this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2023
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Agreed. They are deliberately taking advantage of the fact that people don’t understand how autopilot is actually used in aircraft.
Sure, the most pedantic of us will point out that, with autopilot enabled, the pilot-flying is still in command of the aircraft and still responsible for the safe conduct of the flight. Pilots don’t** engage autopilot and then leave the cockpit unattended. They prepare for the next phase of flight, monitor their surroundings, prepare for top-of-descent, and to stay mentally ahead of the rapid-fire events and requirements for a safe approach and landing. Good pilots let the autopilot free them up for other tasks, while always preparing for the very real possibility that the autopilot will malfunction in the most lethal way possible at the worst possible moment.
Do non-pilots understand that? No. The parent poster is absolutely correct: Tesla is taking advantage of peoples’ misunderstanding, and then hiding behind pedantic truth about what a real autopilot is actually for.
** Occasionally pilots do, and many times something goes horribly wrong unexpectedly and they die. Smart, responsible pilots don’t. Further, sometimes pilots fail to manage their autopilot correctly, or use it without understanding how it can behave when something goes wrong. (RIP to aviation Youtuber TNFlygirl who had a fatal accident six days ago, suspected to be due to mismanagement of an unfamiliar autopilot system.)
Pilots, at least at the upper echelons, have it drilled into them that they are responsible for the aircraft, their actions in it, and those aboard it. I cannot stress the difference between the casual attitude the vast majority of people view their actions behind the wheel with vs the attitude and responsibility of operating a complex commercial aircraft.
Autopilot is a generally necessary convenience for operation of aircraft on long flights, for efficiency, comfort, and preventing fatigue…but it gets turned off instantly should safety require it and conditions warrant it.
In a car? People use it for reading, watching video clips, dozing off if they can get away with it, and letting it drive them right into or cause a wreck.
The problem isn’t necessarily the system (though Tesla’s FSD is full of problems), it’s the fact that drivers are willfully dumbasses with no real understanding of their car’s system and their responsibilities regarding them.
Plus there are multiple levels of autopilot. The plane I flew had a half-ass single axis that was usually not worth using, although maybe when things were hectic it could help reduce workload slightly
Your disclaimer basically describes all these Tesla fatalities just the same. You just substituted Tesla with aircraft.