ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Autoland

Autoland is like having a robot pilot that can land an airplane without needing any help from a human pilot. It's a special feature that some airplanes have, and it's designed to keep everyone safe by making sure the airplane lands smoothly even if the pilot is unable to do it.

When an airplane is going to land, usually the pilot will take over control and land the plane. But sometimes, the weather might be bad or the pilot might be sick, tired, or injured. In these cases, the autoland feature comes in handy.

The autoland system uses lots of sensors and computers to figure out where the airplane is and how it needs to be oriented to land safely. It also takes into account things like the wind, the runway length, and the airplane's speed. Once it has all this information, it can then guide the airplane to the ground all by itself.

During an autoland, the airplane will usually slow down and descend towards the runway while the system makes small adjustments to keep the airplane's wings level and the nose pointed in the right direction. Then, when the airplane is close enough to the ground, the system will even turn on the brakes and bring the airplane to a complete stop.

In short, autoland is a special feature that airplanes can have, which allows them to land all by themselves without needing any help from a human pilot. It's designed to keep everyone safe and ensure that airplanes can land smoothly even under difficult conditions.