Autonomi is Garmin’s smart autonomous tech for GA airplanes and among other features includes emergency Autoland, and now a trickle-down feature called Smart Glide. During an engine power loss, Smart Glide is designed to navigate to the most suitable airfield after the pilot activates the function with a panel-mounted switch or with the Direct-To button on Garmin’s GTN TXi navigator. If you can’t make the airport, it will tell you, and when coupled to an autopilot, it will pitch to the best-glide airspeed and fly to the runway environment. It’s Garmin’s major announcement at AirVenture 2021 at Oshkosh and in this video Garmin’s Kyle Ludwick gives an overview.

Larry Anglisano
Larry Anglisano is a regular AVweb contributor and the Editor in Chief of sister publication Aviation Consumer magazine. He's an active land, sea and glider pilot, and has over 30 years experience as an avionics tech.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Smart glide, Autoland, Parachutes … when will this nuttiness end ? OH … Autonomous flight. I’m predicting that the B-21 “Raider” will have the capability for optional pilots.

  2. FYI – Per Garmin: For experimental planes, Smart Glide is supported natively within the ‘G3X Touch Display for Experimental Aircraft’ without the need for a GTN TXi navigator.

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