Elsewhere, Richard says, "at that time, George would be in firm control and the pilot wouldn't probably even be touching the controls."

It's not hard to figure out that "George" is the airplane's autopilot, but the usage is new to me. Where did it come from?

I thought George's name was Otto Pilot.

It was certainly common currency with the RAF during WW2 - and maybe earlier.

quote:

Originally posted by zmjezhd:
I thought George's name was Otto Pilot.

With a BIIIG smile on his face once he's been "turned on!" (If you haven't seen the totally nutball movie, "Airplane," you won't understand)