IS&S Offers Autothrottle Solutions For Several Platforms

Innovative Solutions & Support offers aftermarket and standard ThrustSense autothrottles for several commercial and military platforms, including the Pilatus PC-12, and the Beechcraft King Air series, as well as the UMS (utilities management system) on Pilatus PC-24. The company offered a deeper look at these solutions during a presentation at VBACE 2020, presented by NBAA on December 2.

The ThrustSense autothrottles contribute to situational awareness and the reduction of pilot workload by providing envelope protection—including speed limiting and (on the King Air) minimum controllable airspeed (Vmca) mitigation, dynamically adjusting the power setting on the operating engine to help the pilot maintain aircraft control. Users also note a reduction in cabin noise, as abrupt power changes are avoided, and the ability to avoid over-temp and over-torque situations.

The autothrottle on the PC-12 series has been in the field long enough for operators to report on its contribution to safety. One such operator using PC-12s above the Arctic Circle, on gravel strips, notes that by setting the autothrottle prior to takeoff, he can focus most of his attention on directional control, and he’s better able to maintain the centerline on the narrow runways they often use. The aftermarket autothrottle installation can be used on the PC-12 NG or legacy models, or on the King Air 200 and 300 series, with both Collins Fusion and Pro Line 21 flight decks—the King 200 with the Fusion flight deck will be certified by the end of December. The new King Air 260 and 360/360ER also feature the ThrustSense system.

The Pilatus PC-24 features an IS&S utilities management system, the UMS-100, which uses four identical LRUs arrayed via ethernet for control and monitoring of aircraft functions such as navigation, auto-flight, landing gear, surface positions, fire protection, ice/rain protection, electrical loads, lighting, environmental conditions, cabin pressurization, and oxygen systems.

IS&S also produced the autothrottle on the Eclipse 500 flight deck, and it continues to support that model with functional upgrades to the software as needed. New functionality should be certified by the second quarter of 2021.