From Flying Magazine: Garmin and Daher allowed for the retrofit to already-delivered 2019 and 2020 models upon the certification of Autoland in 2020.
Garmin initially worked with a trio of aircraft manufacturers in its certification of the Autoland functionality with its Autonomí suite—Piper for primary FAA certification on the M600/SLS Halo, Cirrus for the Safe Return system on the SF50 Vision Jet, and Daher for the first European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification on the Home Safe suite on the TBM 940.
The TBM 940s delivered into the U.S. that qualify have been retrofitted successfully by Elliott Aviation, an aviation services and sales company with locations in Moline, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Atlanta, Georgia.
Home Safe Now Standard
The certification on the TBM 940 was completed in July 2020, and those aircraft rolling off the production line following that date came factory equipped with Home Safe as standard equipment. At the time, Daher pledged to retrofit 940 models delivered earlier in 2020 as part of the purchase price, with models delivered in 2019 available to upgrade for $85,000.
A total of 29 TBM 940s were delivered with the autoland functionality as standard equipment, but required additional work following certification in order to complete the task. Elliott Aviation undertook the completions at its base in Moline, Illinois.
“Partnering closely with Daher from the very beginning, the Elliott Aviation team of technicians did a great job of planning and executing the installation program,” said Greg Sahr, Elliott Aviation’s president and CEO. “We knew the timeline was going to be a push, but the joint effort with Daher allowed us to complete the program as scheduled.”
A few 2019 940 models remain for which Home Safe was an upgrade, and that work will be completed later this year, according to Elliott Aviation.
“This retrofit program’s seamless execution resulted from the expertise and capabilities of Elliott Aviation, backed by its close cooperation with Daher—as well as our coordination with TBM distributors and owners,” said Raphael Maitre, vice president of customer support for Daher’s Aircraft Division, in a release.
Installation of the Home Safe system has taken place also at the Daher manufacturing facility at Tarbes, France.
What Is Home Safe?
Daher integrated Garmin’s Autoland technology into the TBM series beginning with the 940 model, and it continues as a factory standard installation in the new TBM 960, which gained FAA certification in June and EASA approval earlier this year.
Home Safe initiates the following steps:
Integrates weather and terrain information to select the best airport for landing, taking into account fuel range and runway length.
Provides inputs to the aircraft’s flight controls and adjusts engine power settings through the touchdown phase.
Simultaneously activates the landing gear brakes and shuts down the engine following touchdown.