Definition
An aircraft system that automatically controls the flight path of the aircraft by manipulating the flight controls in response to pilot inputs, sensor data, and pre-programmed flight profiles. It typically integrates an autopilot, flight director, autothrottle, and yaw damper into a single coordinated system that can hold a heading, altitude, airspeed, or track a navigation course without continuous pilot hand-flying.
Plain English
A system that flies the aircraft for the pilot. Once the pilot tells it what to do — fly this heading, hold this altitude, follow this course — it moves the controls itself to make that happen.
Context Anchor
Seen in autopilot discussions, especially when learning what happens after the pilot selects a setting such as holding an altitude or heading.
Derivation
Automatic comes from a Greek word meaning self-acting. That helps here because the system can act on the controls by itself after the pilot selects what it should do.
Why Pilots Care
It lowers workload on long flights and supports precise flight-path control when flying by instruments.
Grounding Statement
If the pilot selects altitude hold, the system senses small changes from that altitude and moves the controls to bring the airplane back.
Intuition Check
Automatic does not mean the airplane is fully on its own or that the pilot can stop monitoring. It means the system can make selected control inputs without the pilot continuously moving the controls.
Example Sentence 1
After leveling off at cruise, the pilot engaged the automatic flight control system to hold altitude and track the course.
Example Sentence 2
On the approach, the automatic flight control system followed the localizer and glide slope once the pilot selected approach mode.