Flight director (aviation)
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In aviation, a flight director is a navigational aid that shows the pilot of an aircraft what path he must follow in order to conform to the programming of the autopilot.
[edit] Description
A flight director is normally installed only in aircraft that also include an autopilot.
The flight director computes and displays the proper path for the aircraft to follow in order to match a preprogrammed group of autopilot settings. For example, if the autopilot is set to hold heading and altitude, the flight director shows the pilot how he must move the aircraft in order to reach and maintain the required heading and altitude. When the autopilot is disengaged, the pilot can fly to parameters that match the autopilot manually by conforming to the indications of the flight director; when the autopilot is engaged, the autopilot itself will follow the flight director indications.
The exact form of the flight director's display varies with the instrument type and aircraft.
