Precision operator for an aircraft autothrottle or autopilot system with engine performance adjust

An autothrottle system for an aircraft, comprising:

• a motor configured to impart rotational movement to an elongated shaft extending from the motor, the motor being mounted on a support;
• an actuator assembly operatively connected to the shaft and to an attachment end of a throttle lever, the throttle lever having a control end, opposite to the attachment end, to which manual force can be applied, and the actuator assembly comprising a plurality of bearings arranged to apply a thrust force to a longitudinally elongated surface of the shaft such that the actuator assembly is operably translated longitudinally along the shaft surface in response to motor-imparted rotation of the shaft;
• the shaft surface being smoothly continuous and longitudinally unbroken along its elongation so as to allow the actuator assembly to longitudinally slip along the shaft elongation irrespective of any shaft rotation that may be concurrently imparted by the motor when the thrust force is exceeded by a linear force manually applied at the throttle lever to the actuator assembly;
• and
• an electronic controller configured to control the motor to cause movement of the throttle lever so that the motor moves the actuator assembly along the shaft based at least in part on an engine operating parameter monitored by the controller.