FAA Approves Garmin’s Automated Landing Technology for Small Planes Written 22 May 2020

Aerospace America reported that on Monday, the FAA approved Garmin’s Autoland technology – “a set of software plus a radar altimeter and control servos that can land a small plane when a pilot is incapacitated.” Fully “automated general aviation flight would still require breakthroughs such as in sensing and avoiding other aircraft, but analysts see Autoland as a major development toward that possibility.” Garmin spokesperson Jessica Koss said, “We’re not removing the pilot from flying or landing and we don’t intend to. Autoland is for emergency purposes only.” She added that it is possible that Garmin could look to routinize automated landings, but that would be “years down the road,” and attaining the FAA certification for such a system would be more difficult. For “now, the technology is only available on new six-passenger Piper M600/SLS single engine turboprops, and soon on Daher TBM 940 turboprops and Cirrus Vision Jets.”
Full Story (Aerospace America)