IS&S has now earned type certification for its autothrottle technology in more than 40 countries. (IS&S)
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) have issued Supplemental Type Certification (STC) to Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc.(IS&S) for its ThrustSense autothrottle technology for all models of the King Air.
ThrustSense, the autothrottle technology that provides a full authority digital engine control (FADEC)-like navigation system for the King Air and other non-FADEC equipped general aviation aircraft, has now achieved type certification in more than 40 countries following the latest Canadian and European regulatory approvals.
“We’re feeling a wave of greater acceptance in ThrustSense safety and performance by business aviation owners and operators on all seven continents. With the prospect of general aviation movements increasing significantly with pandemic recovery, we’re seeing there’s a greater focused attention by aircraft operators on further enhancing the King Air’s utility and value,” IS&S said in a Sept. 7 statement published on its website.
IS&S reported an increase in the “pace” of ThrustSense deliveries to Textron Aviation for King Air during its third-quarter earnings call held last month. Geoffrey Hedrick, CEO of IS&S, discussed the autothrottle system’s capabilities enabled by ThrustSense for the King Air during the call, highlighting its ability to prevent pilots from over-torquing and “over-temperaturing the engine.”
“The ThrustSense provides most remarkably VMCa Protection. That VMCa is, in fact, the loss of control — loss of control of a twin-engine airplane when you lose the engine,” Hedrick said during the earnings call. “The revolutionary feature is the protection against fatal loss of control actions, in which, a loss of an engine causes the pilot to lose control of the airplane, causing it to flip on its back and crash.”
The addition of the EASA and Transport Canada STCs to the list of international regulatory approvals for ThrustSense on the King Air comes a year after the system was approved for King Air 300 series turboprops equipped with Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics.
Australia, Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, and Taiwan are among the nations where other civil aviation regulators have issued type certification for the King Air ThrustSense upgrade.