autopilot

World Encyclopedia

autopilot (automatic pilot) Electronic and mechanical control system that ensures an aircraft follows a pre-programmed flight plan. It monitors the course and speed of the aircraft and corrects any deviations from the flight plan. Systems range from simple wing-levellers in light aircraft to computer-operated units consisting of: a gyroscope; an electric servomechanism unit and an accelerometer, which measures the acceleration of the aircraft.

Find more facts and information related to the .
© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005.

Related newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles from HighBeam Research

(Including press releases, facts, information, and biographies)

	Brazil's defence minister says Legacy jet followed flight plan at least part of the flight.(Embraer Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A)(Brief article) ; ...1907 on 29 September followed their flight plan for at least part of the way before...of a complete failure to follow the flight plan, which has been suggested as one of...Investigators have said that the aircraft's flight plan required it to fly at 37,000 feet from... Read more
	Why no flight plan? ; ...New Straits Times 08-06-2004 Why no flight plan? Byline: Jo Edition: Main/Lifestyle...helicopter company did not have the flight plan of the aircraft. I was under the impression...unscheduled flight) has to submit a flight plan prior to departure. Rescue operations... Read more
	Flight plan gives airmen roadmap to future.(Round The Reserve) ; ...finishing touches on the Transformation Flight Plan, which spells out the future direction...capabilities, the general said. The flight plan digs down into each of these areas in...commanders, General McNabb said. Since the flight plan is a living document, officials plan... Read more
	Flight Plan.(Flight Plan: The Real Secret to Success)(Brief article)(Book review) ; Flight Plan Brian Tracy Berrett-Koehler Publishers...motivational speaker Brian Tracy in his new book Flight Plan: The Real Secret to Success. All they...them off their decided path in life. Flight Plan: The Real Secret to Success is highly... Read more
	Pilot's flight plan not located ; ...officials have been unable to find a flight plan from the pilot of the plane that crashed...before," Hildebrand said. The lack of a flight plan means investigators don't know how many...away from an airport to file either a flight plan or itinerary. "There are regulations... Read more
	Civil Air Patrol searching for plane missing two weeks/ Lack of flight plan hampers ability to pinpoint craft. ; ...been initiated because the pilot didn't file a flight plan before leaving Colorado Springs. A flight plan indicates the plane's destination, route and expected time of arrival. If a flight plan had been filed, searchers would have begun looking... Read more
	Flight Plan - Ohne jede Spur ; ...Deutschland ein heies Thema ist, kann "Flight Plan" als Modell dazu dienen, wie man Schleichwerbung...werden soil, spielt die Hauptrolle in "Flight Plan". Jodie Foster mag sich nach ihrer sehr...mit den ngsten des Publikums sind. "Flight Plan" tut man zweifellos einen Gefallen... Read more
	Pilots say Brazilians drew flight plan. ; Byline: Bill Bleyer Oct. 10--The flight plan for an American corporate jet that collided...ExcelAire of Ronkonkoma -- to prepare the flight plan. They insisted that it was still the...Pedro Ferraz declined to comment on the flight plan. The company is providing full support... Read more
	NSW: Flight plan for crashed chopper done in depth, inquiry told ; ...General News (Australia) 07-18-2007 NSW: Flight plan for crashed chopper done in depth, inquiry...last year had thoroughly examined the flight plan for his ill-fated training exercise...largely responsible for formulating the flight plan for the exercise and leading its execution... Read more
	FED: Flight plan system should note pilot rating BASI ; ...General News (Australia) 04-21-1999 FED: Flight plan system should note pilot rating BASI...issued yesterday, BASI said the current flight plan format were misleading, with air traffic...acknowledge the safety deficiency in flight plan formats, and amend the system. AAP bja... Read more

For more facts and information, see all related premium articles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

	autopilot autopilot • braggart , faggot ( US fagot), maggot •legate • bigot , gigot, Piggott, spigot •ingot...prelate, zealot •flagellate • distillate • Pilate , pilot •copilot • gyropilot • autopilot •triangulate • ejaculate , immaculate ... Read more
	autopilot au·to·pi·lot / ˈôtōˌpīlət / • n. short for automatic pilot . Read more
	bleep ...blēp / • n. a short high-pitched sound made by an electronic device as a signal or to attract attention: the autopilot sent back an acknowledgment bleep. ∎  a sound of this type used in broadcasting as a substitute for a censored... Read more
	servomechanism ...such as a lever movement or amplified hydraulic force. The device usually forms part of a control system. Some servomechanisms, such as the autopilot of an aircraft, incorporate a feedback mechanism that makes them independent of human control. Read more
	statecharts ...given operating mode. For example, an aircraft in flight will simultaneously have a navigation state (e.g. manual control or autopilot control) and this will be independent of which radio is being used to communicate with air-traffic controllers (and at which... Read more

See all related entries