Garmin's Autoland arrives on Embraer Phenom EV300, expanding emergency-landing tech
Garmin's Autoland emergency-landing system can take control of a plane to guide it to the nearest safe airport and notify ATC and passengers; Embraer is adding Autoland to the Phenom EV300—the largest aircraft yet to use the tech—joining about 2,000 aircraft from Piper, Cirrus and Daher, with Cessna CJ4s to come. After about 800 test flights, its first real-world use occurred last December on a Beechcraft King Air 200 charter when the crew allowed Autoland to descend and land safely due to rapid depressurization; the system can be activated by button or pressurization loss and will display an automated landing status to controllers and passengers. The Payne Stewart crash helped spur development, and Garmin hopes larger airliners will one day adopt it as aerospace designs evolve.