Revolutionary Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle to become available for retrofit installations in select Beechcraft King Air aircraft

OLATHE, Kan./July 19, 2023/PR Newswire – Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) today announced imminent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification to bring Garmin Autoland and Garmin Autothrottle to the retrofit market, starting with select G1000^® NXi-equipped King Air 200 series aircraft, and soon after, select King Air 300 series. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the King Air 200, and the latest Garmin safety-enhancing technology is now available to this venerable aircraft. The certification marks the first time Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle have been offered as a retrofit solution, as well as the first certification with G1000 NXi. Full Autothrottle integration with the G1000 NXi reduces crew workload in the cockpit by managing aircraft speed and power and provides engine protection against potential engine exceedances. In the event of an emergency where the crew can no longer perform their duties, Garmin Autoland can control and land the aircraft without human intervention¹.

“Bringing Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle to the Beechcraft King Air, and for the first time to the aftermarket, is a tremendous step toward transforming the general and business aviation fleet with safety-enhancing autonomous technologies. The G1000 King Air retrofit program was launched in 2007, initially on the King Air C90, with now over 800 G1000 retrofits in the King Air fleet. We are pleased to provide these operators an upgrade path to Autoland and Autothrottle, demonstrating our deep commitment to developing and continually supporting G1000 and our customers that have trusted us with this investment in their aircraft.” – Phil Straub, Garmin Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Aviation

Preview Garmin Autoland in the King Air here. Preview Garmin Autothrottle in the King Air here.

Garmin Autothrottle

Garmin’s Autothrottle will now be offered as a retrofit solution in the King Air, providing extensive safety-enhancing features and greatly reducing workload in the busy King Air cockpit. Autothrottle is fully integrated with the G1000 NXi system and provides automatic control of the engine power levers from takeoff to landing. Autothrottle keeps power levers in the proper power setting, negating the threat of a possible throttle rollback. Power settings are based on manufacturer or user-configurable climb, cruise, and descent schedules, including ITT limits. Additionally, Garmin Autothrottle provides ITT and torque protection by reducing power when the system senses potential overtemperature or overtorque conditions.

Autothrottle will also activate automatically in the event of an aircraft overspeed or underspeed situation and takes into account flap and gear position, providing additional peace of mind for pilots operating the aircraft. If Autothrottle detects an engine failure, it automatically sets the power lever on the failed side to a fixed position and adjusts the operative throttle lever to maintain the selected airspeed reference.

Garmin Autoland

With family, friends or business colleagues on board, a pilot’s top priority is keeping everyone safe. Now there is a way to provide even more protection in this popular aircraft: the award-winning Garmin Autoland system. Autoland determines the most optimal airport and runway, considering factors such as weather, fuel on board, runway surface and length, terrain, obstacles and more. In the event of an emergency, passengers can activate Autoland by the press of a button, located in the back of the center pedestal for easy access. Autoland will activate automatically if the system determines it’s necessary.

Once activated, the system calculates a flight path to the most suitable airport, initiates an approach to the runway and automatically lands the aircraft. The system takes into consideration a breadth of information and criteria and will automatically communicate with air traffic control (ATC) throughout the entire event, advising controllers and pilots operating near the aircraft of its location and intentions.

Throughout an Autoland activation, the system provides simple visual and verbal communications in plain language, so passengers have the information and know what to expect. The flight displays show the aircraft’s location on a map alongside information such as the destination airport, estimated time enroute, distance to the destination airport and fuel remaining. Airspeed, altitude and aircraft heading are labeled in an easy-to-understand format and passengers also have the option to communicate with ATC by following instructions on the multi-function display.

At any time, a pilot can easily deactivate Autoland with a single press of the “AP” autopilot key on the autopilot mode controller, or the autopilot disconnect button on the yokes. The flight display shows a message that confirms Autoland has been deactivated and in the event of an accidental deactivation, the system shows passengers how to reactivate Autoland if needed.

During an Autoland activation, the Garmin Autothrottle system is used to automatically manage aircraft speed and engine power so the aircraft can climb, descend or maintain altitude as needed. If temperatures are conducive to ice accumulation, Autoland activates anti-ice and deice systems for the engines and control surfaces. On approach to landing, the system initiates a controlled descent to the airport. If the aircraft needs additional time to descend or slow down during the approach, the Autoland system initiates a standard holding procedure. Once Autoland configures the landing gear and flaps, the aircraft begins its descent to the runway and lands. On the runway, automatic braking is applied while tracking the runway centerline to bring the aircraft to a complete stop. Engine shutdown is also automated so occupants can safely exit the aircraft.

New G1000 NXi Features

With the latest G1000 NXi upgrades, King Air owners can take advantage of additional features. Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT™) has been upgraded to now include a 3D exocentric view of the SafeTaxi^® airport environment to aid situational awareness while taxiing. SVT also displays 3D building footprints including hangars, terminals and towers, taxiways, aprons, signs and other markings to help reduce runway incursions by providing guidance while taxiing at airports contained in the SafeTaxi database. These SVT updates also increase topographical clarity, sharpened water and terrain boundaries, improved obstacle and powerlines display, enhanced runway and airport sign depiction and more.

Additionally, Garmin’s recently announced PlaneSync™ connected aircraft management system² will simplify the lives of King Air³ owners and operators by automating database updates, providing real-time remote aircraft status⁴ and automatically transmitting flight log and engine data to the cloud after landing⁵. The system also includes Emergency Descent Mode (EDM) as a standard feature that is enabled automatically, in the event of a loss in aircraft pressurization.

Adding on to Garmin’s revolutionary electronic stability and protection (ESP™) technology, one engine inoperative ESP assists the pilot in maintaining control in the event of a single engine failure. ESP pitch and roll limits will adjust to prevent excessive pitch or bank angles while the pilot performs single engine procedures.

Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle are planned to be available in the third quarter of 2023 for retrofit installations through the approved Garmin Authorized Dealer network for King Air 200 G1000 NXi installations. Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle are expected to be available for King Air 300 series aircraft in 2024. Garmin Autoland is certified on the G3000-equipped Piper M600 SLS, Daher TBM 940/960 models, and the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet. Future certifications of Garmin Autoland have also been announced for the G3000-equipped Beechcraft Denali and HondaJet Elite II aircraft. To learn more about the G1000 NXi upgrade and Garmin Autothrottle, visit Garmin.com/KingAir. For additional information about Autoland and the Garmin Autonomí family of autonomous safety-enhancing technologies, visit www.garmin.com/Autonomi.

Garmin products and services have revolutionized flight and become essential to the lives of pilots and aircraft owners and operators around the world. A leading provider of solutions to general aviation, business aviation, rotorcraft, advanced air mobility, government and defense, and commercial air carrier customers, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate. Recipient of the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy for Garmin Autoland, Garmin developed the world’s first certified autonomous system that activates during an emergency to control and land an aircraft without human intervention. Visit the Garmin Newsroom, email our media team, connect with @garminaviation on social, or follow our blog.

¹See Garmin.com/ALuse for Autoland system requirements and limitations.

²Active PlaneSync and database subscriptions required for automatic database updates. Active PlaneSync subscription plan required for flight log uploading. Features are available on-ground only and requires GDL 60 to have active LTE or Wi-Fi connectivity; signal strength and other factors may apply. See Garmin.com/PlaneSyncCoverage for LTE coverage details.

³Available for the King Air 200 series.

⁴Remote aircraft status requires active PlaneSync subscription. User’s smart device must have internet connectivity. Feature is available on-ground only and requires GDL 60 to have LTE connectivity; signal strength and other factors may apply. See Garmin.com/PlaneSyncCoverage for coverage details.

⁵PlaneSync engine and flight data logging capability will be available in 2024.

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