Primus Epic Suite Chosen on a Dozen Types, Two Flying

Honeywell's Primus Epic avionics system has not lost a single competition where it has been in the running, according to John Uczekaj, VP and general manager of Business, Regional and General Aviation Avionics. The Epic system has been adopted by 12 different aircraft types and is already flying on two--the Bell/Agusta AB139 helicopter and the Hawker Horizon midsize business jet.

The advanced Primus Epic integrated cockpit avionics system is a clean and clutter-free design that is intended to be more powerful, functional, flexible and affordable than any system of its kind. Its modular avionics architecture drives full-size 8-inch x 10-inch flat panel liquid crystal color displays, in two- to six-screen configurations, depending on aircraft type. Each display features menus that support moveable navigation maps, ground-based weather overlays, real-time video and electronic pilot manuals.

Epic's Digital Engine Operating System (DEOS) improves functionality, reliability, dispatchability and maintainability in a system that is easy to upgrade and modify for the future. Customers can choose from traditional controllers or new on-screen cursor control devices (such as touch pads, joysticks, or track balls) developed through Honeywell's human-centered cockpit design, to operate in a menu-driven environment. The open architecture design of the Primus Epic not only integrates the avionics system, but also allows for easy addition of aircraft utility systems and future CNS/ATM functionality.

Epic's success is attributed in part to its modular open-architecture software design that allows third-party cards and control functions to be included under the system. Beyond that, Epic has an entire air vehicle utilities management capability that takes it outside the realm of conventional cockpit avionics.

Uczekaj reflects that, "There was some scepticism in our technical ability to make the open architecture approach work, but we have translated our early faith in the system into absolute proof that it does work. Open architecture systems do come with some risk, as they allow other vendors inside your software, but the benefits far outweigh any of those concerns. The utilities management aspect of Epic is a whole new field of technology, but that technology has been performing flawlessly in the Hawker Horizon, which used it from day one."

Honeywell unveiled the Primus Epic concept at the 1996 NBAA Convention. Two years later Raytheon's Hawker Horizon was announced as the first business jet application for the new system--which had already been selected for the Fairchild Dornier 728JET regional jet and the AB139. Things did not quite go as planned however, as technical troubles at Raytheon forced the Horizon's first flight date to slip from late 1999 to August 2001. As a result, the stylish new AB139 beat the Horizon to become the first type to take Epic into the air, on its maiden flight on 3 February 2001. The Hawker Horizon made its first flight on 11 August 2001.

Honeywell is now looking to Dassault and Gulfstream to take the Epic technology forward into the big business jet community. Both manufacturers have plans to integrate new larger 14-inch square displays instead of the existing 8-inch x 10-inch screens.

Using an entirely new man-machine interface, Epic has the power to transform the way aircraft are controlled in the air. Today, cursor-controlled devices are simply useful tools for navigating on-screen displays. In the future, the Epic system will use cursor-controlled inputs to command flight control functions, revolutionizing the whole way that aircraft are flown and controlled. Epic also has the ability to host an entire fly-by-wire control system, which Uczekaj describes as, "another leadership technology." In the future, Primus Epic will offer a voice command system as an option for some cockpit management tasks.

According to Uczekaj, "It is because Epic uses an open architecture design that it can be applied on aircraft as different as the AB139 and Horizon. The faster processors--the ASCB databus that is equivalent to 100 high speed ARINC 429 buses, the smaller chip footprint--all allow the Epic design to be used on everything from a small helicopter to a Gulfstream V. That customer base is a testament to our unwavering support for open architecture systems."

- Robert Hewson