Garmin Autoland certified for PC-12 Pro

Autoland is featured on a variety of other aircraft including the Cirrus Vision Jet and SR22 G7+ and Daher TBM 940, 960, and 980. 

Garmin’s Autoland system has been certified by both the FAA and EASA for integration in the cockpit of the Pilatus PC-12 Pro.

The approvals were confirmed late last week. The system will come as standard on the latest version of the single-engine turboprop.

Autoland handles situations involving sudden pilot incapacitation. When the button is pressed or when a pilot inactivity is detected, the system takes full control of the aircraft and begins analysing all available information to determine the best choice of airport to land at. The system accounts for factors such as runway length, wind, weather conditions and remaining fuel.

During autonomous flight, Safety Autoland, the name under which Pilatus is marketing the technology, takes care of all the systems required for landing – including flaps, landing gear, lighting and de-icing – and fully prepares the aircraft for the final approach. It also handles all radio communications, automatically making calls on the appropriate frequencies to keep ATC and persons on the ground informed about the situation.

Autoland is featured on a variety of other aircraft including the Cirrus Vision Jet and SR22 G7+ and Daher TBM 940, 960, and 980.

Pilatus said the addition of Autoland has taken the PC-12 Pro’s safety standard to a higher level. It added that, during final certification flights, Safety Autoland underwent extensive testing, demonstrating a fully automated landing in real-world conditions.