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Autopilot and automatic flight control systems

How autopilots, flight directors and autothrust are built, how their modes work, the rules that certify and govern them, what happens when they fail, and where automatic flight is heading.

By Aerospace Garage Desk · Practitioner · 45 minutes · 24 narrated pages · Updated October 2026

What you will be able to do

  • ✓ Describe the parts of an automatic flight control system (sensors, flight control computers, servos, flight director, autothrust, yaw damper and trim) and how they form a control loop
  • ✓ Read lateral and vertical modes, armed and active states, managed and selected guidance, and the approach and automatic landing categories
  • ✓ Apply the main certification and operating rules: 14 CFR and CS 25.1329 with AC 25.1329-1C, CS-AWO, Regulation (EU) 2021/2237, 14 CFR 121.579 and the RVSM equipment rules
  • ✓ Explain failure modes, disconnect alerting and the human factors lessons of official accident investigations
  • ✓ Outline maintenance, testing, equipment approval and the supplier chain behind automatic flight
  • ✓ Separate what is in force, demonstrated and researched in envelope protection, emergency autoland and reduced-crew operations

Course content

Session 1 · How an automatic flight control system is built

1.1

  1. From wing leveller to flight guidance system · free preview
  2. Sensors, computers and servos: the control loop
  3. Flight director, autothrust, yaw damper and trim
  4. Worked example: a roll servo runaway, from first motion to hand flying
Session 2 · Modes and mode logic

1.2

  1. Lateral and vertical modes, armed and active
  2. Managed and selected guidance, protections and reversions
  3. Approach categories and automatic landing
  4. Worked example: reading the mode strip through a climb and level-off
Session 3 · The rules that govern automatic flight

1.3

  1. Certifying the system: 25.1329 and its guidance
  2. All-weather operations: certification and approval
  3. Operating rules: when the autopilot may, and must, be used
  4. Worked example: an autoland decision in fog
Session 4 · When automation fails: alerts and human factors

1.4

  1. Failures, disconnects and alerts
  2. Mode awareness and automation surprise
  3. Keeping manual flying skills
  4. From the investigation file: the unnoticed autothrottle disconnect at Bournemouth, 2007
Session 5 · Maintenance, testing and the supply chain

1.5

  1. Maintaining and testing automatic flight
  2. Who builds automatic flight control systems
  3. Retrofit and emergency autoland in light aircraft
  4. Worked example: returning the autopilot to service after a servo change
Session 6 · Where automatic flight is heading

1.6

  1. Envelope protection and fly-by-wire
  2. More automation: emergency autoland and pilot assistance
  3. Reduced-crew debates: facts, proposals and research
  4. Worked example: setting the safety target for a new automatic function

Who this course is for

Upskill courses are for professional development and are not approved by any aviation authority. Learner Terms

Course content © Aerospace Garage Limited. All rights reserved.