Page 26 - Dec23T

Technology Fit for a King
by Rich Pickett
Garmin Autoland - Landing in 1 minute - on Final RWY 20 KATA
With such a strong place in aviation, flying the Beechcraft King Air is always fun. I previous- ly flew the King Ranch edition of the King Air 350i for our May 2019 issue of Twin & Turbine. This summer, I was offered the opportunity to fly yet an- other unique member of the King Air family – Garmin Aviation’s King Air B200. This one is equipped with the latest version of the G1000 NXi avion- ics suite, with a twist, Garmin’s Au- tothrottle and Autoland. Previously, this unique capability was only avail- able on select G3000 installations. Not only was this the first G1000 with these features, but it was also the first multi-engine aircraft to feature this amazing combination.
24 • TWIN & TURBINE / December 2023
My son Tigre and I met with the Garmin team at the Appleton, Wis- consin airport (KATW) during EAA AirVenture. Mikayla Minnick was able to arrange a group that included Aaron Newman-Test Pilot, Will Johnson-Flight Test Engi- neer, Scott Frye-Sales Manager, Kyle Ludwick-Marketing Manager, and Jessica Koss, who, in addition to pilot coordinator duties, has also served as a test pilot in the program.
At our meeting at the Appleton Flight Center FBO, we discussed what makes these new capabili- ties tick. Garmin’s King Air hosted the latest hardware version of the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics. You need the additional computing power offered with NXi to operate
autothrottles and autoland. Garmin then had to determine how to control the throttles, brakes, landing gear, and other previously manually op- erated systems. They developed a perfect solution for the throttles and brake control – their GSA 87 autopilot servo, which is compact and proven in thousands of aircraft.
The hardware was only the begin- ning of their development; the next hurdle was the software integration. One of the most critical parameters of operating a turboprop engine is power management, to maximize power but also f ly within torque and ITT (Inter Turbine Tempera- ture) limits. Exceed these limits, and you may damage the engine, requiring a costly repair. To develop