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automatic pilot

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noun
  1. Aeronautics. an airborne electronic control system that automatically maintains a preset heading and attitude.Also called automatic, autopilot, gyropilot, robot.
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Idioms
  1. on automatic pilot, functioning in an unthinking or reflexive manner.
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Origin of automatic pilot

First recorded in 1915–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

Gyropilot, autopilot
British Dictionary definitions for automatic pilot

automatic pilot

noun
  1. Also called: autopilot a device that automatically maintains an aircraft on a preset course
  2. on automatic pilot informal acting without conscious thought because of tiredness, shock, or familiarity with the task being performed
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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