of sonic booms,” INAV is the aerospace industry’s first
says Bob Witwer, vice president of Advanced system providing the simultaneous display
Technology at Honeywell Aerospace. of traffic, terrain, airspace, airways, airports
“Using the Honeywell User Experience and navigation aids. INAV software is
design concept, our engineering team has designed to allow easy addition of new
tackled how to intuitively inform pilots about display formats to existing cockpits, and the
upcoming terrain, weather and more - now we predictive software for sonic booms takes
are helping pilots predict and visualize noise full advantage of this feature, allowing it to
to tackle sonic booms,” Witwer adds. be effortlessly incorporated into existing and
Honeywell’s predictive software and future airplanes.
displays for supersonic jets are in ongoing Already in use on Honeywell Primus Epic
development and testing with Nasa. integrated cockpits on Dassault, Gulfstream,
“Important to our progress in reducing Pilatus and Beechcraft aircraft, INAV will
the sonic boom impact over land is to have a help make the next generation of supersonic
predictive sonic boom display in supersonic flight a reality, says Witwer of Honeywell
aircraft cockpits that ensures our future Aerospace.
quiet supersonic aircraft remain below
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