Episode Details

When fog is so thick that pilots can't see the wingtip, how does a 200-ton aircraft still touch down exactly on the centerline? This episode breaks down the real chain of systems behind Category III autoland approaches — from ILS beams stable to 0.001 degrees, to triple-redundant autopilots cross-checking eighty times per second, to the human factors challenge of staying ready to take control in under two seconds. It's not one magic button; it's a stack of ground equipment, aircraft hardware, crew training, and airport infrastructure that all has to be perfect simultaneously.