Definition
A level of autopilot capability in which the autopilot can fly the helicopter through phases of flight without the pilot needing to keep hands on the controls, automatically maintaining attitude, heading, altitude, airspeed, and selected navigation modes.
Plain English
The autopilot can fly the helicopter on its own for stretches of the flight while the pilot watches and supervises, rather than physically holding the controls.
Context Anchor
Seen in helicopter instrument flying when discussing AFCS and autopilot modes that reduce pilot workload during precise flight.
Derivation
“Hands off” comes from the plain idea of not needing to keep your hands actively on something. “Autopilot” means an automatic system that helps perform pilot control tasks. Together, the phrase points to a system that can fly selected parts of the aircraft’s path without constant hand pressure from the pilot.
Why Pilots Care
Allows the pilot to focus on navigation, communication, and instrument scan instead of constant control inputs during instrument approaches.
Intuition Check
“Hands off” does not mean the pilot is no longer flying the helicopter. It means the autopilot is holding selected control tasks while the pilot supervises and remains ready to take over.
Example Sentence 1
Once established in cruise, the crew engaged the hands off autopilot function to reduce workload while they reviewed the approach.
Example Sentence 2
During the missed approach, engaging the hands off function let the helicopter climb and turn without further pilot control inputs.