Epic Aircraft Receives FAA Certification for Garmin Autoland on E1000 AX Turboprop

The FAA has certified Garmin Autoland for installation on the Epic Aircraft E1000 AX single-engine turboprop, clearing the system for use on the aircraft. The certification follows a process Epic Aircraft describes as rigorous, and comes after the system was first announced at Sun 'n Fun in April 2025 alongside Garmin Autothrottle.

The E1000 AX is equipped with multiple dedicated Autoland button locations throughout the cabin, allowing passengers as well as the pilot to activate the system directly. Garmin Autoland is built to take control of the aircraft and land it without pilot input if the pilot becomes incapacitated; it can be triggered manually by a passenger or engage automatically if it detects the pilot is unable to fly. Once activated, the system evaluates nearby airports by distance, runway length, fuel range, terrain and weather, selects a suitable runway, flies the aircraft there while communicating with passengers and air traffic control, and then lands the aircraft, shuts down the engine, and brings it to a stop without pilot involvement.

Garmin Autoland is integrated with the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite and works together with Garmin Autothrottle, which manages engine power through the flight and guards against overspeed and underspeed conditions. Doug King, CEO of Epic Aircraft, LLC, said, "Only the E1000 AX offers multiple Autoland button locations throughout the cabin, placing this potentially lifesaving technology within easy reach of passengers, providing them great peace of mind," adding that earning FAA certification "is the result of years of dedicated engineering and testing" and reflects the team's commitment to safety.

This certification extends a safety capability long associated with larger business jets down into the single-engine turboprop category, where owner-pilots and their passengers fly without a second crew member as backup. Placing activation buttons throughout the cabin rather than only at the pilot station reflects how this category of aircraft is typically flown, with non-pilot occupants onboard who may need to intervene directly.

For the turboprop segment, pairing Autoland with Autothrottle and the G1000 NXi suite shows how emergency-automation features are increasingly sold as an integrated package rather than a standalone add-on, tying certification timing to the broader avionics platform an aircraft already carries. What follows will depend on how Epic Aircraft documents owner uptake on the E1000 AX and whether other single-engine turboprop manufacturers pursue similar FAA certification for comparable passenger-activated systems.