Garmin has gained FAA certification of its Autoland and Autothrottle for select G1000 NXi-equipped King Air 350 aircraft.

The Autothrottle manages speed and power from takeoff to landing, reduces crew workload and protects against exceedances. Integrated with the G1000 NXi, it adjusts automatically in overspeed, underspeed or engine failure scenarios and maintains safe limits during flight phases.

Autoland enables the aircraft to land without pilot input in emergencies. The system selects an appropriate airport, communicates with ATC, configures systems and completes landing and engine shutdown. Passengers are kept informed with clear displays and plain language instructions.

Carl Wolf, Garmin vice president of aviation sales, marketing, programmes and support, says: “Nearly 1,000 King Air operators now enjoy the capabilities that the G1000 upgrade has provided them. This adds a direct pathway to Autothrottle and Autoland equipage for many of those aircraft. This certification also marks the largest airplane to date equipped with Autoland and is the eleventh aircraft model certified with this potentially life-saving technology. It's just the beginning.”

Other enhancements include updated Synthetic Vision Technology with 3D airport views, Runway Occupancy Awareness alerts, ESP support for single-engine operations, GWX 8000 StormOptix weather radar and FAA Data Comm for improved ATC communications.