Earlier this year, Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) announced it had received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certification (STC) for its ThrustSense® Autothrottle to be installed on Beechcraft King Air 200 and 300 aircraft equipped with G1000 and NXi flight decks. This accreditation allows ThrustSense to be installed on all certified glass cockpit systems for the King Air.
The IS&S ThrustSense Autothrottle is a full regime system from takeoff roll to landing phases of flight, including go-around. ThrustSense’s FADEC-like engine protection prevents both engine and airspeed exceedances by automatically controlling engine output by computing and adjusting to the exact appropriate power levels, thus significantly reducing pilot workload. ThrustSense provides protection against Vmca – the minimum speed while in the air – via the first ever system (LifeGuard™) that proportionally reduces engine power to maintain directional control.
ThrustSense is globally certified in 40 different countries and on more than 19 different aircraft configurations, including over 200 Beechcraft King Air turboprops.
“We’re seeing continued acceptance and growth of ThrustSense’s safety and performance by King Air operators throughout the world,” said Tom Grunbeck, IS&S Director of Autothrottle Programs. “With the aircraft’s broad range of mission capabilities, many aircraft operators are focused on further enhancing the King Air’s utility and value by reducing crew workload in their flight operations. ThrustSense is a great example of IS&S’s capabilities as a key player in providing technology to deliver next-level cockpit automation.”
ThrustSense is the first and only certified autothrottle for Beechcraft King Air B200 and B300 aircraft and is standard equipment on the King Air 260 and 360 production models. It is available for retrofit at authorized IS&S King Air Service centers worldwide.
