This helo cockpit takes a backseat to no bizjet

Visiting Honeywell’s new corporate AW139 medium-twin helicopter at the AgustaWestland booth (No. 3039) is a great way to see the clean and uncluttered instrument panel offered by Honeywell’s Primus Epic avionics suite.

The avionics installation includes four 8- by 10-inch LCDs plus a Sagem ICDS-10 multifunction display mounted in the center of the instrument panel. Honeywell’s AW139 pilots can point and click to select on-screen drop-down menus and elements using the Epic’s cursor-control devices, which function similarly to a personal computer mouse, according to Honeywell.

Primus Epic features Honeywell’s interactive navigation system to display traffic, terrain, airways, airports and navigation aids simultaneously. Other integrated functions include the flight management system, enhanced ground proximity warning system and integrated communications management system.

This AW139 is Honeywell’s first AgustaWestland helicopter and replaces a 1997 Sikorsky S-76B. While Sikorskys had long been the helicopter of choice for Honeywell’s flight department, Sikorsky’s choice of Thales avionics to equip the new S-76D may have influenced the selection of the AW139. Then, too, the AW139 is a larger helicopter with a bigger useful load and more passenger-carrying capability.