Thank you Tom. Airbus does talk about Autolanding in cross winds as a part of limitations, but no where RECOMMENDS autoland in heavy rain (other than a presentation). Many times pilots just keep going around (and around) because the rain at some point becomes heavy enough to suddenly reduce the clarity of runway lighting (rain is not like a bathroom shower that remains steady) for a GOOD landing, though the reported visibility or RVR maybe even Cat 1 conditions. Autolanding in Cat 1 is permitted everywhere (I hope so) provided the pilot is aware that the ILS beams are not protected as for a Cat II or Cat III approach. My intention of starting the thread was that pilots may become aware that Autoland is NOT limited to FOG related weather only and can be used in case of visibility dropping because of rain - of course when you have briefed for it. A lot of pilots do think that auto land is only permitted in fog related weather deterioration. In Airbus, FMA reads Cat III Dual (Fail Operational) when both AP are engaged and Cat III Single (Fail Passive) with a single AP (for others on the forum). Thank you everyone for your excellent participation and making me wiser and a more aware pilot.
