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"The Avionic Flight Control System (AFCS) provides manual or automatic modes of control throughout the total flight envelope from take-off to landing." Lockhee

"The Avionic Flight Control System (AFCS) provides manual or automatic modes of control throughout the total flight envelope from take-off to landing." Lockheed L1011, 1972. Flight trials led to demonstration of a fully automated trans-continental flight, from rest to rest. Pilots did not touch the controls. Incidentally also the only airliner which was certified for operational Cat IIIC autoland, with zero visibility. Frequently used at London-heathrow but needed a ground-control radar to guide the pilots to the gate once the aircraft had stopped itself on the runway. Aircraft autopilots are technically capable of completely controlling the flight but are restricted from doing so by technical provision ( e.g. lack of rearward-facing ILS / MLS for departure ) or regulatory caution ( e.g. not executing TCAS collision-resolution automatically, even though every FBW Airbus can do this ).

Animats 10y ago
The technology exists, but there's reluctance to give it too much authority. That's changing, especially in the military. Full-authority automated ground collision avoidance is now on many F-16 fighters. It's a retrofit, and 440 aircraft had been retrofitted by 2015. First avoided crash was in 2015.[1] Here's a test where the pilot goes into a hard turn and releases the controls, and the automated GCAS, at the last second, flips the plane upright and goes into a steep climb.[2] Because this is for fighters, it doesn't take over until it absolutely has to. The pilot can still fly low and zoom through mountain passes. The first users of this system, the Swedish air force, said "you can't fly any lower". It's a development of Lockheed's Skunk Works. This technology is supposed to go into the F-35, but it's not in yet. This may eventually filter down to commercial airliners, but they'd need more capable radars that can profile the ground. This is not GPS and map based; it's looking at the real world. [1] http://aviationweek.com/defense/ground-collision-avoidance-system-saves-first-f-16-syria http://aviationweek.com/defense/ground-collision-avoidance-s... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPr2LWctwYQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPr2LWctwYQ

Animats 10y ago

The technology exists, but there's reluctance to give it too much authority. That's changing, especially in the military. Full-authority automated ground collision avoidance is now on many F-16 fighters. It's a retrofit, and 440 aircraft had been retrofitted by 2015. First avoided crash was in 2015.[1] Here's a test where the pilot goes into a hard turn and releases the controls, and the automated GCAS, at the last second, flips the plane upright and goes into a steep climb.[2] Because this is for fighters, it doesn't take over until it absolutely has to. The pilot can still fly low and zoom through mountain passes. The first users of this system, the Swedish air force, said "you can't fly any lower". It's a development of Lockheed's Skunk Works. This technology is supposed to go into the F-35, but it's not in yet. This may eventually filter down to commercial airliners, but they'd need more capable radars that can profile the ground. This is not GPS and map based; it's looking at the real world. [1] http://aviationweek.com/defense/ground-collision-avoidance-system-saves-first-f-16-syria http://aviationweek.com/defense/ground-collision-avoidance-s... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPr2LWctwYQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPr2LWctwYQ