Definition
An integrated set of aircraft systems that automatically control the airplane's flight path and, in some installations, engine power. It typically includes the autopilot (which moves the flight controls), the flight director (which displays guidance commands to the pilot), and on more advanced aircraft an autothrottle (which manages thrust). The autoflight system follows pilot-selected modes such as heading, altitude, vertical speed, and navigation tracking.
Plain English
The collection of automatic systems that fly the airplane for the pilot. The pilot tells it what to do -- a heading to follow, an altitude to hold, a route to track -- and the system moves the controls (and sometimes the throttles) to make it happen.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of cockpit automation, aircraft handling, and mechanical factors that affect how the airplane is flown.
Derivation
From 'auto-' (Greek autos, meaning self) and 'flight.' The term simply means a system that flies the airplane on its own, under pilot supervision.
Why Pilots Care
Reduces physical workload on long flights while introducing the need for pilots to monitor modes and intervene promptly when automation behavior diverges from expectations.
Intuition Check
Autoflight does not mean the airplane is fully independent or that the pilot can stop managing the flight. It means the system can carry out selected flying tasks that the pilot chooses and supervises.
Example Sentence 1
After level-off at cruise altitude, she engaged the autoflight system to hold heading and altitude while she reviewed the approach plate.
Example Sentence 2
During the approach briefing the crew reviewed how the autoflight system would capture the localizer and glide slope.