Autopilot's role and level of capability is often grossly overstated: (All but the last link are from Patrick Smith, a commercial pilot, author of the "Ask the

Autopilot's role and level of capability is often grossly overstated: (All but the last link are from Patrick Smith, a commercial pilot, author of the "Ask the Pilot" column and my go-to for debunking this particular myth) http://www.askthepilot.com/questionanswers/automation-myths/ http://www.askthepilot.com/questionanswers/automation-myths/ http://freakonomics.com/2011/12/12/cockpit-confidential-the-autopilot-myth/ http://freakonomics.com/2011/12/12/cockpit-confidential-the-... http://blog.expertflyer.com/expertflyer/2011/09/ask-the-pilot-series-part-3-of-6-cockpit-automation/ http://blog.expertflyer.com/expertflyer/2011/09/ask-the-pilo... http://flyingforeveryone.blogspot.com/2012/01/autopilot-myth-what-your-pilot-really.html http://flyingforeveryone.blogspot.com/2012/01/autopilot-myth... I'm unsure what you mean by route "safety" -- how easily autopilot could be used to automate a flight depends on weather, how busy the airports are, mechanical condition of the aircraft, etc.