Definition
An autopilot mode that automatically flies the aircraft through the final approach, flare, touchdown, and (in some installations) rollout on the runway, without the pilot manually controlling the flight controls. Auto-land requires a suitably equipped aircraft, a qualified crew, and an airport with the required ground equipment (typically an ILS meeting low-visibility criteria), and is used primarily in very low visibility conditions such as Category II or III approaches.
Plain English
A mode where the autopilot lands the airplane for you, all the way down to touchdown on the runway. The pilot monitors the systems instead of hand-flying the landing.
Context Anchor
Seen in autopilot mode discussions and in procedures for aircraft equipped and approved for automatic landings.
Derivation
“Auto-” comes from a Greek word meaning “self.” In aviation, it points to a system doing a task automatically, while the pilot still sets it up and monitors it.
Why Pilots Care
Enables safe landings in weather below normal visual minima, reduces pilot workload during the most critical phase of flight, and supports schedule reliability at busy airports.
Intuition Check
Auto-land does not mean the pilot stops flying the aircraft. It means an approved automatic system may perform the landing while the pilot closely monitors it and is ready to take over.
Example Sentence 1
The crew briefed an auto-land for the CAT III approach into London Heathrow because the reported visibility was below their hand-flown minimums.
Example Sentence 2
After touchdown the auto-land mode kept the airplane on the centerline during rollout until the pilot took over steering.