Can autopilot land a plane?

All large commercial jets can land automatically, but still with plenty of pilot involvement. So-called autoland systems are a part of aircraft autopilots. All large modern jets are equipped with such systems, which can automatically land the aircraft, albeit under careful supervision from the pilots themselves.



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Most transport category aircraft and many others are equipped with a radar altimeter and other avionics required to make a 'Category III' approach. Most of them are able to fly an instrument approach and land themselves while the flight crew monitors the approach. Autopilots aren't used for takeoff.

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Most airline planes require two pilots. One flying. The other monitoring. However, should one become sick or die, the other can make an emergency landing by themselves.

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Yes you definitely can and in fact before a commercial pilot gets his license he needs to fly certain amounts of hours without using autopilot. The funny thing is that flying at cruise altitude without autopilot is the easiest part of a flight but also the most boring part.

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Pilots typically fly the plane during take off and landing. The pilot manually controls the plane until it reaches the required height. This usually only takes about five minutes. After that the pilot will usually engage the auto-pilot.

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In any case, if the autopilot actually fails, you are no longer RVSM compliant and are required to notify ATC of the failure, and you will likely be told to descend below RVSM airspace, to finish your trip (which can impose a significant fuel burn penalty on a turbofan or turbojet).

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A single pilot may be unable to manage critical circumstances alone. While flying, one pilot is usually handling the controls and steering the plane while the other is monitoring for any issues or anomalies. This also allows each pilot to take breaks and avoid fatigue, which can have fatal consequences.

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