Garmin has 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 50th 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 intervention.

‘Safety-enhancing autonomous technologies’

“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 programme 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,” said Phil Straub, Garmin Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Aviation.

Garmin Autothrottle

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, the Autothrottle provides ITT and torque protection by reducing power when the system senses potential overtemperature or overtorque conditions.
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