The Advance Towards Category Three Automatic Landings: The use of the Plessey‐Daval Flight Data Recorder towards obtaining Category 3 Autoland clearance on B.E.A. Tridents

AT the present time the B.E.A. Trident fleet is cleared to perform Automatic Landings at suitable airfields throughout the U.K. and Europe in weather conditions down to Category 2 defined limitations. This means that the captain must have visual contact with the runway from a height of at least 100 ft. in order to be fully able to monitor the final stages of the automatic landing. This clearance stage has been achieved by satisfactory demonstration to the Air Registration Board of the performance and safety standard of the Smith's Autoland system by a large number of landings made on test Tridents operated by Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd.