- Sargent explained that Autoland is designed only for emergency use and not for pilots to use just because the weather is marginal or crosswinds too high or to prevent, say, a runway overrun for a pilot who isn’t confident about accomplishing a safe landing. The idea is “bad pilot, good airplane,” in other words, the pilot is no longer able to fly but the airplane is still operating normally and there is no other qualified pilot on board.
“I thought of my grandmother,” said Bailey Scheel, Garmin senior aviation programs engineer and manager. Although her grandmother has done pinch-hitter courses that teach non-pilots how to land in case the pilot has a medical issue, a safe outcome isn’t guaranteed. She added, “[Autoland] is more for her and her comfort.”
Another way to look at Autoland is that it gives aircraft manufacturers an alternative to a parachute-type rescue system for situations where the pilot is incapacitated and the airplane is still operating and given proper guidance, could land on a suitable runway. For Cirrus, Autoland adds the option of getting the airplane to a nearby airport where medical assistance may be more readily available, as opposed to deploying the parachute system over a remote area and hoping rescuers arrive in time.