Patent ID: 7840317

Claim:
A method for controlling the flight of a first aircraft in the event of an in-flight emergency, employing a system which comprises: (1) onboard manual flight control means for manual flight control of said first aircraft by an onboard human pilot; (2) an onboard automatic flight control system, comprising at least one of an autopilot and a flight management computer system, for automatic flight control of said first aircraft; (3) remote manual flight control means, in two-way communication with said first aircraft, for remote manual flight control by a remote human pilot located in a second aircraft, separate and apart from said first aircraft, and in visual contact with said first aircraft; and (4) onboard remote piloting means for allowing the control of said first aircraft by said remote human pilot with the aid of said remote flight control means; said method comprising the steps of: (a) detecting an in-flight emergency wherein the onboard pilot is incapable of manually flying said first aircraft due to an attack upon said first aircraft or its occupants, including its onboard human pilots, or due to any other incapacity of said onboard human pilots; (b) upon detection of said in-flight emergency, automatically controlling the flight of said first aircraft by means of said onboard flight control system to cause said first aircraft to fly in accordance with a prescribed emergency flight plan; and (c) manually piloting said first aircraft by remote control, with the aid of said remote manual flight control means and said onboard remote piloting means, by said remote human pilot in said second aircraft, to activate aerodynamic control surfaces of said aircraft in substantially real time to control the flight of said aircraft without guidance of said autopilot, to land said first aircraft at an airfield while in visual contact with the first aircraft.