Latest news with #autopilot
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
How does autopilot work? What's a 'go-around'? A Canadian pilot answers your biggest questions about flying
Have you ever wondered how many pilots are actually needed to fly your plane — or what they're really doing when autopilot is on? Maybe you've been sitting on a delayed flight, wondering why the departure time keeps getting pushed back. Or maybe you're wondering if you really need to put your phone on airplane mode when you take off. Air travel rules, terms and procedures can be, at times, mystifying. To help, we asked a pilot to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about upgrades, plane landings, flight delays and more. Below, Ryan*, a Canadian commercial pilot, shares a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get passengers safely from gate to gate. Here are some of the most-asked questions he gets as a pilot. How many pilots are needed to fly to a destination? "At an airline, we operate with a minimum of two pilots," says Ryan. "However, there are many situations where a third, or even fourth, pilot is required." "For instance, flights exceeding 14 hours in duration or those departing during the late night or early morning hours typically need additional crew," he explains. "On a typical long-haul flight to Asia, which takes approximately 14 hours from Toronto, we usually have four pilots onboard: a captain, two first officers and a relief pilot." Ryan says that during a flight, one pilot assumes the role of "pilot flying" — "meaning they are responsible for takeoff, landing, and a portion of the cruise" — while another serves as "pilot monitoring," who handles radio communications, coordinates with air traffic control, manages paperwork and performs other non-flying duties. "The flight duty is divided into four shifts. During cruising, two pilots operate the aircraft while the other two rest in the overhead bunk facilities," he says. After about three hours, the crews switch roles. "This rotation typically happens twice over the course of a long-haul flight," he says, noting that "all four pilots are present in the flight deck" for takeoff and landing. How does autopilot work? When is it used? "Autopilot is commonly used on most modern jet airliners," says Ryan. "While takeoff and landing are typically performed manually, in conditions of low visibility, the aircraft is capable of landing itself using an automatic landing system, though pilots remain fully alert and ready to take control at any moment." The autopilot system is used to manage the aircraft's speed, altitude and route using onboard GPS and "inputs programmed by the flight crew," says Ryan. "Pilots can override or adjust the autopilot at any time," he says, to do things like "navigate around weather systems, change speed or alter altitude to avoid turbulence." "Even when autopilot is engaged, pilots retain full authority over the aircraft and continuously monitor its course and systems." What causes flight delays? Flight delays can be annoying — and there are many factors that contribute to a delay. "Airlines always strive to operate on time, but delays can occur for a variety of reasons," Ryan says. "Ensuring an on-time departure requires coordination between many teams, both on the ground and behind the scenes." He says that common causes of flight delays include everything from weather conditions — either at the departure or arrival airport — to maintenance required to ensure the aircraft is safe to fly. The speed and efficiency of passengers boarding also plays a factor. Why do planes abort landings? "Aborted landings, also known as 'go-arounds,' occur when a landing is discontinued for safety reasons," says Ryan. He says there are many reasons a landing may be deemed not safe — whether it's due to obstructions on the runway or bad weather. "There are specific weather minimums that must be met — such as visibility, cloud coverage and wind conditions — in order for a safe landing to take place," he explains. If the conditions aren't right to land, pilots will initiate a go-around, which, in essence, means they'll attempt the landing again. "We climb up again, get to a safe altitude and then coordinate with air traffic control to come back and land," he says. "A go-around may also be initiated if the preceding aircraft hasn't vacated the runway in time, preventing a clear and safe landing zone." It can also be used if there's a technical issue when trying to land. "Let's say we're coming into land and we have an issue with the gear, or we have an issue with putting down the flaps or any mechanical things," he adds. "We will go around, deal with the situation, run some checklists and coordinate with maintenance and air traffic control, and then we'd come back when it's safe." Ultimately, if the pilots determine that a safe landing cannot be made for any reason, they will always choose to abort the landing. "The aircraft will then either attempt another landing at the same airport or divert to an alternate airport, depending on the situation," he says. Does putting your cellphone on 'airplane mode' actually matter? If you've ever travelled, you know that you have to switch your phone to "airplane mode" before taking off. But why? And do you really need to do it? "Airplanes are equipped with sensitive communication and navigation systems that can be affected by cellphones not set to airplane mode," says Ryan. "For example, when a phone receives a call or text, it can sometimes cause a buzzing or interference in the pilots' headsets, which are used to communicate with air traffic control." Air traffic controllers instruct pilots to climb, turn, descend and move safely, whether they're on the ground or in the air, so maintaining clear communication between ATC and pilots is important — so important that it's a federal requirement that phones be switched to "airplane mode" when flying. By switching your phone to airplane mode when asked, Ryan says you're helping to "prevent any potential disruption to onboard systems" during the flight. How can travellers get free upgrades when flying? "This question comes up frequently, and unfortunately, there is no guaranteed or 'free' way to receive an upgrade," says Ryan. "However, in certain cases, upgrades may be offered at the airline's discretion." He says that dressing up a little nicer or mentioning when it's a special occasion could get you an upgrade, or at least something special from the airline. "I've heard of airlines giving passengers free cake or little bottles of champagne, just to make the experience better," he says. He says that factors including aircraft weight and balance, frequent flyer status, or overbooking in economy with available seats in business or first class can also lead to a passenger being upgraded. "Sometimes it's not an upgrade to the seat specifically, but it might be an upgrade to your meal or drink," he says.
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Newsom seeks to halt Tesla operations, targeting Elon Musk
California authorities are locked in a legal battle with Elon Musk's Tesla in an effort to suspend the electric car company's operations in the state. Governor Gavin Newsom has been a vocal critic of Tesla's market dominance and clashed with the world's richest man intensely after he endorsed President Donald Trump in the 2024 race. Now, officials at the Department of Motor Vehicles have alleged in court Tesla deceived consumers with its autopilot and self driving features. Lawyers representing the DMV maintain Tesla engaged in false advertising when it promoted 'autopilot', 'self driving capability' and a system 'able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver's seat.' The suit was first filed in July 2022 and amended in November 2023. The state is seeking to have Tesla's licenses to manufacture and sell cars suspended in California for at least 30 days. Lawyers would also like Tesla to pay an as-yet-undetermined sum as restitution. 'These labels and descriptions represent specifically that respondent (Tesla)'s vehicles will operate as autonomous vehicles, which they could not and cannot do,' Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote in a July 17 brief. Deputy Attorney General Christopher Beatty, who represented the state's DMV in court, said it would be 'a straightforward case.' He argued that Tesla had for years advertised high-tech features which falsely suggested the cars could drive and park themselves. But attorneys for Tesla insisted the company 'has always made clear' that the cars are not fully autonomous and required 'active driver supervision.' Tesla has said Autopilot lets vehicles steer, accelerate and brake in their lanes, and Full Self-Driving lets vehicles obey traffic signals and change lanes. But it has admitted that neither excuses drivers from paying attention to the road, and the technologies 'do not make the vehicle autonomous.' DMV investigations Commander Melanie Rosario provided testimony during the first day of proceedings, arguing: 'Autopilot to me means (the car) can drive itself or do things on its own.' But she said she had noticed contradictory statements from Tesla, touting self driving capabilities while simultaneously instructing drivers to keep their hands on or near the steering wheel. David Marcus, representing Tesla, told the court the complaint is the DMV's latest attempt to block a company 'on the verge of fulfilling the dream' of getting autonomous vehicles on the mass market for public consumption. 'Let me say this very clearly, Tesla has never misled consumers. Never,' Marcus said. Musk and Newsom have clashed over state policies for years, including Newsom's decision to shut Tesla's Fremont factory during the pandemic and California's approval of a bill on transgender kids. In 2021, Tesla moved its headquarters from California to Texas, and by late 2024, SpaceX and X had followed suit. At the height of Musk and President Trump's bromance, Newsom vowed to introduce a state tax rebate on purchasing electric cars if the Trump administration eliminates the federal tax cut - excluding Musk's Tesla from a piece of the pie. The new rebates could exclude Tesla and other automakers with a large market share in an effort to promote more competition, the governor's office said. But that is subject to negotiation with the state Legislature. Tesla holds 55 percent of California's EV market share, down from 64 percent a year ago. Hyundai and BMW are the next two biggest EV sellers in the state, at just 6.4 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively. Musk, whose company is the only one that actually manufactures EVs in the Golden State, clearly felt singled out and slammed Newsom's proposal at the time. 'Even though Tesla is the only company who manufactures their EVs in California! This is insane,' he wrote on X. Newsom earlier this year told Musk's nemesis Steve Bannon that California 'created' the billionaire through generous EV mandates. Bannon said 'you know him. You guys created him', prompting Newsom to agree, adding: 'In many respects, California did. Our regulatory process and our subsidies to create this market.' That wasn't the first time Newsom had taken credit for Musk's success. 'It's one of the reasons guys like Elon Musk and others have become so successful,' Newsom said in October. 'It's because we've set price signals, we've created markets, we've created opportunities for investments. We're the number one manufacturer for a reason. We continue to be the envy of the world.' Tesla in July launched a small group of self-driving taxis in Texas after a several delays, with Musk celebrating the 'robotaxi launch' and social-media influencers posting videos of their first rides. The event marked the first time Tesla cars without human drivers have carried paying riders, a business that Musk sees as crucial to the electric car maker's financial future. He called the moment the 'culmination of a decade of hard work' in a post on his social-media platform X and noted that 'the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.'
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Newsom attempts to slam breaks on Musk and suspend Tesla's operations in explosive showdown over controversial feature
California authorities are locked in a legal battle with Elon Musk 's Tesla in an effort to suspend the electric car company's operations in the state. Governor Gavin Newsom has been a vocal critic of Tesla's market dominance and clashed with the world's richest man intensely after he endorsed President Donald Trump in the 2024 race. Now, officials at the Department of Motor Vehicles have alleged in court Tesla deceived consumers with its autopilot and self driving features. Lawyers representing the DMV maintain Tesla engaged in false advertising when it promoted 'autopilot', 'self driving capability' and a system 'able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver's seat.' The suit was first filed in July 2022 and amended in November 2023. The state is seeking to have Tesla's licenses to manufacture and sell cars suspended in California for at least 30 days. Lawyers would also like Tesla to pay an as-yet-undetermined sum as restitution. 'These labels and descriptions represent specifically that respondent (Tesla)'s vehicles will operate as autonomous vehicles, which they could not and cannot do,' Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote in a July 17 brief. Deputy Attorney General Christopher Beatty, who represented the state's DMV in court, said it would be 'a straightforward case.' He argued that Tesla had for years advertised high-tech features which falsely suggested the cars could drive and park themselves. But attorneys for Tesla insisted the company 'has always made clear' that the cars are not fully autonomous and required 'active driver supervision.' Tesla has said Autopilot lets vehicles steer, accelerate and brake in their lanes, and Full Self-Driving lets vehicles obey traffic signals and change lanes. But it has admitted that neither excuses drivers from paying attention to the road, and the technologies 'do not make the vehicle autonomous.' DMV investigations Commander Melanie Rosario provided testimony during the first day of proceedings, arguing: 'Autopilot to me means (the car) can drive itself or do things on its own.' But she said she had noticed contradictory statements from Tesla, touting self driving capabilities while simultaneously instructing drivers to keep their hands on or near the steering wheel. David Marcus, representing Tesla, told the court the complaint is the DMV's latest attempt to block a company 'on the verge of fulfilling the dream' of getting autonomous vehicles on the mass market for public consumption. 'Let me say this very clearly, Tesla has never misled consumers. Never,' Marcus said. Musk and Newsom have clashed over state policies for years, including Newsom's decision to shut Tesla's Fremont factory during the pandemic and California's approval of a bill on transgender kids. In 2021, Tesla moved its headquarters from California to Texas, and by late 2024, SpaceX and X had followed suit. At the height of Musk and President Trump's bromance, Newsom vowed to introduce a state tax rebate on purchasing electric cars if the Trump administration eliminates the federal tax cut - excluding Musk's Tesla from a piece of the pie. The new rebates could exclude Tesla and other automakers with a large market share in an effort to promote more competition, the governor's office said. But that is subject to negotiation with the state Legislature. Tesla holds 55 percent of California's EV market share, down from 64 percent a year ago. Hyundai and BMW are the next two biggest EV sellers in the state, at just 6.4 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively. Musk, whose company is the only one that actually manufactures EVs in the Golden State, clearly felt singled out and slammed Newsom's proposal at the time. 'Even though Tesla is the only company who manufactures their EVs in California! This is insane,' he wrote on X. Newsom earlier this year told Musk's nemesis Steve Bannon that California 'created' the billionaire through generous EV mandates. Bannon said 'you know him. You guys created him', prompting Newsom to agree, adding: 'In many respects, California did. Our regulatory process and our subsidies to create this market.' That wasn't the first time Newsom had taken credit for Musk's success. 'It's one of the reasons guys like Elon Musk and others have become so successful,' Newsom said in October. 'It's because we've set price signals, we've created markets, we've created opportunities for investments. We're the number one manufacturer for a reason. We continue to be the envy of the world.' Tesla in July launched a small group of self-driving taxis in Texas after a several delays, with Musk celebrating the 'robotaxi launch' and social-media influencers posting videos of their first rides. The event marked the first time Tesla cars without human drivers have carried paying riders, a business that Musk sees as crucial to the electric car maker's financial future. He called the moment the 'culmination of a decade of hard work' in a post on his social-media platform X and noted that 'the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.' But efforts to expand the service faced a roadblock when it was revealed Tesla is yet to apply for regulatory permits it needs to operate driverless taxis in California. Musk had hoped to its robotaxis to the San Francisco Bay Area within two months.
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- ABC News
Australian Tesla owners seeking compensation as phantom braking leaves drivers 'completely terrified'
When Dominic Yin bought his Tesla two years ago he didn't think he'd be taken for "a scary ride". A few months after his purchase, he was driving on the highway between Sydney and Melbourne when the car suddenly braked for no apparent reason. He told 7.30 a truck was behind him at the time. "The truck driver behind me pressed (his) horn and (gave me the finger), and I pointed to the car: 'It's not me, it's the car'". The issue is widely known as phantom braking and Mr Yin says it has happened to him numerous times. Some Tesla drivers have reported phantom braking while their car is in autopilot mode, which according to Tesla, "enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane". It's not entirely autonomous driving, but you can take your foot off the accelerator while the car drives along at a set speed and slows down for other vehicles. Tesla advises drivers that they should keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times. The company also maintains autopilot is designed to make driving safer, but in the US, Tesla has been sued over several deadly crashes in which the system was enabled. The Elon Musk run company has reportedly settled some of these cases but not admitted to any wrongdoing, citing driver error. Last month Tesla shared a video on social media showing an apparent test drive of its semi-autonomous system on Melbourne's streets, and said not even hook turns were a problem. Following a US consumer lawsuit over phantom braking, about 10,000 Tesla drivers in Australia have registered their interest in a class action against the company. The case began in the Federal Court last month, claiming that Australian consumers were misled over phantom braking, battery range and self-driving capability. "The issues that have been reported to us are that vehicles can be driving along on the highway at 100 or 110kph and all of a sudden the brakes are applied suddenly and without reason," class action lawyer, Rebecca Jancauskas told 7.30. "Drivers have reported feeling completely terrified when their vehicles have braked suddenly and it has led in some cases to collisions. "We've had many reports of people who registered for this class action, telling us that they've been driving with their hands on the vehicle, fully alert, and these issues have occurred nonetheless." 7.30 invited Tesla Australia to respond to the claims but it did not reply. The federal infrastructure department is responsible for road safety and told 7.30 it had received only six reports from consumers about braking problems with Teslas over two years. Peter Khoury from the NRMA said Tesla drivers should raise their concerns if they are subject to any phantom braking. "If you are experiencing this occurring in your vehicle, go to the manufacturer immediately because this can be a safety risk if it is occurring," he said. "If you're not satisfied with what the manufacturer has told you or done, you're not powerless in Australia. There is the capacity to notify the Australian government." The Australian class action is seeking compensation for Tesla drivers, claiming they have lost resale value given the problems. Mr Yin said there's "no way" he would have bought his Tesla had he been made aware by Tesla about phantom braking. He wants a full refund or for Tesla to fix the problem. "You're always wondering when (it's) going to happen next," he said. Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
South China Morning Post
17-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Lufthansa plane flown by autopilot after pilot faints in cockpit
A Lufthansa flight was flown by autopilot when the co-pilot, alone in the cockpit as the pilot had stepped away to use the bathroom, fainted, Spanish investigators said in a report about an incident last year that was released on Saturday. The Airbus A321 flew without a pilot in charge for 10 minutes, the Spanish accident investigation authority CIAIAC said of the flight on February 17, 2024 from Frankfurt to Seville. Lufthansa confirmed it was aware of the report and said its flight safety department had conducted an extensive internal investigation into the incident. But the company did not disclose the results of its investigation, stating: 'We ask for your understanding that we will not comment beyond the investigation report.' Although the unconscious co-pilot apparently unintentionally operated the controls, the aircraft continued to fly stably thanks to the active autopilot. The voice recorder captured strange noises in the cockpit during this time which were consistent with an acute medical emergency, the report said. A Lufthansa plane is seen at sunset at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, in April. Photo: AFP Some 10 minutes later, the captain managed to open the cockpit security door using an emergency code. He had completed training for such an eventuality a month beforehand.
