First:
Garmin has announced “Autoland.”
Now Autoland—as most of us will agree—is not really new. Decades ago, I was an invited cockpit passenger in an almost-new freight-hauling B-747. On the last approach/landing, the pilots let the autopilot do everything. We landed on the centerline and the brakes were applied—all done by the autopilot.
OTOH, it seems that Garmin’s Autoland is intended for GA aircraft.
To quote Garmin, “In an emergency the pilot or passenger can activate Autoland to land the aircraft by pressing a dedicated button, and the system can also activate automatically, if necessary. Once activated, the system calculates a flight plan to the most suitable airport, initiates an approach to the runway and automatically lands the aircraft without pilot or passenger intervention.”
It’s going to be awhile before I understand this. Will it be available for basic GA aircraft—like the Cessna 172? How much will it cost? Can the typical C-172 owner afford it? I dunno.
I got my instrument rating decades ago, when I was selling airplanes. I flew weekly, most of it cross-country. No matter where I was going or what I was flying, I filed an IFR flight plan for the altitude that had clouds. It was great experience.
I must admit that I wonder a bit if this Autoland will seem to be an easy way out for low-time pilots. I hope not.
Second:
Y’all, the desperate need for pilots and technicians has not dwindled but seems to be growing.
The great news is that more and more money is pouring into college aviation courses and other options for getting into aviation.
If you know sharp young people, now is the time to point them toward an aviation career.
Seems to me that we have said for decades that there would be a sharp demand for aviation professionals—it is now happening!
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