Honeywell Kicks RAAS (Out The Door)

The FAA on Feb. 5 granted Honeywell the certification papers for the company’s Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS), a new safety system aimed at reducing aircraft accidents on airport surfaces. Honeywell’s RAAS is a software solution grafted onto its Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), currently deployed on over 20,000 aircraft, and provides ten aural advisories to pilots. These advisories include alerting the crew when:

• The airplane is approaching a runway – either on the ground or from the air
• The airplane has entered and is aligned with a runway
• The runway is not long enough for the particular aircraft
• The distance remaining to the end of the runway as the aircraft is landing or during a rejected takeoff
• A takeoff is begun from a taxiway
• When an aircraft has been immobile on a runway for an extended time

Because it is a software-based product, RAAS can typically be added with no new hardware or wiring changes needed. The system is currently available for Honeywell Mark V and Mark VII EGPWS with the latest software upgrades. The Mark V and Mark VII are typically installed in air transport, regional and large business jets. FAA approvals for EGPWS with RAAS include manufacturing approval under a Technical Standard Order and a Supplemental Type Certificate utilizing one of Honeywells flight-test aircraft. Cessna will offer RAAS as an option on most Citations with a Honeywell EGPWS installation.