I know this sounds wacky, but I decided to Google it anyway.\u00a0 Here are a few of the hits that I read or watched.<\/p>\n
Something called Homeland Security Newswire<\/em> had the article Emergency landing round-up: Boeing wins patent on uninterruptible autopilot system<\/a> published 4 December 2006.<\/p>\n New technology can be activated by the pilots, government agencies, even on-board sensors; not even a tortured pilot can give up control; dedicated electrical circuits ensure the system\u2019s total independence<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The UK Daily Mail<\/em> had the article New autopilot will make another 9\/11 impossible<\/a> published 3 March 2007.<\/p>\n The so-called ‘uninterruptible autopilot system’ – patented secretly by Boeing in the US last week – will connect ground controllers and security services with the aircraft using radio waves and global satellite positioning systems.<\/p>\n After it has been activated, the aircraft will be capable of remote digital control from the ground, enabling operators to fly it like a sophisticated model plane, manoeuvring it vertically and laterally.<\/p>\n A threatened airliner could be flown to a secure military base or a commercial airport, where it would touch down using existing landing aids known as ‘autoland function’.<\/p>\n After it had landed, the aircraft’s built-in autobrake would bring the plane safely to a halt on the runway.<\/p>\n Boeing insiders say the new anti-hijack kit could be fitted to airliners all over the world, including those in the UK, within the next three years.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Then I found the CNN<\/em> report Remote Controlled Autopilot Boeing Patent<\/a>.<\/p>\n