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Aviation glossary

Autopilot

Also: automatic pilot, autoflight system, AP

The aircraft

System that holds or changes an aircraft's flight path, altitude, heading and vertical speed according to values selected by the crew.

What it is

An autopilot does not replace the pilots; it carries out what they select. It can hold an altitude, a heading or a vertical speed, follow the route programmed into the flight management system, or capture an ILS beam. Combined with autothrottle or autothrust, it relieves the crew during long, repetitive phases of flight so they can concentrate on monitoring, planning and communicating.

On jet airliners it is typically engaged shortly after take-off and disconnected on final approach. With a Category III ILS and suitably certified equipment it can even land the aircraft in very low visibility, including the flare and rollout. The pilots supervise it throughout and can disconnect it instantly with a button on the control column or sidestick.

Related terms

Flight deckForward compartment from which the pilots fly the aircraft and manage its systems, navigation and communications. Fly-by-wireFlight control system in which the pilot's inputs travel as electrical signals to computers that move the control surfaces. ILSGround-based radio guidance system that leads an aircraft both laterally and vertically to the runway, allowing landings in very poor visibility. ILS categoriesClassification of ILS approaches by minimum decision height and visibility, from CAT I to CAT III, which allows aircraft to land in dense fog. CruiseThe central and usually longest phase of a flight, in which the aircraft flies level at its most efficient height and speed between the climb and the descent.
Whole glossary

Cite

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Autopilot. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/autopilot

MLA

“Autopilot.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/autopilot. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Autopilot.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/autopilot.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Autopilot. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/autopilot (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_autopilot,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Autopilot}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/autopilot},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/autopilot}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/autopilot |title=Autopilot |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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