Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Beechcraft King Air 300, 350, and 360 series

Beechcraft King Air 200, 250, and 260 Series

Matt Thurber

Garmin’s next Autoland program and its first retrofit of the system, which will be for 200-series Beechcraft King Airs, is nearing FAA certification. The avionics manufacturer’s Autoland system will subsequently be certified on select 300-series&nbsp;King Airs.
As Autoland requires an autothrottle system, Garmin has also for the first time developed its own autothrottle, which&nbsp;is integrated with the G1000 NXi avionics suite to allow for retrofit of Autoland. The supplemental type certificate (STC) approval of the King Air Autoland system will require Garmin’s G1000 NXi avionics, and the King Air 200 series STC includes the G1000 NXi upgrade. Retrofits of Autoland and the autothrottle will be available for the 200-series King Airs in the third quarter, followed by 300-series&nbsp;King Airs in 2024.
With the autothrottle system, King Air installation benefits include the prevention of throttle rollback during takeoff by holding power levers at the correct power setting. All of the King Air power limitations are adhered to, including ITT, overtemp, and torque limits, as well as manufacturer- or user-configured climb, cruise, and descent schedules.
The autothrottle works from takeoff to landing and automatically activates in case the aircraft encounters an overspeed or underspeed condition, including taking into account flaps and landing gear position. If an engine fails, the autothrottle maintains the selected airspeed reference using the throttle on the operating engine and sets the failed engine’s throttle to a fixed position.

The Garmin autothrottle for the King Air is a new system developed by Garmin. New King Airs with Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics come with the ThrustSense autothrottle system by Innovative Solutions &amp; Support, and this autothrottle is also available for retrofit on King Airs with a variety of avionics, including G1000 systems. Textron Aviation’s Longitude and Latitude are equipped with Woodward autothrottles that are integrated with Garmin’s G5000 avionics.
Garmin’s Autoland, part of its Autonomi safety-enhancing technology family, is designed to fly the airplane from cruising altitude to a suitable runway, then land, apply brakes, and stop the engine. Autoland can also switch on anti-/deicing systems if necessary.
Activated by the press of a button or automatically when certain conditions are met, such as an unresponsive pilot or prolonged activation of the Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) system, Autoland chooses the optimal runway, taking into consideration weather, fuel, runway surface and length, terrain, and obstacles. The Autoland button in the King Air is mounted in the back of the center pedestal.
During an Autoland approach, the system transmits advisory messages on ATC and local airport frequencies to warn controllers and pilots of the emergency. It also provides messages on cockpit displays to keep passengers apprised of the progress of the approach and landing and provides instructions on how to communicate with ATC. If the pilot recovers and is able to fly, switching off Autoland can be done by pressing the autopilot key on the mode controller or the autopilot disconnect button on the yokes.
The G1000 NXi upgrade includes autopilot features such as ESP with one-engine inoperative assistance to help pilots maintain control if one engine fails. This prevents excessive pitch or bank angles so the pilot can focus on handling the emergency. The autopilot also includes emergency descent mode, which&nbsp;flies the airplane to a lower altitude automatically in case of loss of pressurization.
The G1000 NXi avionics suite adds new features for the King Air upgrade, including synthetic vision capabilities such as a 3D exocentric view of the SafeTaxi airport environment augmented by “3D footprints” of airport buildings, features, and markings and improved airport sign depiction, powerlines, and obstacle display, with better topographical clarity and sharpened water and terrain boundaries.
Garmin is including its PlaneSync connected aircraft management system with the upgrade, which enables automatic database updates, remote aircraft status information, and automatic post-landing transmission of flight log and engine data to the cloud.

New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

Garmin Adding King Air Autoland System and New Autothrottle

The next Autoland system from Garmin will be for the King Air 200 series, followed by the King Air 300.

The next Autoland system from Garmin will be for the King Air 200 series, followed by the King Air 300. As part of the modification, Garmin has developed its own autothrottle system for the King Air 200 and 300 series, including over- and underspeed protection and one-engine inoperative loss-of-control mitigation.  

Garmin Adding King Air Autoland, New Autothrottle

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