The FAA has awarded an additional supplemental type certificate (STC) for the Innovative Solutions & Support ThrustSense King Air B200 autothrottle, following the system’s first STC in May. The new STC covers engine-out mode/Vmca mitigation as well as the use of IS&S’s Integrated Standby Unit (ISU), which is required for the STC, as a standby instrument that can replace other standby systems. The engine-out/Vmca is the first STC ever approved by the FAA for this functionality, according to IS&S.
The engine-out mode/Vmca mitigation capability automatically detects the failed engine in any phase of flight and manages the power on the good engine to prevent loss of directional control.
Installation of the ThrustSense system includes IS&S’s ISU, which contains the processing hardware and software that runs the autothrottle as well as the pilot controls and interface for the system. The ISU is also a certified standby instrument, with altitude, attitude, airspeed, slip/skid, and primary flight and navigation information, according to IS&S.
The ThrustSense autothrottle does not involve any structural modifications to the throttle quadrant, and it features a clutch-less design. In addition to the engine-out safety features, ThrustSense also automatically controls power settings of the King Air’s Pratt & Whitney PT6A engines by matching power to the selected airspeed and protects against exceeding torque and temperature limits.