Tangible evidence of eVTOL aircraft nearing the start of commercial services has left Honeywell feeling vindicated for investing in dedicated R&D efforts in this sector five years ago. According to Dave Shilliday, who is general manager of the group’s advanced air mobility (AAM) business unit, working with start-ups chasing rapid paths to market, such as Archer Aviation and Vertical Aerospace, has made the aerospace group “more agile.”
The fruits of Honeywell’s labors include fly-by-wire flight controls and sidesticks specifically developed to meet the size and weight limitations of eVTOL architectures. For Vertical’s VX4 vehicle, Honeywell is now providing inceptors based on work done for the Orion space program.
“In terms of innovation, these companies are less constrained by definitions of what each system needs to encompass than legacy OEMs,” Shilliday told AIN. “They are more concerned about the problems they are trying to solve than what came before.”
Shilliday believes the AAM business model is reaching a tipping point, with some governments signalling a willingness to encourage early use cases. In the U.S., President Donald Trump’s recent executive order expanding beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations includes plans for an “eVTOL integration pilot program.”
This September, the U.S. government will issue a request for proposals from companies wanting to conduct trial eVTOL operations under waivers. Similarly, authorities in the UAE are clearing the way for flights to be permitted in protective airspace corridors.
AI Guides Human-machine Collaboration
In Europe, Honeywell’s innovation center at Brno in the Czech Republic is focused on efforts to boost safety and operational efficiency by reducing the workload of pilots. The DARWIN (Digital Assistants for Reducing Workload and Increasing Collaboration) project involves defining the best approach to splitting responsibilities between the human pilot and automated systems.
The project team, which is backed by the Single European Sky ATM Research body, is applying artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor pilots for signs of drowsiness or sleep.
“This is about human-machine collaboration, looking at how to manage workload and how to automate the flight deck,” explained Jolana Dvorska, the senior research and development manager at the Brno facility. “We want to enhance decisions and give decision support. In some cases, the [automated] assistants can take over the decision while the pilot focuses on thinking.”
Honeywell plans to start a demonstration campaign in the first quarter of 2026 after installing the DARWIN equipment in an aircraft for in-flight human-factors trials. “The AI generates data from the aircraft and uses algorithms to assess decisions. It’s critical but needs to be explainable and certifiable,” Dvorska concluded.