The Origins Of Autopilot

The first rudimentary autopilot system can be traced back to nearly the beginning of flight, when in 1912 the Sperry Corporation created a system that allowed a plane to fly straight without a pilot’s control. The development was a significant one, as it set the course for air travel as we know it today, and gave both mental and physical space to the pilot to increase focus on other aspects of operating a flight or combat, as the case may be.

Following World War II, the U.S. manufactured a plane, the F-5 fighter jet, that could take off and land on its own.