Quote:
Originally Posted by soundman98
you being a pilot, this comment surprised me.
i made a similar comment a few times on jalopnik, and had close to 30 comments from claimed pilots about how autopilot is not automatic in an airplane, and everyone knows this, making the name of the system on a ground vehicle perfectly reasonable...
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IMHO they were wrong.
Yes, an autopilot in an airplane has different stages from basic wing levelers to fully automated landings, and some really advanced ones have traffic avoidance. However, there is a big difference between flying in "big sky" and down a crowded highway.
Even without autopilot it is not unusual for a pilot to have his head in the cockpit and not looking outside for seconds, or minutes while reading a map, setting radios, etc. Heck, you even fly blind and never look out the cockpit.
You cannot drive a car, in a heavy fog (which is just a cloud) with your head inside looking at the instrument panel. Pilots do this all the time and most with the help of an autopilot.
Also, the general public really does believe autopilot means you don't have to fly hands on or look outside.