Fri, May 10, 2019
Innovative Solutions & Support ThrustSense Provides FADEC-Like Engine Protection
The FAA has awarded an STC to Innovative Solutions & Support for its patented ThrustSense Autothrottle for retrofit in the King Air. ThrustSense, which provides FADEC-like engine protection, is a full regime autothrottle, from takeoff to landing phases of flight, including go-around, that allows the pilot to automatically control the power setting of the engine. ThrustSense computes and controls appropriate power levels reducing pilot workload providing a new level of convenience and safety for the King Air.

ThrustSense computes thrust, holds selected speed/torque, and implements appropriate limit protection. When engaged by the pilot, the autothrottle system adjusts the throttles automatically to achieve and hold the selected airspeed guarded by a torque/temperature limit mode. Protection modes will automatically activate, regardless of autopilot engagement state in an attempt to keep airspeed, torque and temperature from exceeding pre-defined targets.
The IS&S ThrustSense Autothrottle ensures stabilized approaches by controlling speeds in the descent. During high pilot workload the autothrottle prevents the airplane from getting dangerously slow or fast and protects against overtorque and overtemp enhancing the safety and capability of the King Air.
Control of the revolutionary autothrottle is housed in an easy to install Autothrottle Control Panel (ATCP) that provides autothrottle control interface. The optimized design for retrofit allows for no structural modifications to the existing throttle quadrant and can be installed in four days.
This year IS&S will offer a certified software upgrade for King Air Vmca Mitigation. ThrustSense will continually monitor multiple engine parameters and will detect the loss of an engine then computes the amount of rudder authority loss due to the reduction of airflow over the rudder. It uses this to calculate the reduction in thrust from the remaining engine to prevent hazardous yaw. Real-time monitoring of YAW provides additional safety in engine-out conditions.
ThrustSense is also the first and only certified autothrottle for the PC-12 Platform and is offered as a standalone installation integrated with the Company’s Integrated Stand by Unit (ISU) or with its PC-12 NexGen Flight Deck.
(Image provided with Innovative Solutions & Support news release)
More News
Also: New Lakeland Fly-in!, Gleim's DPE, MOSAIC! Nearly three-quarters of a century in the making, EAA is excited about the future… especially with the potential of a MOSAIC>[...]
Estimated (EST) -When used in NOTAMs “EST” is a contraction that is used by the issuing authority only when the condition is expected to return to service prior to the >[...]
Aero Linx: Regional Airline Association (RAA) Regional airlines provide critical links connecting communities throughout North America to the national and international air transpo>[...]
The Airplane Broke Up In Flight And Descended To The Ground. The Debris Path Extended For About 1,435 Ft. Analysis: The pilot, who was the owner and builder of the experimental, am>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube version): History Comes Alive Thanks to A Magnificent CAF Effort The story of the Douglas C-47 named, “That’s all Brother,” is fascinating from>[...]