Unofficial autopilot phraseology

After we land, it is a short taxi to the gate followed by the parking checklist and a quick debrief of any items still left to cover, and then my first officer and I will part ways for different flights home.

“Emergency now in progress.” With that, a horn is going off, lights flash, and a loud click sounds as the autothrottles turn off.

It isn’t really an emergency, but a common play on words. The “emergency” in question is the disconnect of the autopilot in addition to the autothrottles. It is considered at least a professional courtesy to advise other pilots on the flight deck that the autopilot is going to be turned off. “This is me,” is the most common, said just before the buttons are pushed and the noises are made. Many airlines require that the flying pilot make the announcement before hitting the disconnect button to avoid surprising the other pilot. Pilots being pilots, that verbiage often takes on a bit of a humorous tone. Given that the autopilot is engaged during most of our flying time, it’s easy to joke that a true emergency may well be the pilot attempting to hand-fly any part of the flight—an emergency that really isn’t. Usually.

In the past several years, there has been a push by carriers and the FAA to encourage more hand-flying in order to maintain a higher degree of basic proficiency. This is always a balancing act. Automation allows the crew, and especially the pilot flying, to focus on the bigger picture: looking for traffic, listening to the radio in busy airspace, programming route changes, and so on. The autopilot (and autothrottles, when so equipped) also provides a smoother ride for the passengers, while saving fuel, which saves money, especially over the course of thousands of flights per day, per week, per year. There are certainly strong arguments for working on basic flying proficiency, and most pilots are on board with the concept. But busy hubs are not always the best places to have one pilot fixated on the primary flight display, especially if the departure requires a fairly low level-off or turn. Or both.

Generally, most crews will see more hand-flying on departure than on arrival. Fatigue factors into this, as does the fact that they’re leaving the busy airspace closer to an airport. When possible, I will hand-fly until at least 10,000 feet, and often into the high teens. During the arrival, I generally wait until close to the final approach course, but at a less busy spoke airport, I might turn the autopilot off on the downwind or base. The weather drives some of these decisions, as does how smooth the air is, to say nothing of my mood on a given day. Every company has policies dictating when automation is required, and mine is no different. Flight in reduced vertical separation minimums airspace also requires an autopilot, and certain published approach procedures can as well.

Engaging and disengaging the autopilot has prompted a variety of different terms and expressions. Among the most common is, “George has got it.” (The George reference is believed to be either a reference to King George VI of England during World War II, since he “owned” the airplanes, and therefore “controlled” them, or to George de Beeson, who patented an autopilot in 1930.) When I was flying CRJs, the automation was a product of Rockwell Collins, and one captain I flew with would announce that “Masters Rockwell and Collins are now in command.” It sounded much more regal than other options. It also gave the captain two parties to blame if something went wrong.

Any pilot who has seen Airplane! is well aware of the (inflatable) “Otto Pilot” gags, and pilots often announce that Otto has either taken over or given up. Immature jokes and comments usually ensue, and no matter how well known they are, it’s hard not to let out a chuckle or two.

Airline crews also spend more time in simulators than many of us care to, and when the simulators are powered up and ready to do their (evil) work, the good sim instructor will announce, “Motion is on.” This advises the crew that the ramp to the sim is no longer attached, and that the sim will be subject to moving around on its jacks. When the session is over, “Motion coming off” is commonly heard. In the airplane, “Motion coming on” is a euphemism for the autopilot being disengaged and the less-smooth human taking over (and inducing motion). “Motion off” means that the sloppy human is done showing off and turning the work over to Otto.

“Crisis averted” is another expression that is sometimes heard as the autopilot is engaged, again to say that the smart machine is taking over from the carbon-based unit. Of course, the self-deprecating remarks are made in jest, since most pilots are confident in their ability to fly the airplane. But there is also a recognition that the automation can and will do some things better, more efficiently, and more smoothly. The passengers, after all, are not paying for us to show off.

But the balancing act is real. Pilots need to be proficient in hand-flying during all phases of flight, and there is now a renewed industrywide push to reemphasize that, both in the simulators and in the airplane. Common sense needs to dictate when it might be smarter to hand-fly (or not), and when possible, it should be exercised.