Honeywell, NASA Demo Software, Cockpit Displays for Sonic Boom Prediction; Brett Pauer Comments

Honeywell and NASA have developed and flight-tested a software tool and cockpit displays designed to help supersonic jet pilots predict sonic booms under a two-year contract with the space agency.

Honeywell said Tuesday the contract was awarded in 2015 as part of the space agency’s Commercial Supersonic Technology Project that aims to mitigate sonic booms’ impact on populated areas.

The company is one of the eight contract recipients under NASA’s CST Project.

“Important to our progress in reducing the sonic boom impact over land is to have a predictive sonic boom display in supersonic aircraft cockpits that ensures our future quiet supersonic aircraft remain below acceptable noise levels,” said Brett Pauer, CST subproject manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

Conceptual designs for Honeywell’s predictive software and cockpit displays for supersonic aircraft are based on the company’s Interactive Navigation software that works to offer information on airspace, airports, terrain, traffic and navigation aids as well as facilitate integration of display formats with cockpits.