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at Vref on short final, then right above the threshold, a slight flare at 50 feet AGL, power to idle, left wing down a little for the wind. I mentioned to others the plane was left of the center- line. The system must have heard me and wanted to rise to the challenge. A few feet above the asphalt, the air- craft made a slight correction to the right to be on the centerline, brakes were applied, and we came to a full stop. Ten minutes after I pushed the Garmin Emergency Autoland activa- tion button on the center console, we had stopped safely on the runway.
I turned to Aaron and told him I was disappointed. He was puzzled; I asked him why it didn’t taxi to the FBO by itself and perhaps call an Uber for us.
If we had not been in demonstra- tion mode, the automation would have shut down the PT6 engines and displayed an evacuation video for the occupants. Since this was an active runway, and during EAA AirVenture, no less, the power stayed idle with the
brakes applied. I finally had control of the airplane, released the brakes, and taxied to the ramp.
The Garmin Emergency Autoland is a breakthrough. I’ve written about the system previously and f lown aircraft with the functionality. My first experience with Autoland was in a Continental DC-10 simulator, which was impressive in its day. The fully autonomous nature of this new Garmin system is the most intrigu- ing part. With broader commercial autonomous flight on the horizon, systems such as this will only im- prove. I can think of myriad ways their technology could assist pilots and enhance safety.
If you want to upgrade your King Air G1000 NXi, you will need the latest hardware with at least version 7.3 and the RA5500 radar altimeter. The Garmin Autothrottle may be purchased without Autoland, with a hardware cost of $45,000. Add- ing in Autoland will cost an addi- tional $33,000, and we anticipate at
least 200-300 hours of labor for the complete installation at a Garmin dealer. The STC’s approved King Air model list is constantly updated and available through Garmin Aviation or its dealers.
Appleton Tower complimented us on the smooth landing. Usually, I would take credit. However, I was just a passenger. I still need clarification on how to log the time in my logbook. Was I really PIC after activation?
With 12,000+ hours of piloting more than 100 aircraft models, Rich Pickett still has a passion for flying. Rich holds an ATP, CFII SME,
SES, glider licenses, and type ratings in the L29, L39, Citation 500/510s/525s, Eclipse 500S, Beechcraft Premier and DA10. His company, Personal Wings, provides training, mentoring and air- craft services. You can contact Rich at rich@personalwings.com.
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December 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 29