Honeycomb Aeronautical announces new Alpha Flight Controls, Delta LCD panels, and more!

Honeycomb Aeronautical made a bit of a splash during this year’s FlightSimExpo, announcing multiple new products and updates to its existing line. It all looks and sound great, but the main question remains: given their still ongoing supply issues with current products (Charlie Rudder Pedals, where art thou?), when will these new products see the light of day?

What’s new?

Ignore those doubts and you’ll be in for a treat with Honeycomb’s latest announcements. The truth is, it’s undeniable that they know how to make a good piece of hardware. The Alpha XPC is fantastic, as is the Bravo. And the Alpha is getting a pretty significant change with two new additions to the lineup. Well, one is an effective upgrade to the existing model (the Pro, with upgraded hall-effect sensors), while the other new one, the Alpha Lite, looks to be a more cost-effective option at $199.99, maintaining the same high-quality build and feel as its predecessor but with more modest specs.

The company also announced a series of new accessories, including the Boeing and Airbus Flap Lever packages, priced at $29.99, and the Honeycomb Xbox Hub, priced at $39.99. The latter enables compatibility with the Xbox Series X or Series S for any Honeycomb product not already compatible with these platforms.

One of the highlights of the announcements was the Honeycomb Delta Flight Displays, a series of 1080p touchscreen displays designed with versatility in mind. The 12″ and 7″ multitouch displays can wirelessly connect to a PC and allow users to create customizable cockpit setups, such as display a slew of different Garmin avionics or a A320/B737 setup. A very interesting idea!

The 7″ screen will be available for $249.99, and the 12″ screen for $349.99. I briefly saw these in action at FSExpo, where it was clear it was still very much a work in progress. It seems to be powered by Android, which opens up a lot of possibilities with this thing… we even saw Navigraph loaded on one of the screens! And there’s a “Store” of some kind built-in. One can imagine what it’s for.

Delayed Products and Supply Chain Issues

Honeycomb has publicly acknowledged that the global pandemic and its impact on the manufacturing system have caused significant issues with product availability and development. The company has highlighted difficulties with component shortages, increased costs of microchips, lack of shipping vessels, and travel restrictions affecting product development.

Additionally, the company faced challenges with their tech support due to these shortages, which affected their ability to replace broken units. In response, Honeycomb has expanded their team and promised increased transparency about product statuses and timelines.

While Honeycomb’s new product announcements have undoubtedly excited the flight sim community, it remains to be seen how the company will navigate these significant supply chain challenges to deliver on their promises. As the global situation continues to evolve, Honeycomb’s adaptability will be put to the test in the coming months!