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Originally Posted by kgroschi
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Originally Posted by andrew2101
Wow you really are a very special person.
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No not really. I was just always really into aviation and cars. Started my official pilot training with 15 and have been flying ever since (both fixed wing and rotorcraft (helicopters)). Worked as a journalist because duh, that's what my dad has done his entire life. Didn't make enough money and didn't 100% like it so I had to start my own business. Please don't call me special.
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Originally Posted by SR22pilot
Since the term comes from aviation, isn't it interesting how non-pilots haven't a clue what a real autopilot does. Does the term really confuse you? I have found a lot of people who are upset at the term fully understand what Autopilot on a Tesla is and isn't. Somehow they seem to feel they understand better than others what people other than themselves think.
In the end there is a manual and it is fairly clear. Some of the things people complain about with Autopilot are issues with other systems. Just because it is named Driver Assist, I don't see people understanding the limitations if they haven't read the manual. I got into a discussion with an Infiniti owner who said his car had no problem automatically stopping for other stopped cars. I then went to the manual for his car and showed him where it warned that, when on adaptive cruise control, the system might not recognize a stopped car uncovered by a moving car changing lanes. My point is that naming it adaptive cruise control did nothing to make the driver realize there is a major limitation with the system.
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Great point SR22 Pilot. Manuals are the key. And I'd say that 98% of Autopilot users know what the system can and cannot do.
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Originally Posted by teaston
The term Autopilot is definitely very confusing! I have to admit that up to only about a year ago I thought Tesla’s were capable of completely driving by themselves without any driver intervention, and I am very into cars, I read lots of car magazines and watch a lot of car programs! Considering that, I can imagine a very large percentage of people will assume the same when they first hear about Tesla’s “Autopilot”, and many of them will continue to think that for a long time.
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Wow that's insane. It's hard to believe that but I believe you. However, it doesn't really matter what a large percentage of the people think the Tesla Autopilot can do. What matters is that the people who drive these cars know what the system can and cannot do. But Tesla (at least in my experience) did a great job explaining everything during the delivery. (Even I had already driven the car and was aware of how these systems work and when they could fail. I remember active cruise control from the year 1999 in the Mercedes S Class. I guess I am a bit better educated on these systems than others.)
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Originally Posted by MarkyM
I must admit in all my years (I'm not a pilot, I'm a passenger) I've always assumed autopilot in airplanes, was only used for cruising at a set course once all the difficult stuff was done, that maybe too simplistic though?
What I do have a problem with is when sometimes they are called semi-autonomous modes, that to me is meaningless and misleading, it's either autonomous or not, can't be half and half surely  : |
Autopilots in commercial aviation are often used from 800 feet above ground in the US. Depends on the airline. I know Lufthansa or Swiss (and I am sure many others) let pilots decide. Some of them like to hand fly to not "lose it", so they often hand fly till 10,000 feet if the workload is not too heavy. And autopilot usually goes off again maybe around 200 - 1000 feet above the ground when landing. Again, depending on the airline and pilots.
You are somewhat correct. Semi-autonomous is a bit confusing. I would personally not know a better word though. I mean you can drive on Tesla AP for 100 miles without touching the steering wheel (with the removal of the nag), pedals etc. so calling that just an assist system would be terrible marketing to say the least. |
I was being sarcastic. Perhaps I should have used conceited.