October 30, 2025
Eject, Reject, or Wreck?
If a pilot ejects, what is the autopilot programmed to do? (2018)
Internet pilots feud: Should jets ghost-fly, self-destruct, or just do nothing
TLDR: When a fighter pilot ejects, the autopilot typically doesn’t swoop in to save the jet. Commenters clash over whether it should do nothing, self-destruct to protect secrets, or just wipe IDs—anchored by a haunting case where an unmanned jet hit parked planes, making safety the top concern.
The thread asked a simple question—what does a jet’s autopilot do when the pilot ejects? The community’s loudest answer: basically nothing, and that’s exactly how it should be. Commenters argue that if a real fighter pilot pulls the handle, the jet is already beyond safe flying; ripping off the canopy adds drag and chaos, so “let the computer land it” is pure fantasy. The mood? A blunt chorus of “do nothing” led by tekla, with jokes about getting court-martialed by Clippy if you try to ghost your jet. Then came the gut-punch: ortusdux dropped the Green Ramp disaster, where an ejected F-16 kept blasting on full afterburner and slammed into parked aircraft—24 dead—sending chills and a wave of “ghost jet” memes. Hot takes lit up: darkhorn argued the jet should self-destruct in wartime so enemies get zero secrets, while the__alchemist pushed for “controlled ejection”—aim it away from people if you have the luxury. Hex4def6 landed a middle ground: wipe the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) and encryption, then keep whatever flight mode it already had, because adding surprise behaviors is scary. Bottom line: safety vs secrecy vs chaos, with the crowd firmly voting for minimal drama from the machine.
Key Points
- •Ejection indicates the aircraft cannot be flown safely, so a pilot would not rely on autopilot to save it.
- •Ejection destabilizes the flight path and canopy loss increases drag, degrading controllability.
- •The article asserts autopilot has little to no ability to recover or land the aircraft after ejection.
- •Specific autopilot behaviors are model-dependent and often classified, limiting public information.
- •A definitive answer requires identifying a specific aircraft model, but details may still be hard to find.