Honeywell Aerospace

Honeywell Aerospace, now an independent company, is leveraging 100 years of history for the new frontier of aviation.

Rich DeGraff

President & CEO of Control Systems

A New Way To Aerospace

Honeywell Aerospace, now an independent company, is leveraging 100 years of history for the new frontier of aviation.

The innovation of Honeywell Aerospace isn’t always observable, but its impact is always there.

It’s in the products air travelers take for granted, like cabin pressurization systems that allow flyers to walk normally despite being tens of thousands of feet in the air. It’s in technology pilots use for aircraft function and navigation. It’s in the background of legendary stories like the tech Sully utilized in the “Miracle on the Hudson” plane landing.

Now, having spun off from Honeywell International into an independent company this past June, Honeywell Aerospace is ready to build a new legacy with a focus on aviation, space and flight autonomy.

“Honeywell Aerospace is developing the technologies that will define the next generation of aerospace,” said President & CEO of Control Systems Rich DeGraff. “Our innovations are helping create a safer and more connected world.”

DeGraff has spent about 19 years at the company across two different stints. His interest in Honeywell started early, after hearing from an uncle who worked there about the strong work culture and positive treatment of its employees. DeGraff made it a personal goal to join the company. In 2004 he got his opportunity, joining Honeywell as a second shift supervisor.

“It was my first foray into aerospace and understanding the importance of doing things the right way, the importance of continuous improvement, the importance of asking for help when needed,” he said. “It was a really formative part of my career.”

Over the next 16 years, he rose from manager to director and then vice president. He left the company in 2020 but returned three years later, in December 2023, to accept the role of president.

In this role, DeGraff oversees operations of a company that is continuing its tradition as a leader in aerospace. Today, over 75% of commercial aircraft and 90% of all aircraft, including military, cargo and private, have Honeywell Aerospace avionics products on them. In the future, the company’s work on electrification, air taxis and increased digitalization will lead to the next generation of innovation.

“Like most innovation, you start with your customers first,” he said. “What are some of the challenges? What are the things they're trying to achieve that they can't achieve with today's technology?”

How electrification will impact the world and economy

“Generally speaking, we believe aviation is still in its first wave of growth,” DeGraff said.

Honeywell’s products have increased the safety of commercial flights. Take Sully, for instance, the movie adaptation of the 2009 crash landing into the Hudson River in which the Honeywell Aerospace auxiliary power unit allowed the pilots to maneuver safely and prevent any deaths after a collision with a flock of birds led to engine failure. Or dating back to World War II, when the cabin pressurization system allowed high altitude flight and gave the Allies an advantage over the Axis.

“Like most innovation, you start with your customers first.”

Further advancements in digitalization and electrification will allow for more proactive safety measures.

“The more digital the aircraft becomes, the more electrified it becomes, the more you can enhance some of the safety systems that detect early disturbances in the system,” DeGraff said.

Novel technology is paving the way for greater flight autonomy. Honeywell Aerospace is tightly intertwined in research and development of advanced air mobility (AAM), which allows for uncrewed flights, drones, air taxis and more. Companies and startups are increasingly developing commercial air taxi technology, which would allow passengers to soar above our asphalt roads. Honeywell Aerospace manufactures components that will help turn this futuristic concept into a reality.

Through additional safety, electrification and air taxis, Honeywell Aerospace believes there will be increased access for flight around the world. Approximately 80% of people across the globe have never flown on a plane; more opportunities would increase travel and expand trade routes.

“Think of the impact to GDP, the ability for commerce, the ability to trade,” DeGraff said. “There’s just a knock-on effect as you have more of the population able to access travel.”

Furthermore, its effects on U.S. defense will continue and expand with novel innovation. As a longtime military partner, Honeywell Aerospace advancement gives the United States strategic defense advantages.

“As electrification becomes much bigger, it's going to give the ability to enhance our ability to secure our nation and our allies’ nations,” he said.

Honeywell Aerospace’s place in Phoenix

Greater Phoenix has become home for DeGraff, who moved here from the Chicago area after high school to attend Arizona State University (ASU). He received his bachelor’s degree from ASU, earned his master’s from the University of Arizona (U of A), and met his wife on campus at ASU.

The family has set up its home in Arizona, with each of the four older kids receiving degrees from either ASU, U of A or Grand Canyon University. DeGraff expects to “keep that streak alive” with his youngest three, a set of triplets currently in high school.

These Arizona universities have been key for developing the talent pipeline that helps companies like Honeywell Aerospace employ locally. The company has over 8,000 employees in Arizona, making it among the largest private employers in the state. It brings in over 800 interns annually to work alongside full-time staff on large projects ranging from engineering and manufacturing to tech and business operations.

“There's not a day that goes by where you don't understand the impact you're having..."

“Some of the best universities in the country are here in Greater Phoenix. A lot of the different programs … are targeted towards the skills that we need for our growth,” DeGraff said.

The company has office space, a hangar and an engines facility near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where they manufacture and test technology on its own aircraft.

This will be home base for Honeywell Aerospace, which employs more than 36,000 people around the world. The company’s work around thermal management, motion control, quantum-secured communications and more will keep Honeywell Aerospace at the leading frontier of its field, developing technology behind the scenes that will have boundless effects on travel, air mobility and global security.

“You can feel the impact you're having at Honeywell Aerospace because of our breadth,” DeGraff said. “There's not a day that goes by where you don't understand the impact you're having, whether it's for different conflicts in the world and our ability to bring technologies to create security, or in aviation, where every day there's 10 million passengers flying on an aircraft with one of our products.”