Honeywell is expanding its roster of FMS-guided visual (FGV) approaches and has completed testing of the latest such approach for the Westchester County Airport (KHPN) Sound Visual Runway 34. The FGV approach at KHPN will give lateral and vertical guidance to Runway 34, which can be hand-flown or coupled to the aircraft’s autopilot.
Honeywell’s FGV approaches provide a safer path to runway ends that offer some additional challenge and risk to business jet pilots. “The intent is to improve the likelihood of a stable approach by providing a precise, repeatable, lateral and vertical flight path that can be fully coupled to the autopilot or hand flown,” according to Honeywell.
Eligible Honeywell FMS-equipped aircraft can use these RNAV H approaches, but operators must subscribe to an additional database to access the FGV approaches. Current aircraft types include the Bombardier Global Express; Cessna Citation Sovereign X; Dassault Falcon 6X, 7X, 8X, 2000EX EASy, 900EX EASy, and 900C/EX; Gulfstream GV and G450 through G700; Hawker 4000; and Pilatus PC-12 and PC-24.
Nearly a dozen FGV approaches are already available, but Honeywell is developing additional approaches, including the recently tested KHPN approach, San Francisco (KSFO, Quiet Bridge Visual), Singapore Seletar (WSSL Runway 03/23), Burbank, California (KBUR Runway 15/33), Napa, California (KAPC Runway 24), and Truckee-Tahoe, California (KTRK Runway 29/11).