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> autopilot in a plane is a true autopilot That is only true for modern autopilot systems in commercial airliners and business jets. But the system has been ca
by olex 5y ago
> autopilot in a plane is a true autopilot
That is only true for modern autopilot systems in commercial airliners and business jets. But the system has been called "autopilot" since the 70s, when it could barely hold pitch and yaw within a tolerable deviation, with no regard to the engine, altitude, yaw or a dozen of other parameters that still had to be maintained manually. Most plane autopilots are somewhere in between these extremes, and require constant supervision by the pilot in command when flying.
- rantwasp 5y agoi was thinking about the big commercial airplanes. it’s probably true that airplanes were also ambitious at first, but the difference is that flying (paradoxically) is way way more forgiving than driving. Also, in flying you have a support system that is built to promote safety as everyone understands that mistakes == death when they happen. When was the last time you thought about the fact that you might die when getting into a car?
- fastball 5y agoI think about dying in cars every time I put on my seatbelt.
- adrr 5y agoAutopilot on the old planes didn't require full attention of the pilot. They can take the hands off the controls. Fill out forms, run checklists etc. It is like level 3 self driving. Telsa autopilot requires drivers to keep their hands on the controls. I am not aware of any self pilot system that requires 100% of pilots/drivers/captains focus to be on act of controlling of the vehicle/vessel/plane except Tesla. Most other car manufactures label similar level 2 systems as lane centering and adaptive cruise control. Cruise calls it super cruise in reference to being a better cruise control system. If it was level 3 capable, autopilot would be a descriptive name.