Definition
Aircraft systems that automatically control the flight path, attitude, or other handling characteristics of the aircraft without continuous manual input from the pilot. This category includes autopilots, flight directors, autothrottles, yaw dampers, and stability augmentation systems, which work alone or together to hold headings, altitudes, airspeeds, or programmed routes.
Plain English
Equipment built into the aircraft that can fly it for the pilot — keeping it level, on course, at the right altitude, or following a planned route — so the pilot does not have to hand-fly every moment.
Context Anchor
Seen in avionics, autopilot, equipment, and maintenance discussions, especially when deciding what work may or may not count as preventive maintenance.
Derivation
Automatic comes from the Greek automatos, meaning 'self-acting.' Flight control systems is plain English: the systems that control the flight. Together: systems that control the flight by themselves.
Why Pilots Care
These systems lower workload on long flights and help maintain precise flight paths in instrument conditions, but they must be kept serviceable so they do not create unexpected deviations.
Intuition Check
Do not read automatic as meaning the airplane flies safely by itself. Here it means the system can carry out selected control tasks after the pilot sets or approves them.
Example Sentence 1
After leveling off at cruise altitude, she engaged the automatic flight control system to hold heading and altitude while she reviewed the approach charts.
Example Sentence 2
During the annual inspection the mechanic tested the automatic flight control systems to confirm all servos responded correctly to mode selections.