Professional Pilot, September 2016

Honeywells Weather Information Service provides horizontal and vertical displays of current and forecast weather relative to the filed flightplan PROFESSIONAL PILOT September 2016 97 using 3D interactive visualization GoDirect Flight Preview includes an animated approach with terrain models overlaid with satellite imagery giving you a firsthand look at the environment before you get there The application displays the actual instrument approach procedure side byside the 3D perspective view of the approach The approach review includes the transition to the Initial Approach Fix IAF the final approach MAP and more all shown in the animation and as a 3D graphic that can be viewed from any perspective Its a great tool to build the picture in your mind no matter what aircraft you are actually flying As described by Honeywell GoDirect Flight Preview uses FAA data and standard instrument approach charts but also incorporates terrain data and satellite imagery The approach profile flown by the animation and displays with synthetic vision include the charted in waypoints all the way to the runway GoDirect Flight Preview works in the air as well as on the ground It is the new standard for an instrument approach brief in the cockpit To compare this state of the art application think back Many early iPad apps for aviation were just electronic versions of the paper approach charts included If you are familiar with the term PDF what we saw in the early days of electronic charts was a scanned approach chart with 1 size Later with the introduction of iPhone gestures like pinching a way to zoom in on an image you could expand the view with simple motions For the conventional flightdeck the rudimentary idea of a preview mode can be seen with the FMS and the nav display Entering the approach on the FMS select preview and the basic electronic form of the approach will be seen as it will appear on the nav display during the actual approach But this flight guidance view typically lacks terrain and other special features that may require extra attention for the sake of safety The Honeywell GoDirect Flight Preview app works with the same information including the arrival and specific approach but with a moving 3D like animation video showing the approach along with the published procedure terrain and all of the nav features It is interactive so it lets you rotate the perspective zoom and observe GoDirect Flight Preview currently costs 299 month and the subscription fee is 1999 year per region Buying the application has been made really easy just look it up in the Apple App Store select buy and add regions as you need them Currently the Apple App Store provides 9 subdivided regions in the USA with most containing multiple states The new Honeywell GoDirect Flight Preview along with the GoDirect flightplanning tools for planning and weather are other digital toolbox treats aimed at reducing your flightplanning time improving accuracy and providing increased safety for each trip What is also part of Honeywells new economy is that these tools are independent to the brand of your avionics Honeywells mobile applications are based on an overall concept of integration of airplane pilot passenger and all the myriad of connections that are both possible and expected Honeywell Weather Information Service and other tools The serious study of weather requires data and graphics Honeywells flightplanning and weather apps allow you to plan on a mobile device and then move to your cockpit flight monitor and if needed consider alternative actions Adding the AIRMET and SIGMET zones and coverage is done with transparency so that the layers of data are increasingly useful Another nice Honeywell innovation is converting the icing forecast into a vertical profile that is connected to your actual route of flight This weather data makes its way to your iPad in flight via Wi Fi router in the cabin and through a satellite connection to the aircraft Being able to look ahead to NEXRAD radar when you are still out over the open ocean is a great use of satellite connectivity in the aircraft Reducing risk in weather is accomplished with both real time and forecast data and this multilayered graphical presentation with the actual flightplan may someday be a standard for flight instruments But why wait Another aspect of the new economy is managing your information both in terms of the speed of the connection and the cost of the data The GoDirect flightplanning tools have the ability to know the amount of data need for each selection another great innovation So the Honeywell app lets you select only the weather data relevant to your flightpath and the selected layers and weather types can be sized for each request And now regardless of your flightdeck avionics you are receiving real time Nexrad weather and vertical profile weather data Weight and Balance Within the Honeywell apps capability is the use of graphical weight