Cirrus Aircraft announced this week that it has included autoland in the G7+ version of its SR series piston aeroplanes.
Autoland has been available on several jet and turbo-prop models including the Cirrus SF50 Vision, but the SR series G7+ will be the first aircraft with a piston engine to carry the technology.
Autoland, branded Safe Return by Cirrus, is Garmin technology that enables an aircraft to land safely without any human input in the event of pilot incapacitation.
“We’re excited to introduce the SR Series G7+, the aircraft that anyone can land in the event of an emergency with the touch of a single button,” said Cirrus CEO Zean Nielsen.
“As the largest personal aircraft manufacturer in the world, delivering approximately 600 SR Series aircraft per year, the addition of Safe Return Emergency Autoland on a single-engine piston aircraft brings technology previously only available on larger turbine and turbo-prop aircraft to a greater number of pilots, spouses and their passengers for added peace of mind.
"The SR Series G7+ launch, along with our expanding ecosystem and Cirrus IQ platform, underscores our commitment to safety and relentless pursuit of innovation.”
Once activated, autoland uses advanced algorithms and sensors to fly the aircraft to the nearest suitable airport, notify ATC, communicate with passengers, navigate terrain, obstacles and weather, and then safely land the aircraft.
It can be activated by a passenger pushing a single button mounted in the roof.
First announced in 2019, autoland has been made available under several brand names in aircraft such as the Piper M600, SF50 Vision, Daher TBM range, Pilatus PC-12, HondaJet Elite II and is expected to be part of the Beechcraft Denali offering when it comes to market.