Flight Attendants Reveal Their Best Kept Flight Secrets

13. Using Autopilot

You might be shocked to see that pilots activate autopilots for approximately 90% of commercial flights, if you have ever wondered how often the autopilot option is used during flights. Still, this high number doesn't cause any reason for concern. For the pivotal flight moments—the takeoff, landing, and taxiing to the gate—the human touch is still absolutely vital. Usually employed during the flight's cruise, the autopilot system accounts for most of the flying time. This sophisticated technology enables a smoother and more fuel-efficient travel by helping to keep a constant route, altitude, and speed. It's especially helpful on long-haul flights where keeping exact navigation for longer stretches of time is crucial. It is a prevalent belief, nevertheless, that the autopilot does everything while the pilots lounge back-off. Actually, the employment of autopilot lets the pilots concentrate on other important chores include controlling the general systems of the aircraft, planning the approach to the destination, monitoring weather conditions, and corresponding with air traffic control. Even with a functioning autopilot, pilots are continuously involved in the flight. They routinely cross-check the functioning of the autopilot, make required corrections, and get ready to manually operate at any moment. Actually, pilots must keep their manual flying abilities and usually control the aircraft personally during takeoff and landing as well as in any unexpected or emergency scenario. Highly sophisticated and capable of a wide range of operations, modern autopilot systems can follow a programmed flight path, modify aircraft speed and altitude, and even help with bad visibility landings. These devices, then, are tools to help the pilots rather than replacements. Particularly on longer flights, autopilot helps to greatly increase aviation safety by lowering pilot workload and weariness. In some cases, such minor path changes resulting from wind, it enables more exact navigation and can react faster than a human in particular. Basically, even if autopilot is quite important in contemporary aviation, it enhances rather than replaces the knowledge and judgement of human pilots. Modern technology and human knowledge used together make air travel among the safest means of mobility available today.