The all-new Gulfstream G500 successfully completed its first flight on May 18 with an integrated flight deck from Honeywell onboard. The company’s experimental test pilots checked all features of the Gulfstream Symmetry™ flight deck during their 2-hour, 16-minute flight, which originated at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport.

Based on Honeywell’s proven Primus® Epic integrated avionics system, the Symmetry Flight Deck is one of the most advanced in business aviation. It features integrated touchscreen controllers, active control sidesticks, a next-generation enhanced vision system, and other innovations from Honeywell. The G500 is the first aircraft to feature Honeywell’s new touch-screen technology.

Aimed at making displays more intuitive, integrated and significantly more user-friendly for pilots, Honeywell’s new touch capabilities will naturally ease workload and improve communications in the cockpit. The 10 integrated touch screens will be used for system controls, flight management, communication, checklists and monitoring weather and flight information.

The G500 is part of Gulfstream’s new family of aircraft, which also includes the G600. The G500 is the first to begin flight testing. Honeywell advanced avionics and mechanical products on the G500 and G600 include:

• Honeywell’s SmartView® Synthetic Vision which improves the flight crew’s situational awareness by providing a large, 3-D color synthetic image of the outside world to enhance safety and efficiency.
• Touch-screen controllers: Utilizing an 8-inch diagonal LCD, the touch screen controllers are fully integrated with cockpit and aircraft systems, providing advanced functionality from flight planning and audio control to checklist and aircraft systems control with capability to expand.
• 2-D and 3-D airport moving maps: The 2-D moving map shows runways, taxiways, airport structures and signs at many airports on navigation displays, while the 3-D moving map integrates the Synthetic Vision System for  an “out the window” view of the airport on the Primary Flight Display (PFD).
• Cockpit display of traffic information: This presents the position of nearby ADS-B aircraft on the flight deck multifunction display, giving the flight crew better awareness and understanding of airborne and surface traffic.
• Flight deck connectivity: Wireless data loading enables pilots and maintenance personnel to wirelessly transfer data files, such as terrain and navigation database updates, through a mobile app.
• HGT400(G) APU: An integrated system that supplies pneumatic and electric power for the aircraft while on the ground or in flight. The system is approximately 30 lbs lighter than the average APU and is equipped with Honeywell’s latest electronic controller technology, allowing for smooth communication with the integrated flight deck. 
• Environmental Control System and Cabin Pressure Control System: An integrated system that provides a more comfortable, quieter experience for passengers by minimizing change in the cabin environment and reducing workload for the crew.