The Spark

Plane Crashes in New Jersey and Georgia raised questions about the safety of small planes. According to ABC News, there is an average of five small plane crashes each day. This has been the equivalent of 250 annual deaths. The concern of small plane safety has emerged a new technology called Autoland, giving passengers the option of an emergency button to safely land an aircraft.

What is Autoland

Autoland is an emergency feature designed by Garmin, that automatically lands an aircraft. It’s like a panic button for small planes, but is self activated. 

How it Works

In the event that something happens to the pilot, Autoland could get the plane safely on the ground at the nearest airport. The system is designed to self-activate when there has been a prolonged period of no pilot activity.

Once Autoland is activated, the plane picks the closest airport from a list of thousands worldwide, where it can safely land. It factors in weather, terrain and the amount of fuel on board. The feature also signals the tower, declares an emergency and updates passengers on the approaching landing. 

Autoland controls all the flights functions, but the pilot can override the technology at any point.

Conclusion

When it comes to airline safety, there is no room for complacency. Fortunately, the aircraft industry and its regulators are being proactive and taking a heads on approach to improving this. Ensuring the safety of small plane passengers and minimizing common mistakes with airline automation is the future of flying.