Aviation Stack Exchange
Aviation Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [autopilot]

An autopilot is a system used to guide an aircraft without assistance from a person.

An autopilot is a system used to guide an aircraft without assistance from a person.

Use this tag for questions about how autopilots work or are designed.

See also: Autopilot

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On modern commercial airliners, how much of the flight could be fully taken care of by the auto pilot?

If one wanted to, how large part of the flight could a modern commercial airliner do completely on its own? That is, if the pilot only was allowed to set things up and then leave the cockpit, from where (taxiing, take off, et cetera) and for how…
Speldosa
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Are there take-over requests from autopilots?

I am thinking of the driver take-over request in automated driving, when the system limits are reached and the back-up driver has to intervene / drive manually. Is there something similar in aviation, e.g. autopilot is engaged and has reached its…
Antonie
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Otto's Reputation Question

This is just a question so the chat bot will always have enough rep to participate in chat -- nothing to see here.
Otto the Autopilot
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What is the purpose of multiple autopilots?

I have read that some airplanes have multiple autopilots, specifically airliners. What is the reason for this, and how does that system work?
fooot
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Could aircraft already do a safe auto-takeoff with todays equipment?

If a plane can already autoland and stay aligned while roll-out by itself, on a CAT-3 ILS-Approach, I asked why there is no auto-takeoff-function on todays autopilots. Because it should be technically possible and much safer than a hand flown…
Noah Krasser
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As of 2023, why do we still not have an airplane that can be operated by a person with very little training?

In the past 20 years the following technologies reached full maturity: Computers now have immense computation power, sufficient to process real-time video with several backup systems for a relatively low cost High-resolution and high-frequency…
JonathanReez
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What happens when autopilot and propulsion settings do not match?

Autopilots used in piston GA usually do not have throttle control. They only manage the control surfaces. However to trim an aircraft one needs to play on both throttle setting (and more physically, thrust) and control surface deflections…
Ludovic C.
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Do autopilots in non-glass cockpits feed off of the gyro instruments?

Do autopilots in non-glass cockpits feed off of the gyro instruments to determine aircraft attitude, heading and rate of turn? Or do they have their own internal gyros? Since I can set the heading using the heading bug, I suppose it needs to be able…
falstro
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Is there a cockpit which can recognize the voice of the pilot and help him/her to fly?

Is there any new cockpit that uses voice commands (think for example Siri from the new iphones) that can identify the voice of the pilot and help him/her to fly?
fawaz
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Do autopilots have an 'activate' switch/button, in addition to 'on' and 'off'?

Say cruising at FL310 and on a 270 heading with autopilot on. If pilot decides to descend to say, FL180 on a 180 heading, is simply changing the altitude and heading numbers on the autopilot control panel enough for the autopilot to get going with…
Hercules-63
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Why are digital autopilots better than analog?

I've heard many people say that a digital autopilot is better than its analog equivalent. How do the two differ in design and the way they control the plane?
Geoffrey Gallaway
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Does auto pilot take into consideration the altitude, speed, and the difference in heading change, to calculate the degree of bank?

Or is there a “standard” that the auto pilot follows at all times? By “standard” I mean the aircraft will bank at x amount of degrees each time regardless of the following mentioned? The more you bank, the sharper the turn is, correct?
George Clooney In a Mooney
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How much different are civilian and military aircraft autopilots?

The requirements for military and civil aircraft are pretty different, so this possibly applies to their autopilots. Are they different in the way they function or capabilities that they are programmed with?
anshabhi
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How autonomous are commercial passenger airliners?

Average layman here. Assuming the latest generation of planes/avionics rolling out of the factory today, how autonomous are commercial passenger jets? Obviously, autopilot has been around for decades, but what are the limits of its capabilities? Can…
iMerchant
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What's the idea behind leaving control of slats and flaps to pilots in autopilot?

When you watch airliners' flight videos on Youtube, you see pilots still control the slats, flaps and landing gear during the climb and landing phases even after autopilot is engaged. Why doesn't autopilot simply control them when it is capable of…
lemonincider
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