What a great fim! I love the bit with the test pilot nonchalantly talking to the camera over his shoulder as the aircraft descends through two hundred feet. Talk about confidence in the autoland system.
Forty years later I am not sure how much things have improved. I certainly would not feel comfortable doing that on my 737....not after the autopilots tripped out in the flare a few weeks ago! Certainly got my attention.
As an SLF 'Flight Deck Groupie', when such things were possible
I remember a 1983 Autoland approach to (I think) 10R at LHR in a BA 737 ex Moscow. We could see aircraft on approach disappearing into the clag from about overhead Beaconsfield VOR and all innocent, I asked if we would doing an autoland?
The reply was that they wouldn't, ordinarily, do one because they would probably break out at 1000ft and land mandraulically, but since I'd asked and they hadn't done one in a few weeks ......
It was fascinating and just like the first film clip. The FO sat with his hands on his knees, watching and the Captain was turned round chatting to me! Mind you, just before touch down they both said "Ohhh no!" and there was a hell of a bang on landing. Stuff fell out of the rack behind me and I was clearing it off the centre console as we braked.
Obviously I asked ......
Apparently the Trident and BAC111 had their A/L set up to do 'greasers' on the long runways of Europe, but Boeing set up theirs to trip the WOW switches "on the zebra stripes". Obviously so the 737 can land in foul weather at indifferent airfields in Battle Creek, Michigan without falling off the runway.
A very interesting evening that.
And if you are still reading; thanks to those two and all the other crews who put up with me in dozens of cockpits around the world.
Roger.