Denali will launch with Autoland

The forthcoming Denali, built to carry up to 11 people and powered by a single GE Aviation Catalyst turbine, will include the Autoland capability within its Garmin G3000 flight deck, along with integrated autothrottles and propeller control.

Designed for emergency use in the event the pilot is incapacitated, Garmin's automation empowers any passenger to initiate a chain of events, including navigating to the nearest suitable airport, landing, and engine shutdown, by pushing a button. Autoland is factory installed in a growing list of turbine aircraft including the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet and the Piper M600, as well as the Daher TBM 940. Garmin’s system, providing unprecedented automation for general aviation, won the 2020 Robert J. Collier Trophy, hailed as a “remarkable technical achievement” by the National Aeronautic Association.

Its popularity among airframers is driven by customer demand, as Textron noted in a May 8 announcement.

“The Autoland system is an excellent addition to the Beechcraft Denali and the G3000 avionics suite, and we’ve included it in the program as a direct response to continued conversations with our customers,” said Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation senior vice president of sales and flight operations. “The feature makes the Denali even more desirable to a wider audience as it adds yet another element of assurance and peace of mind for pilots and passengers.”

Three flight test aircraft have accumulated more than 1,300 hours to date, Textron Aviation noted. The 1,300-shaft-horsepower Catalyst engine, which drives a new 105-inch, five-blade McCauley propeller, is equipped with full authority digital engine control. Engine power and propeller pitch are both automatically adjusted according to throttle input, reducing pilot workload. Certification of the new engine, made to run more efficiently than previous turbines—optionally on sustainable fuel—is progressing on the same timeline as the aircraft. The Denali will be the first aircraft fitted with this new powerplant developed by Avio Aero, part of GE Aerospace.