What is this voodoo? I’d been glancing outside the airplane, a last check for traffic on short final, as Eric Smedberg, chief pilot for Innovative Solutions & Support, swung the Pilatus PC-12 onto the runway and engaged the autothrottle system with a simple press of a button. I looked down just in time to see the power lever advancing from the idle position to max continuous takeoff thrust, which on this day was a little more than halfway to the forward stops. Seeing the autothrottles in action on a business jet or airliner is no big deal, but in a PC-12 powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A lacking full-authority digital engine control, that lever shouldn’t move by itself. It was like a ghost was in our presence — a decidedly friendly ghost, I had to admit.
IS&S PC-12 Autothrottle
Key Takeaways:
- IS&S's "ThrustSense" introduces advanced autothrottle technology to general aviation turboprops like the Pilatus PC-12, a feature previously uncommon in planes lacking full-authority digital engine control (FADEC).
- The system significantly reduces pilot workload and enhances safety by offering "fadec-like" engine protection (preventing over-torque, over-temp, over/under-speed) and automating precise speed and altitude control throughout all flight phases, including complex RNP approaches.
- Available as a $55,000 retrofit, ThrustSense is certified for the PC-12, is expanding to the King Air series (with engine-out thrust control for twins), and could eventually reach high-performance piston aircraft.
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