Do the pilots have no work when plane is in auto pilot?

Question

Do the pilots have no work when plane is in auto pilot?

Answer 1

No. It's only a tool that the pilot uses, not a replacement for actual piloting skills.

A machine is just a machine. This is not the matrix :-p.

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

Well if the flight attendant is pretty and interested they can work on arranging mutual entertainment after landing.......

Answer 4

I guess you and many of the respondents are referring more to a long en route cruise segment. Because during climbs, descents, approaches it is still necessary to work the throttles, set the altitude selector for each new altitude (even on VNAV), set the heading bug during vectoring, set the MDA/DH/DA/missed approach altitude, among other things.

Answer 5

No, there is still work to do.

Answer 6

Even auto plane also need pilot to operate instruments etc.,

Answer 7

Even when the auto pilot is engaged, Both pilots are too scan the instruments for any unwanted drop or change. Yes, cockpit will be a busier place even with the auto-pilot.  

It is every Commercial pilots dream to have a good, FO and Captain.

Answer 8

No. That is a misunderstanding of what the autopilot does in a plane today.

The old autopilots essentially could keep the plane heading in the same direction, at the same speed and altitude when they were activated. But once set, they could not be changed while on.  (Anyone who has driven a car today equipped with "cruise control" can understand the analogy. You can maintain the same speed, but if you touch the brake or accellerator, the cruise control is programmed to turn off, and return the manual control to the driver. ) But the new aviation equipment is much more sophisticated. The big new super-jets have electronics that years ago would not have been thought possible. But the pilots must still fly the plane. The new planes and their onboard computers can take over many of the minute-to-minute corrections and changes to keep a plane at the proper speed, altitude, attitude, and adjust headings when programmed by the pilots for optimum efficiency. But the computers can only do what is programmed. The pilots can free hands and feet from the small corrections; but they still must navigate and monitor all the avionics (the electronics), and navigate generally.  Flight instruments must still be monitored, but the computers help enormously in flying a machine that requires reaction times faster than a human being can actually think and react.

Answer 9

True the auto pilot controls the flight attitude of the airplane however they are in almost constant communication with the flight center they are assigned to. they must also monitor the flight and engine instruments well as the aircraft systems. The auto pilot only aids them giving them time to monitor all the many systems aboard the aircraft and be ever on alert for emergency conditions that may arise. The must still operate the aircraft on taxi, take-off and landing although the auto pilot can almost take off and land the aircraft now.

Answer 10

Modern automation has greatly reduced the workload for pilots during the cruise phase of flight in an airliner.  While they still have procedural and regulatory duties that periodically give them something to do, and they must still be ready to handle communications at any time, the aircraft largely flies itself for most of the flight.

The advantage of this is that it relieves pilots of the fatigue that might result if they had to keep their hands actively on the controls for an entire (potentially long) flight.  The disadvantage is that it tends to produce boredom and inattention, and with the many time changes that pilots go through, it may also encourage occasional dozing (not necessarily a bad thing while in cruise, but obviously not ideal).

If you recall the accident involving Helios Airways, the aircraft flew all the way to its destination entirely on its own, with the pilots unconscious.  Automation handled the flight.  However, the automation will not start a descent unless the pilots authorize it, and since they didn't, the aircraft simply circled in a holding pattern near the airport until it ran out of fuel.  The pilot intervention required to start a descent is a safety feature.  And, although aircraft can land themselves with today's automation, a few manual operations are still required of pilots to do this (again, safety features), and so the Helios flight couldn't have actually landed on its own, even if the pilots had authorized a descent before passing out.

Answer 11

John B says it all, plus as the other guy said one has to report positions in every waypoint they passed.

Answer 12

many pilots go to sleep and let the auto pilot control the plane.. the auto pilot can even fly an approach but the last 50 ft the pilot has to take over... many a flight has gone past the airport. because the pilots took a nap ok.

Answer 13

They have a little still do do. Making routine radio calls and monitoring the instrument panel but that's about it.

It used to be common for the Captain to give these duties to the First Office and take a comfort break or even go and chat to passengers in 1st Class. Maybe security forbids this now.

Ian M

Answer 14

Usually they dont shift a flight to auto....

When they have activated it they finishup the works like eating and other stuffs...

Answer 15

have you drived the automatic transmission car.

autopilot is same. he controls the aircaft only to help the pilot and is a aid for them to control.

the planes are equipped with a lot of systems and all systems provide feedback with help of instruments like speedometer in car.

these feedback are used by pilot (autopilot) to fly like we use for car but automatic gear transmission car uses the speed feedback and change the gear auto..u have not to bother for gear but the speed is controlled by u.

thus autopilot does all work.,turning plane to desired place and maintaining height and speed but who will tell them which speed and which direction.

pilot gives the comand to autopilot for the speed and direction rest is done by the autopilot.

Answer 16

No

They still have to remain in contact with air traffic control

Look over the auto pilot

Look over all the systems

Answer 17

They still have to talk to the controlling agencies (Airtraffic cotnrol) and they still monitor the gages in the aircraft, but other than that...not really