Automatic pilots are gradually coming into general use all over the world. Their usefulness has now been proved over a period of about ten years in this country and over a somewhat shorter period in other countries, notably the U.S.A., where the Sperry Automatic Pilot has been evolved after many years of pioneering work. Early pioneering work had also been done in this country by Mr. T. W. K. Clarke before the war.

The world's patent literature shows that inventors have been interested in the problem for at least a quarter of a century. Indeed, this was inevitable since the automatic helmsman or “Iron Mike” for marine craft was a proved success and the vagaries of their younger sisters of the air clearly indicated the need for firmer handling in their case also.