[ELI5] How did the auto-pilot in Charles Lingburgh and Amelia Earhart’s transcontinental planes work so they could sleep or use the bathroom?
In: Engineering
I can’t comment on these people’s planes in particular, but early versions of auto-pilot were mainly based on gyroscopes which are designed to keep themselves straight/level. They can’t really navigate and follow a route, but they’ll keep a plane level and more-or-less straight on their own. With a compass you can keep a straight heading more consistently.
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