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By Garmin Aviation Team
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1860361
Hi everyone, the team has been working hard to bring new capabilities and features to the product line and we're excited to share the latest addition to the Autonomi suite of autonomous tech -- Smart Glide. This is the first Garmin AirVenture news update of a two part update, more tomorrow, so stay tuned!

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In the previous GTN Xi series updates, we added glide indications to help aid with additional situational awareness of airports within glide range. Soon to become available on the GTN Xi navigator series with a compatible flight display or flight instrument, Smart Glide is the latest addition to the Autonomi family of autonomous flight tech. Smart Glide is designed to serve a single-engine pilot with the information and some automation during an emergency inoperative engine event to help them get to an airport.

Smart Glide is activated, depending on the setup at the time of installation, either on a dedicated switch installed on the panel or a long press of the direct-to button on the GTN Xi bezel.

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Once activated, the GTN Xi automatically selects the most optimal airport in glide range, creates a direct-to route to the center of the airport, switches the CDI navigation source to GPS, cues the selected airport comm radio frequency in the standby position and aurally announces that Smart Glide is active as well as the airport direction and distance. The pilot can follow the navigation by hand flying the aircraft. If a GFC 500 or GFC 600 autopilot is installed, the system automatically engages the autopilot in IAS mode to pitch the aircraft to best glide speed, engages GPS NAV mode, and displays the flight director on the Garmin flight display or flight instrument. While enroute, Smart Glide is updating the estimated glide ratio based on the aircraft’s actual performance, like in a partial power situation. Using the actual glide ratio estimates, the yellow glide range and arrival AGL estimates are updated in real-time on the display.

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For systems with a Garmin transponder controlled with the GTN Xi, the Glide page offers a shortcut to squawk the emergency 7700 code. This page also offers information pertinent to the situation that you’d want to know, including the airport name, estimated arrival AGL, longest runway information, wind speed/direction and options for alternate airports.

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Within 2 nautical miles of the airport, Smart Glide advises the pilot to take control of the aircraft for maneuvering and landing.

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Smart Glide leverages some of the logic used in the Collier award-winning Autoland system. To determine the airport, the system takes into account runway length/surface type, bank angle/turn radius required, glide ratio, estimated altitude at destination, wind speed/direction, terrain/obstacles and if available via datalink, the reported airport METAR. If no airport is within glide range, the system will alert that to the pilot visually and aurally and automatically engage the GFC 500 or GFC 600 autopilot in IAS mode to pitch the aircraft to best glide speed and roll mode to level the wings.

Pilots can deactivate Smart Glide at any time with the dedicated panel switch or using the Glide page. At any time, the autopilot can be disconnected using the same methods during normal operation, such as the disconnect switch installed on the controls.

The system does have limitations that are important to understand. If the activation occurs within 2 nautical miles of the airport the autopilot will not be engaged automatically. Likewise, the system does not engage after takeoff before reaching 1,000ft above ground level (AGL) and cannot be activated above 36,000ft MSL. Other avionics manufacturers’ autopilots that are compatible with the system in normal operation require manual mode engagement by the pilot as desired. Given the importance of understanding current wind direction/speed, TAS, baro altitude, attitude and magnetic heading to determine a valid solution, should any one of these become unavailable, Smart Glide will not be available.

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GTN Xi series software v20.20 is expected to receive FAA approval and become available in August. We plan to submit for EASA validation soon after FAA certifcation. Smart Glide is initially compatible and requires either the TXi flight display series or GI 275 flight instruments. Support with G5 and G3X Touch Certified is expected in December. Support with original G500/G600 is expected in the Spring of 2022. These details and timing can be found here.

For experimental aircraft, G3X Touch v8.90 expected in August, brings a version of Smart Glide natively built-in as well as the option for interface with the GTN Xi series navigator Smart Glide.

This video helps illustrate the feature in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twBKWiHRUk4&t=1s

We're looking forward to your thoughts and feedback!

-Joey Ferreyra
Sales & Customer Experience Manager