Happy landings
p. 104 · Read in the full issue
automatically
With its fleet of VC 10s, BOAC has pioneered one of the world’s most advanced systems of automatic landing.
The object of this policy is to offer improved service to passengers by maintaining punctuality in lower weather minima conditions. The Boeing 747 has a triple channel autopilot that has been cleared by the American authorities for use in auto matic landings. The principle of the automatic pilot is to provide super-consistent con trol of the aircraft under con tinuous monitoring by the crew, and it has been applied to airline operations through several generations of aircraft.
Automatic landing involves the extension of this principle to the final approach, flare-out and touchdown.