The Aircraft Autopilot System and Its Use
Flying an aircraft can be a complex process, requiring a pilot to manage and control the aircraft while also maintaining navigation, radio communication, fuel tank management, engine management, and much more. As technology improved in the aviation sector over the years, advanced electronic systems such as the autopilot system have come about to enhance the safety of flight. As a device capable of guiding an aircraft to its destination without input from the pilot, autopilots have alleviated a decent amount of the work from pilots so that they can focus on the most important aspects of a flight.
In the early days of aviation, the increased flight hours and range of developing aircraft led to pilot fatigue which is a hazardous condition that can quickly lead to accidents or worse. In 1912, the first form of the aircraft autopilot system was released by Sperry Corporation, capable of hydraulically controlling the elevator and rudder of the aircraft with its connection to the gyroscopic heading indicator and attitude indicator. After the success of the initial system, models with increased capabilities were soon released over the following decades by various manufacturers, improving the system to consistently reduce pilot workloads and increase flight safety. While the initial autopilot models were only capable of holding a compass heading for a short duration, modern systems now can allow for an aircraft to have almost every aspect of flight after takeoff and before landing automatically managed.
While not every modern aircraft has an autopilot system, the ones that do typically have an autopilot that is integrated with the flight management system (FMS). The FMS is an aircraft computer that is capable of conducting various in-flight tasks automatically for the benefit of flight operations, fully replacing conventional flight engineer teams and navigators with their abilities. With autopilot software in particular, the aircraft may be managed with the integration of navigation systems for control throughout various phases. If there is an autothrottle system implemented, then automatic control over thrust may be given with adjustments made during takeoff, climb, and cruise procedures. When there is no autothrottle system, on the other hand, the pilot must maintain manual control over such settings during each flight phase themself.
While the autopilot system is capable of managing a variety of flight controls without the need for pilot input, manual control may be assumed as needed for the means of intervention. In the case of an emergency, the pilot may disengage autopilot systems through the actuation of a switch that is typically mounted on the control column within the cockpit. Such ability of intervention is very useful in various circumstances, such as during a missed approach. With the use of a separate switch, pilots may instantly change the autopilot system from approach mode to go-around mode, ensuring that they can take on a missed approach again. If there is no automatic switch, however, then the pilot must disconnect the autopilot and assume manual control for missed approaches.
With the most modern and complex autopilot systems currently available for commercial use, an aircraft may be capable of conducting a landing and rollout by itself. Such autopilot systems are known as CAT IIIb landing or Autoland systems, allowing the aircraft to automatically conduct an instrument landing to aid in situations where weather may pose a problem to safety. CAT IIIc systems are the next step which are capable of carrying out landing, rollout, and taxi operations automatically to bring the aircraft to its parking spot, though such systems are not currently in use. As development of such autopilot technologies continue, we may soon find regular implementation of systems that can truly assume automatic control over the aircraft from takeoff to engine shut down.
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