Auto-land apparently works when the pilot is not functioning.
Not sure if it works when the engine quits on takeoff.
Not sure if it works when the engine quits on takeoff.
The funny thing is, to make change at a cash drawer in the fastest and most accurate way requires almost no math skills at all. You walk across the coin trays and count up from the bill amount (using the various coins) until you get to an even dollar, then do the same with the paper currency until you reach the amount the customer gave you (which should still be sitting outside the till, never added to it until the change is given and the customer acknowledges it. Reduces the likelihood of the "I gave you a $20, not a $10" scam. "Nope, what you gave me is right here" )It's easier now but back in the day I used to enjoy giving people cash and watching them struggle to know how much change to give especially when the bill would be something like $5.17 and you hand them $10.25.![]()
The Garmin G1000 has had that for some time. It has a "nearest" button that highlights the nearest airport. It also has a glide range ring and a fuel range ring, too.The desirability of a tool to aid you very much depends upon your attitude and ( should also ) skills. I was assuming a "panic button" programmed to display available KNOWN landing spots. That function seems to be within reasonable technical capacity. It would show only pre-programmed legal landing fields, as the judgment call as to suitability of mall parking lots or school yards is difficult to program for. I think we can agree that complex decision making is beyond unclassified civilian A.I. ( and military Terminator stuff is irrelevant to this thread)
The funny thing is, to make change at a cash drawer in the fastest and most accurate way requires almost no math skills at all. You walk across the coin trays and count up from the bill amount (using the various coins) until you get to an even dollar, then do the same with the paper currency until you reach the amount the customer gave you (which should still be sitting outside the till, never added to it until the change is given and the customer acknowledges it. Reduces the likelihood of the "I gave you a $20, not a $10" scam. "Nope, what you gave me is right here" )
I guess I would not argue that it would supplant good training; that is a false dichotomy. I envisioned it more as decision support for the pilot while they fly the plane. I recall seeing people talk about situations where the pilot was so focused on landing in a particular place that they did not even consider landing on a 90 degree road or other available path that would be much easier to make than the runway. I think simple things like which airports are within reasonable glide distance are pretty easy to calculate based upon wind and altitude if the actual glide of the plane is known. The citation guys with dpf in the tank talked about how they really did not know the estimated power off glide for their plane and then had to calculate whether a given target airport was reachable while they were falling out of the sky. Seems like something foreflight can tell you pretty easily, including runway lengths etc.Such machinery assumes that the wind at your level is the same as on the ground, which it very often is not. If you have a tailwind that will convince the computer that you will reach that field, as you descend the wind will weaken (as it usually does) and you'll come up short. Sometimes the wind direction at 500 feet can be completely different that the wind at the surface. The computer also assumes you will maintain best glide, something not often done when under severe stress. And the weight and CG of the airplane figures into it as well.
There is NO substitute for training, knowledge and experience. We have seen this borne out in the stupid airliner accidents like the Air France crash into the Atlantic as they descended in a stall all the way to the water. Or the Asiana airliner that crashed short of the runway in San Francisco, with several pilots in the cockpit and none of them flying the thing, all assuming that the autothrottles were looking after stuff.
Computers are only as good as the people programming and using them. A pilot needs to know instantly when something isn't looking right. Instantly. And that takes training and experience.
Yes I think one should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. It could start with known airfields and later undertake a more sophisticated approach. It definitely would be possible to do a fairly detailed analysis of one's home airfield options based upon wind conditions and altitude, to include roads. This is really what led to the effort described in the EAA video - one dude figuring out what his options were in his plane for his home field.First, I'm a Luddite, too.
The desirability of a tool to aid you very much depends upon your attitude and ( should also ) skills. I was assuming a "panic button" programmed to display available KNOWN landing spots. That function seems to be within reasonable technical capacity. It would show only pre-programmed legal landing fields, as the judgment call as to suitability of mall parking lots or school yards is difficult to program for. I think we can agree that complex decision making is beyond unclassified civilian A.I. ( and military Terminator stuff is irrelevant to this thread)
Such an A.I. display would be relatively easy for powered flight, making assumptions like "standard rate" turns and reasonable airspeed limits, but be more challenging for power loss scenarios. Not, I think, impossible, but very difficult to do, as the computer would need to constantly update it's internal model. Perhaps color coded zones, that would change in near real time. It might just display "good luck" if there's no runway in reach. ( which I'm assuming is the case when arguing about "impossible turns" )
Question. Is autopilot "panic button, land us safely while I give the copilot CPR", function available? ( today? No matter if you want or can afford )
My father was very, very good at math and could spit out an answer as fast as someone using a calculator. Professional gambler, card counter, ( the type not allowed at Vegas ). Also photographic memory. My youngest son also ,( missed me). My father used his gift one way and my youngest son used the same gift a different way , computer engineer and Wall Street stock market. Son was doing 12 grade HS work at 12 years old. Only 12 year old kid that I knew that read the Wall-Street Journal every day.It's easier now but back in the day I used to enjoy giving people cash and watching them struggle to know how much change to give especially when the bill would be something like $5.17 and you hand them $10.25.![]()
I had an engine failure at about 30-40' on takeoff in a Cherokee 140 when a mud-wasp plugged the fuel tank vent up when I stopped at the airport for about 20 minutes. Larger airport and got it down and stopped before crossing an intersection runway.If the first rate journalism is accurate, this might be the lowest "engine failure turn back" ever attempted:
![]()
Private plane gets 15 feet off the ground before crashing at Bishop International Airport
The incident is not affecting the day's commercial air traffic.www.mlive.com
Here is the link for the test cards to record your own data: eaa.org/testcards
Download them and fill them out with your flight test data, and record the runs in Foreflight and include that data in the email. Then email to:
[email protected]
Enter your email address to join:
Register today and take advantage of membership benefits.
Enter your email address to join: