AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 64

how to use the headsets, how to talk to
ATC-if desired-and, as noted previously,
how to open the door and get out.
So if it works so well, why not use it
routinely?
Not yet, Garmin insists. If the system
is activated, the 7700 squawk code will
alert ATC to the emergency and the pilot
likely will need to explain his or her reason for using it. But certainly on a day
when the weather has failed to improve
as forecast, fuel is running low, and the
pilot is running out of options, Autoland
is a viable option, since ceiling and visibility don't matter. Someday, with more
experience and the FAA more comfortable with the notion, perhaps Autoland
will be available on any given flight where
the pilot doesn't feel up to the landing.
Meanwhile, it's a great safety feature. "This will save lives," said Ron
Gunnarson, Piper's vice president of
sales, marketing, and customer support.
Once certified, the system will be standard on the 2020 M600 SLS models.
The SLS replaces the standard M600
and includes a host of safety, luxury,
and service features not available previously-among them Autoland. And
64 | AOPA PILOT January 2020

while it includes new features, the price
will stay the same as the 2019 base price
of $2.9 million. Gunnarson said the new
upgrades and equipment have a value of
about $330,000. Typically equipped, an
M600 SLS will leave the factory with a
list price of about $3.1 million.
For the Vision Jet, which already
has autothrottles, the upgrade comes
as primarily a software change and the
addition of the radar altimeter, according to Matt Bergwall, Cirrus' director of
the Vision Jet product line. Cirrus plans
to offer Autoland as a standard feature on
its 2020 models.
While Piper puts a guarded Autoland
switch on the panel in front of the passenger, Cirrus chose to put a large red
recessed button on the cabin ceiling
reachable by those in the front seat and
those in the middle-row seats. The button is labeled "Safe Return Autoland."
While the Piper system actuates almost
immediately upon pushing the button,
the Cirrus system waits a few seconds,
giving the pilot a chance to override easily if it is accidently pushed.
For Cirrus, Autoland adds another
layer of protection on top of its standard

CAPS whole airframe parachute system.
Cirrus CEO Zean Nielsen describes CAPS
as the "sick airplane, healthy pilot" safety
option-the choice when the airplane
cannot safely make it back to a runway.
Autoland is the "sick pilot, healthy airplane" option-something to be actuated
when the pilot is not able to safely land
the airplane.
According to Bergwall, if no suitable
runway is available to the SF50 once
Autoland is selected, the cockpit displays will advise the passenger to utilize
the CAPS parachute. A video animation
advising how to pull the red T handle
nestled in the overhead console will play
on the MFD.
While Autoland is currently under
development for the G3000 cockpits with
the appropriate additional systems, such
as autothrottle, radar altimeter, and automatic braking, Garmin says the system
may be retrofittable to earlier G3000s,
with the final decision in the hands of
the aircraft manufacturer.
Meanwhile, Garmin plans to move the
capability up to its G5000 panel in higherend business jets and down to its lower-end
products such as G1000 and potentially
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020

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