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automatic pilot

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noun

Aeronautics. an airborne electronic control system that automatically maintains a preset heading and attitude.Also called automatic, autopilot, gyropilot, robot.

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RELATED WORDS

Gyropilot, autopilot

Nearby words

automatic door, automatic exposure, automatic focus, automatic frequency control, automatic gain control, automatic pilot, automatic pistol, automatic redial, automatic repeat, automatic rifle, automatic tracking

Idioms

    on automatic pilot, functioning in an unthinking or reflexive manner.

Origin of automatic pilot

First recorded in 1915–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for automatic pilot

automatic pilot

noun

Also called: autopilot a device that automatically maintains an aircraft on a preset course
on automatic pilot informal acting without conscious thought because of tiredness, shock, or familiarity with the task being performed
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012