October 27,2025
Big things are happening in the King Air world. Two major milestones have now been reached in the rollout of Garmin’s revolutionary Autoland and Autothrottle systems for the Beechcraft King Air 350.
The first-ever installation of the system was completed by The Blackhawk Group’s Performance Center in Columbia, Missouri in September 2025. This initial integration marked a key step in Garmin’s certification process, demonstrating the system’s readiness for real-world application and paving the way for FAA approval. As part of this groundbreaking effort, Blackhawk’s team worked closely with Garmin to prove the technology on the King Air 350 platform equipped with the G1000 NXi flight deck.
Shortly thereafter, Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems achieved another important “first” completing the first and second post-STC installations of Garmin’s Autoland and Autothrottle systems at their Smyrna, Tennessee (KMQY) facility. These were the first customer-ready installations following Garmin’s supplemental type certificate approval, marking the official entry of Autoland capability into the King Air fleet.
Garmin’s Autoland system can automatically select a suitable airport, communicate with ATC, configure the airplane for landing, touch down, apply brakes, and even shut down the engines — all at the push of a button or in response to an unresponsive pilot scenario. The integrated autothrottles manage power and speed from takeoff to touchdown, providing an added layer of precision and safety.
Together, these two milestones represent a major leap forward for King Air operators — from the pioneering certification work at Blackhawk’s Performance Center to the first customer installations at Stevens Aerospace. Each played a vital role in bringing next-level safety and automation to one of aviation’s most trusted platforms.