Aircraft functionality which relieves the pilot of some cockpit workload by assuming a number of configurable tasks for him/her.
The autopilot can be commanded to (for example)
- Hold an airspeed (autothrottle)
- Hold a heading
- Hold an altitude
- Fly a VOR radial
- Land the aircraft
A more complicated autopilot is the
Flight Management System which can be made to fly the entire flight plan, from 30 seconds after take off to landing.