This article is published in The Weekly of Business Aviation part of Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), and is complimentary through Dec 13, 2023. For information on becoming an AWIN Member to access more content like this, click here.
ForeFlight, alongside the Honda Aircraft Co., has rolled out its runway-analysis product designed for HondaJets.
According to the two companies, the product will support all HondaJet HA-420 models. The product is designed to assist pilots “efficiently plan for takeoff and landing using ForeFlight’s integrated obstacle analysis capability.”
ForeFlight says its runway-analysis tool expedites the process of calculating takeoff and landing performances and is built into ForeFlight’s mobile app. According to the company, pilots will be able to select a departure runway to “perform a sophisticated obstacle analysis, producing results in seconds and automatically re-running the calculation with any subsequent change to the flight plan.”
Earlier this year, HondaJet HA-420 aircraft operated by JetIt were grounded following multiple runway incidents, prompting the HondaJet Owners and Pilots Association to organize a voluntary safety standdown.
The Honda Aircraft Co. tells Aviation Week: “We are committed to assisting our customers with highest level of safety awareness in aircraft operations. Runway excursions are among the most common incidents in business aviation. Advancing operational functionalities tailored for HondaJet customers has always been our focus, and we’ve partnered with ForeFlight to offer the runway-analysis product to further enhance situational awareness for pilots on safe operations, though not crafted in response to specific incidents.”
When asked if this product was developed in response to the runway incursions, ForeFlight tells Aviation Week:
“ForeFlight first developed and launched our runway-analysis product in 2021, and we’ve aggressively added features and aircraft support in nearly every product release. We’re now up to 161 aircraft models including those from Bombardier, Dassault, Gulfstream, Honda, Textron, and more.”
There are a number of variables to consider in prioritizing platforms to support, the company says. They include the number of aircraft in the fleet, availability of data directly from the manufacturer and other considerations.
“HondaJet has always been on our roadmap,” ForeFlight says. “Runway analysis is intended to provide additional awareness for pilots when planning by seamlessly incorporating runway and obstacle analysis with the rest of a pilot’s flight-planning workflow.”
HondaJet pilots can buy licenses for the product for their specific aircraft as part of a ForeFlight subscription.
Related Content
