When an engine quits at low altitude as one did for me, it’s easy to misjudge the glide needed to put the airplane where you think it should go. But thanks to technology that trickles down from Garmin’s emergency Autoland, Garmin’s latest retrofit navigators paired with the appropriate flight displays take the guesswork out of the drama.
Moreover, when coupled with a Garmin autopilot, engine failures are almost foolproof because the autopilot will hold the appropriate airspeed for the aircraft’s best glide performance, while flying the airplane to the runway environment while the pilot sorts out the emergency. Here’s an overview of the system’s functionality, with a rundown of the equipment that’s required to make it all work