Honeywell’s SmartView Synthetic Vision System, an aircraft cockpit display technology, has been chosen by Pilatus for its PC-12 NG aircraft equipped with the Primus Apex integrated flight deck. The SmartView option is available now on new PC-12 NG production aircraft and also will be retrofittable in the future.

SmartView will provide PC-12 NG pilots with a real-time view of the location of the aircraft relative to surrounding terrain and a compelling 3-D virtual view outside the cockpit that is unencumbered by visual impediments such as fog, bad weather or darkness. SmartView is also a strategic tool, offering guidance cues, terrain shading and other intuitive prompts to aid pilots in critical decision-making - ultimately improving overall safety for PC-12 NG pilots and passengers.
 
SmartView uses Honeywell’s proven terrain data base, with more than 800 million flight hours and on 55,000 aircraft worldwide, to provide pilots with a natural and continuous view of flight paths, terrain and navigational environment without changing the way the Primary Flight Display (PFD) is used.

As a ground proximity and obstacle tool, SmartView also helps reduce the risk of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) and Low-Visibility Loss of Control (LVLOC), key safety issues in business and general aviation, by enabling early recognition of conflicting terrain and obstacles, particularly during instrument approaches.

SmartView is the latest in a long line of functionality enhancements offered by Pilatus and Honeywell, taking full advantage of the Primus Apex upgrade’s versatility to successively improve the PC-12 NG’s operational capability. These improvements enable PC-12 NG operators to continuously expand their cockpit capabilities through easy and convenient software upgrades to meet evolving operational and regulatory requirements.

“Pilatus’ selection of SmartView adds to the growing ranks of OEMs and operators using our synthetic vision system, which is all about enhancing flight safety. There are a lot of subtleties to the design that really underscore a critical human factors philosophy for us in aviation: provide pilots with only the information they need, when they need it and in a way that is easy to understand,” said Rob Wilson, President, Business & General Aviation, Honeywell Aerospace.

“Characterized by outstanding versatility, performance, reliability, efficiency and operational flexibility, the PC-12 NG is one of the most popular turbine-powered business aircraft on the market today. Honeywell’s SmartView makes the PC-12 NG even safer – the level of situational awareness is improved and the cockpit workload is reduced,” said Ignaz Gretener, Vice President, Business Unit, General Aviation, Pilatus.