Honeywell Aerospace announced several significant upgrades to its Epic avionics suite. When the Epic made its debut in 2005, it lacked synthetic vision and was too early for recent technologies. That’s been rectified, and now the Epic is fitted out with not just synthetic vision, but a runway awareness and advisory system (RAAS), complete with aural cuing to warn of approaches that are too high or low, or if the airplane’s configuration is improper.
RNP 0.3 capability is standard, and RNP with the more precise 0.1 accuracy is an option. This provides a more accurate, GPS-based flight path on approach—a fully-deflected course deviation needle amounts to being 608 feet from the course centerline. Of course, WAAS/LPV and ADS-B capability, XM datalink weather, and electronic charts are also available.
There are even provisions for adding Future Air Navigation System-1A (FANS-1A) functions, such as controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC). Under CPDLC, communications between the cockpit and controllers is via text messages for better clarity. This is especially helpful in oceanic operations because it does away with the atmospheric interference, frequency congestion, and garbling associated with HF communications. Another FANS feature is ADS-C (automatic dependent surveillance-contract), which sends automatic position reports to ATC.
The Epic platform is used in Gulfstream’s G350, G450, G500, and G550. It’s also in the Cessna Citation Sovereign, the Hawker-Beechcraft Hawker 4000, the Emivest SJ-30 (née Sino-Swearingen SJ30-2), and in the Falcons 900EX, 2000EX, and 7X.
Gulfstream calls its customized version of the Epic “PlaneView.” Falcon Jet Corporation calls the new Epic suite the “EASy II.”
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