Hawker Beechcraft has received US Federal Aviation Administration approval for the Load 20 software for the revamped Hawker 4000's Honeywell Primus Epic integrated avionics suite.
Issues with how the aircraft's flight management system (FMS) had computed turns on certain terminal procedures, including missed approaches, had disrupted deliveries of the $20 million Hawker 4000, starting in the second quarter when Hawker switched to the upgraded avionics package.
Load 20 features required navigation performance (RNP) capabilities and a variety of high-precision GPS-based navigation functions.
A temporary fix for other Epic platforms experiencing similar problems includes removing a large number of procedures in which the FMS could miscalculate the direction of turns. However, the FAA-approved Load 20 for the Hawker 4000 has no restrictions because underlying problems with the computations have been corrected, say Hawker officials.
Honeywell said it had received technical standard order (TSO) approval from the FAA for the Load 20 software on 12 August, a precursor to Hawker gaining a new type certificate for the updated aircraft.
Hawker said it expected to begin delivering aircraft in the next few weeks. Company president Bill Boisture said recently that the software issue had held up delivery of three aircraft as of the end of June.
Source: Flight International
