Garmin Gets STCs for Its GFC 500 Autopilot for Older Aircraft

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 05:14 PM ET

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More aircraft can now use the Garmin GFC 500 autopilot. [Courtesy: Garmin]

Key Takeaways:

Garmin received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) for its GFC 500 autopilot, making it available for installation in older Cessna 172D/P172D and Rockwell Commander 112/114 aircraft models.
The GFC 500 offers an economical and modern autopilot solution for light piston aircraft, integrating with Garmin flight instruments to provide comprehensive features like altitude hold, VNAV, and various instrument approach capabilities.
It includes advanced safety features such as Level Mode for quick recovery to straight-and-level flight, Garmin Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) to assist in maintaining stable flight attitudes, and Smart Glide for managing uncommanded engine power loss.
Garmin is launching an eLearning course to help pilots effectively utilize all the features and functionalities of the GFC 500 autopilot.

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Just because you have an older airplane doesn’t mean you cannot take advantage of modern technology. On Tuesday, Garmin announced that the FAA had granted the supplemental type certificate for the GFC 500 autopilot in the Cessna 172D/P172D model, and Rockwell Commander 112B, 112TC/TC-A and 114 models.

The Cessna 172D variant was introduced in the early 1960s, and the Rockwell Commander in the early 1970s. Both are still widely used today.