Honeywell on May 12 completed the first flight of a Pilatus PC-12 test airplane managed by its new Anthem integrated flight deck.

Pilot-in-command Ed Manning and co-pilot Bill Lee performed the one-hour flight of the company PC-12 from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT) in Arizona, supported by flight engineers Paul Carter and Will Quinn. The flight was the first fully managed by the Anthem system, which had accumulated 120 hr. in flight testing.

“This is a historic milestone as Honeywell Anthem is poised to change the way aircraft are piloted,” said Jim Currier, Honeywell Aerospace president of electronic solutions. “Throughout the flight, the pilot and crew tested various aspects of the modular and customizable system, and it performed exactly as designed. Moving forward, flight tests on the PC-12 aircraft and will focus on exercising the system in real-life operational scenarios that will provide critical feedback for robust final red-label designs.”

First announced in September 2021, Anthem is a sixth-generation avionics system that represents a 50% reduction in size, weight and power compared to Honeywell’s Primus Epic avionics suite. Anthem has been specified for the Vertical Aerospace VA-X4, Lilium Jet and Supernal SA-1 advanced air mobility vehicles. The avionics manufacturer promises that more announcements are forthcoming.

Honeywell will exhibit the PC-12 single-engine turboprop with Anthem flight deck at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, from July 24-30.