the.com/autopilot
the copilot that never sleeps, panics, or asks if we're there yet.
means A system that automatically controls a vehicle—especially an aircraft—holding course, altitude, or speed without constant human input; figuratively, doing something habitually without conscious thought.
from A 20th-century compound stitched from Greek 'autos' (self) and 'pilot.' 'Pilot' itself sailed in through French and Italian from a Greek root tied to 'pedon,' an oar or steering paddle—so a pilot was once literally the one at the steering oar. Early aircraft autopilots (the 'gyroscopic automatic pilot' of the 1910s–1930s) gave the word wings, and from the cockpit it drifted into everyday speech for any task we run on mental cruise control.
- first flight
- Sperry's autopilot flew planes in 1912
- hands-off stunt
- 1914 pilot walked the wing mid-flight to prove it
- human role
- pilots fly manually only minutes per flight
- not magic
- can't handle takeoff without serious help
- brain version
- daydreaming is your mind on autopilot
tesla autopilot — tesla's driver assistance system introduced in 2015, involved in multiple fatal crashes including 2016 joshua brown fatality
boeing 737 max autopilot — mcas automated system that pitched nose down, caused 737 max crashes in indonesia (2018) and ethiopia (2019) killing 346 people
airbus a350 autopilot — commercial aircraft autopilot system, standard on a350 jets operated by airlines like qatar airways since 2015