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Monday, December 29, 2025

In what looks to be the first successful use of Garmin's Autoland product outside of testing, the FAA has confirmed a small plane made a safe emergency landing completely guided by automation at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Colorado.

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More from the article ...

... Garmin's Emergency Autoland system is built to automatically take "complete control of the flight to land the airplane in an emergency where the pilot is unable to fly." It can also be activated at the press of a button.

After initial reports speculated that the pilot or pilots may have been incapacitated after the plane, a Beechcraft Super King Air, had pressurization problems, the plane operator assured the public that triggering autoland was a deliberate act by the pilots. No passengers were on board on the flight, which according to the tail number given to the ATC, landed at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport on Saturday afternoon, after flying in from Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, also known as Sardy Field, a small mountain airport measuring just 573 acres.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement that the "Beechcraft Super King Air landed safely at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Colorado around 14:20 local time on Saturday, December 20, after the pilot lost communication with air traffic control." The FAA added: "An onboard emergency autoland system was activated. Two people were on board. The FAA is investigating."

While the aircraft did experience "a rapid, uncommanded loss of pressurization," the pilots put on their oxygen masks, the CEO of the charter company, Chris Townsley, said in a statement to CNN. Townsley reiterated that the pilots had "made the decision to leave the system engaged," and "automatically engaged exactly as designed when the cabin altitude exceeded the prescribed safe levels." ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-12-29 11:09 PM | Reply

There's video, if that's yer thing ...

A look at Garmin's Autoland system (2.5 minutes)
www.youtube.com

Local CT news showed that video.

Wow. Garmin's product did quite well.



#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-12-29 11:17 PM | Reply


Kraftwerk - Pocket Calculator (1981)
www.youtube.com

Lyrics excerpt

genius.com

...
[Chorus]
I'm the operator
With my pocket calculator
I'm the operator
With my pocket calculator

[Verse]
I am adding
And subtracting
I'm controlling
And composing

[Chorus]
I'm the operator
With my pocket calculator
I'm the operator
With my pocket calculator

[Verse]
I am adding
And subtracting
I'm controlling
And composing

[Bridge]
By pressing down a special key
It plays a little melody
By pressing down a special key
It plays a little melody
...


#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-12-30 01:39 AM | Reply

@#3

Yeah, we've progressed so far in those 45 years since that song was written.

What might current songs about AI have to say?


#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-12-30 01:41 AM | Reply

It sounds a lot like there were perfectly capable pilots on board while the plane was auto landing.

#5 | Posted by REDIAL at 2025-12-30 01:45 AM | Reply

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