November 12, 2019 Auto-land

The Liberty Gazette

November 12, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Electronics manufacturer Garmin announced at the end of last month a project they’d been secretly working on for eight years – Garmin Autoland – which they say can save an airplane with an incapacitated pilot or even take over and land when the weather is too rough for the pilot to land.

Eventually they may offer this for small aircraft such as ours, but for now, they’re starting with small jets, the Piper M600, and then the Cessna Vision Jet. Aircraft must be already equipped with the Garmin’s G3000 advanced navigation system and auto-throttle.

It took the dedication of over 100 Garmin engineers to come to this marvel that is being so widely celebrated in the aviation industry. Among those were human factors experts whose input included requirements built so that non-pilot passengers would be able to switch on the device and understand what’s happening.

The company has already flown more than 800 auto-lands while testing in a variety of aircraft, including piston airplanes. And it seems they’ve thought of everything. All the pilot has to do before flight is show the passenger(s) where the button is, and explain that if the pilot becomes incapacitated, just push that button. The airplane will take over from there.

It will find the nearest safe airport to land on, it will radio for emergency help, it will slow the plane as it descends and lower the landing gear and flaps. It will line up and land right on the center line of the runway, slow to a stop, and shut off the engine(s).

On three screens, passenger(s) will be advised of what is happening at all times, including a map showing the path the airplane is taking, a view with synthetic vision, and a timer advising how many minutes and miles to go. There is also voice command, which will warn passengers not to touch any controls, and when the airplane lands, instructions how to open the doors to exit.

This news has been the buzz ever since it hit the skies, and my friend Yasmina, with whom Mike and I have conducted many a Pinch Hitter course, texted me the morning of the announcement, saying, “I guess we won’t be teaching non pilots how to land airplanes anymore!”

Mike: Avionics have come a long way since I started flying over forty years ago. These tools have made life easier in the cockpit, allowing pilots to stay on top of everything that goes on while flying. Technology is also being tested on simulated hijacking scenarios so that a remote pilot can take over and land the aircraft.

But as nifty as these gadgets are, they are just tools. However smart these machines seem, artificial intelligence will never replace the pilot’s reasoning, born from skills developed by good training, and judgement developed through experience. Falling back on tech as a safety device is okay, relying on it as a primary or sole means of operation is a recipe for disaster.

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