Surprised, pleased and honored were the feelings I had when I received a phone call from Garmin’s Senior Business and Commercial Aviation Sales Manager Scott Frye, inviting me to come to their headquarters in Olathe, Kansas. I’d meet with and get briefed about their new Autothrottle and Autoland systems by some of their flight test engineers and a flight test pilot, as well as fly their B200 demonstrator/test King Air. Oh yeah! Sign me up!
EAA’s AirVenture at Oshkosh was where the newest additions to the G1000 NXi were first shown to the public. But since I did not attend the Oshkosh fly-in this year, I went to Olathe instead and spent most of the day there on Friday, Aug. 25. That morning I was at their flight facility at New Century AirCenter (KIXD) where we had the preflight briefing and from which the flight demonstration took place. After lunch, I was treated to a tour of their office building and production/distribution center before catching an evening flight back to Phoenix.
As you may recall, I flew a demonstration flight a couple of years ago experiencing the operation of the IS&S ThrustSense autothrottle system that Textron has made standard equipment on the King Air models currently being produced: the 260 and 360. That system worked very well and was my first ever exposure to power levers that moved themselves! Although I had a slight concern about my right arm and hand atrophying from lack of use, I was impressed with the features it provided and came to understand what a pilot workload reduction it provided.
With FAA approval of the Garmin system, now there are two choices when it comes to autothrottles.
There is one big caveat concerning the Garmin system: The airplane must be fitted with the latest version of the G1000 NXi avionics package, since the autothrottle (AT) and Autoland (AL) features are optional add-ons to that fantastic system. As of now, the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) applies only to King Air aircraft of the 200-series that already have or will purchase the G1000 NXi system, have -42, -52 or -61 PT6 engines, 4-blade propellers, and have the electro-hydraulic landing gear system. Eventually, the system will also be approved for the model 300-series (including the B300, better known as the 350), as well as other 200s with 3- and 5-blade propellers and electro-mechanical landing gear.
Since a lot of King Airs are flown with only one pilot, incapacitation of that person can have deadly consequences. Autoland totally changes that! It is absolutely mind-blowing to read or hear about how the system works and all the actions it takes, but even more amazing to watch it happen! My hat is off to the Garmin engineers and test pilots: They seem to have hit a homerun in the design and functionality of this never-before-seen option. Of course, the need to use this system should be and will be almost non-existent. But when the pilot becomes too disabled to function, Autoland can turn a deadly tragedy into a non-event.
A Closer Look
The very first Garmin Autoland systems were installed in some SETPs (Single-Engine Turboprops) starting near 2020. In fact, Garmin was awarded the 2020 Collier Trophy for this new marvel. I wonder if there have yet been any actual cases in which Autoland saved the day for some SETP passengers. Anyone know of such incidents?
It is easy to tell if the Autoland option is installed in the King Air by noticing a red, push-button “Autoland” switch on the pedestal that is covered by a hinged clear guard to prevent accidental activation. But what if the switch is not pushed? Perhaps the pilot fades out without the passengers knowing. Maybe the cockpit door is closed and the autopilot is tracking the route perfectly toward the destination. Now what?
A couple of other things will cause the Autoland sequence to begin even though the button has not been pushed. If no Garmin button has been moved within the last 20 minutes, an advisory message appears on the MFD. If that is ignored for another minute, the message changes to an amber color accompanied by an aural chime. If 30 more seconds elapse with no action, the message becomes red, another chime is triggered and the Autoland sequence begins.
The autopilot has an Emergency Descent Mode (EDM). When flying above 20,000 feet and a pressurization loss occurs and triggers the ALT WARN annunciator (cabin above 12,500 feet), the autopilot will turn 90 degrees to the left, reduce power and descend to 15,000 feet. Upon leveling at 15,000 – above all the continental U.S. mountains – if no action is taken by the crew within one minute, then the Autoland sequence begins.
So what exactly is the Autoland sequence? Lots of things, but here are some highlights. The MFD clearly displays comments and videos for the passengers to see, telling them what is happening and what they should do … if anything; 7700 is squawked by the transponder and automatic messages are transmitted to ATC advising what is occurring. The system checks for suitable airports with longer runways, checks fuel remaining and terrain, plans a flight to the airport’s final approach fix, reduces power appropriately and makes a safe descent, activates Engine Anti-Ice, lowers approach flaps, landing gear and full flaps when appropriate, turns on landing and taxi lights, follows basically an LPV approach to the runway, flares and pulls power to idle at 45 feet above the runway, uses rudder and ailerons to compensate for any crosswind, steers on the centerline and applies brakes until stopped (no use of Beta or Reverse). Finally, it shuts off fuel to both engines after coming to a stop.
Did you notice one thing the AL system does not do? It does not adjust the cabin altitude setting on the pressurization controller. If the pilot has used my suggested technique of setting the controller for landing when still in cruise, this will be insignificant if the emergency airport is close to the elevation of the destination airport. On the other hand, if the controller is set for sea level yet AL selects an airport high in the mountains, then expect a sudden cabin climb when the strut compresses on touchdown. Vice versa, if the controller had not been set for landing, then the airplane will be unpressurized if/when the airplane descends below the selected cabin altitude. Dangerous? Not at all. But not as comfortable as if the pilot were still functioning.
The demonstrator/test B200 (N288KM, BB-1508) had a modified version of the Autoland system that did not squawk 7700 and did not talk to ATC. Aaron Newman, Garmin’s fine test pilot who was keeping me safe and legal from his right seat location, communicated with his home-base tower operator to coordinate our activities. At this time there was about a 12-knot direct crosswind from the right. I sat in amazement as the right wing dropped and the left rudder moved forward to give us a very nice touchdown. Then the brakes slowed us smoothly to a complete stop. (The shutdown of the engines had also been disabled for the demonstrator airplane.) I will gladly admit that I could not resist moving one control myself: I had to put the landing gear handle in the down position to agree with the three green lights I saw!
The Autothrottle
Although the Autoland system impressed me the most, there is so much else in this complete system that works so impressively well. The autothrottle is very easy to use. A button on the control panel in the center of the instrument panel below the glareshield, labeled “AT,” turns the system on or off with successive hits. It may also be disconnected by depressing either button that sits on the forward bottom portion of the slightly longer and pointed power lever knobs.
On takeoff, the power levers are operated by the autothrottle servos after torque has reached 1,000 ft-lbs … about 50% power. I like this a lot. Why? Because two PT6s very rarely accelerate from Low Idle speed at identical rates. If the power levers are kept side-by-side initially as they are advanced for takeoff, almost always some noticeable differential thrust will be experienced. Thus, my attention is on the propeller speed gauges when I first start advancing the levers for takeoff. If one prop shows 1,300 RPM, say, while the other is at 1,150, then I will slow down or stop moving the faster side’s lever and keep advancing the slow side until they match. By the time 1,500 RPM is reached, the engines now tend to accelerate much faster and stay more synchronized. My attention stays on the prop tachometers to verify that both stop their increasing at 2,000 RPM, the takeoff setting for the 200-series. Only now does my attention shift to the Torque and ITT gauges. And guess what? It’s right about now that AT takes over the power levers. Perfect!
What about the chance of Power Lever Migration (PLM)? As most readers know, power levers are spring-loaded toward idle, and the proper setting of the friction knobs are critical to prevent that from happening when the pilot’s hand leaves the levers to reach for the landing gear handle. The servos that move the power levers are mounted within the cockpit pedestal. Setting friction too tight can prevent smooth AT operation and too loose can lead to PLM. As part of a cockpit preflight, it’s good to shove the power levers forward and make certain they don’t creep back. If they do, tighten the friction just enough so they don’t.
The autothrottle system abides by the AFM (Aircraft Flight Manual) limits – 2,230 ft-lbs or the ITT limit that varies depending on the dash number PT6 engine you have – until 400 feet AGL. Then it abides by climb limits: maximum torque until the climb ITT limit is reached. In cruise, the system knows both the maximum and normal cruise setting per the AFM and sets that torque. The props must still be controlled manually by the pilot. Golly, maybe that right arm won’t shrivel up from lack of use after all!
I like this particular autothrottle feature very much: The ability for conservative pilots to set lower climb and cruise ITT limits if desired by easily entering them on the proper MFD display screen.
Keep in mind that none of this is possible without the G1000 NXi system. Similar to ESP – Electronic Stability and Protection – that is an extra-cost option for the G1000 NXi installation, both Autothrottle and Autoland are optional, extra-cost additions. My gut feeling is that very few if any future King Air G1000 NXi installations will not include these options.
ESP is very worthwhile and cool in and of itself. If a pilot exceeds 45-degrees of bank angle while hand-flying, the aileron servo will automatically start nudging the control wheel in the proper direction to reduce the bank angle. In a short time, if the pilot has not gotten the hint and leveled the wings some, then the autopilot will be automatically engage in Level mode. That should get his/her attention! In a one-engine-inoperative (OEI) situation, a bank of more than 10 degrees into the “dead” engine will also eventually trigger Level mode.
ESP also allows for coupled go-arounds. When the GA button on the left power lever is hit, the autopilot remains engaged and follows the flight director as the power levers automatically advance to takeoff power limits. Prop levers, flap handle and gear handle are still manually operated by the pilot as desired. Hitting the NAV button will cause the missed approach track to be followed.
Overspeed and underspeed protection exists. With the ability to control both pitch and power you’d have to really work hard to go faster than Vne or slower than Vs. It can be disabled for stall training sessions. There’s Vmca protection also.
Want to guess how many pages are in the Aircraft Flight Manual Supplement (AFMS) that covers the G1000 NXi installation and all of its great options? A mere 210 pages! Pilots, it’s time to budget the necessary time to study and know what you are now operating. It’s not your grandpa’s King Air anymore.
Pricing? In addition to the installation of the G1000NXi system, the additional cost for autothrottles is about $45,000 and for Autoland is $33,000. This does not include the avionics shop labor. Very ballpark estimates of shop hours are 80 for AT and 200 for AL.
As an old-timer raised on round-dial “steam gauges,” I am not an expert in operating and fully understanding the “glass panels” that are now so commonplace. I can fumble through, but it ain’t pretty. Considering that young, new pilots very likely received a lot of their training in a Garmin G1000-equipped 172, their step up to a King Air with a Garmin panel will be easy!
If it’s not obvious by now, I like what Garmin is bringing to the King Air table … I like it a lot! I wonder how long it will be before a human pilot will become an extra-cost option?