A flight instructor teaches Tesla Autopilot

[msnow]

No amount of training except for actual driving experience will provide a new owner with comfort in using AP. The same concept exists for when you first get your drivers license. You do all the book work and watch the horror films but only learn to truly drive when you are behind the wheel.

When I was in high school you had to take drivers ed (classroom) and drivers training (in a car with a teacher). There was an incentive in that the Insurance companies offered parents a discount if you completed the training. That was followed by 6 months of real driving with my dad right next to me. I didn't just jump in a car and get my drivers license. There was training involved. I see a similar, but abbreviated, training experience for AP. Perhaps MyTesla will have a 15 minute overview of the features, risks, benefits and what to watch out for. @Papafox could narrate . Once completed AP will activate. That would be good for the driver, the public and the regulators.

 

[Larry]

Larry, there truly are ways to greatly speed up the learning curve for safe autopilot driving. The first step would be to drive on a road without much traffic and practice taking control from the autopilot. You use the twist of the steering wheel, pushing the brake, and pushing the button on the end of the autopilot stalk. What this teaches the driver is that the autopilot is only going to be driving until that half-second when you're not so happy with its driving, and then you click it off. Next, you show the driver examples of challenges that will exceed the autopilot's ability to perform satisfactorily. You drive on a road with poor lane edge markings and either see the autopilot turn control over to you or steer in an unsatisfactory fashion. Then you take a turn at a very exact slow speed which nonetheless exceeds the autopilot's ability to execute the turn. You brief the driver that he or she will have to take over at some point during the turn. Through these simple exercises, you demonstrate that the driver is indeed in control of the outcome of the drive at all times and that sometimes there's a need to say "not good enough" to the autopilot and take over.

The next step is to teach the driver to evaluate the performance of the autopilot, based upon the conditions. On a scale of 1 to 10, how is the autopilot performing? At what number do you take over manually? You then give the driver a chance to drive a road that has some autopilot challenges such as too steep a curve, poor markings, glare, or construction zone. You ask the driver to as soon as possible tell you about the threat to autopilot that lies ahead (and thereby train the driver to use some of the free driver's brain bandwidth to anticipate problems before they become obvious). The driver gets practice taking over, and if the driver doesn't take over soon enough, the instructor (as was properly briefed ahead of time) says "take over." Thus, in a controlled environment that challenges the current autopilot technology, the driver becomes confident You present the driver with a road that is totally unsuitable for autopilot usage and you brief ahead that if encountering such a road, the student is to turn off the autopilot and say, "unsuitable road."

In flying, we would never expect the student to just learn from their own mistakes. We challenge them and give them the ability to fly safely in the marginal situations and to avoid situations that are worse than a certain level. The same type of training can be given to autopilot drivers. Inexpensive simulators could be created if training in real Teslas becomes too scary. The goal, though, is to show the new driver what the marginal situations look like, how the autopilot performs in such situations, and how to be comfortable taking over.

I agree with this as my quote indicates. No amount of reading and watching can replace practical experience. Not sure how you could institute your AP drivers Ed.

 

[Papafox]

When I was in high school you had to take drivers ed (classroom) and drivers training (in a car with a teacher). There was an incentive in that the Insurance companies offered parents a discount if you completed the training. That was followed by 6 months of real driving with my dad right next to me. I didn't just jump in a car and get my drivers license. There was training involved. I see a similar, but abbreviated, training experience for AP. Perhaps MyTesla will have a 15 minute overview of the features, risks, benefits and what to watch out for. @Papafox could narrate . Once completed AP will activate. That would be good for the driver, the public and the regulators.

A video is a great idea. Put it on youtube, see if it gets traction, and go from there. Planning it right now ; )

 

[garygid]

Tesla's Steering Assist in not programmed to recognize cross traffic, or impending cross traffic.
Thus, it is suggested that controlled-access highways are better suited for using this Beta software.

Since the dead driver did not react or brake for the truck crossing in front of him, he most likely did not see the truck, and would have crashed in any type car.

Classroom training, sure: be sufficiently aware, stay in control, no matter what you think the vehicle should do.
Strangely, even trains still crash ... what is the lession there?

 

[jerry33]

Tesla's Steering Assist in not programmed to recognize cross traffic, or impending cross traffic.
Thus, it is suggested that controlled-access highways are better suited for using this Beta software.

Since the dead driver did not react or brake for the truck crossing in front of him, he most likely did not see the truck, and would have crashed in any type car.

Accidents like this happen in a very few seconds. Sometimes you can get lucky and just happen to notice in time to do something about it, and sometimes not. No one stays focused 100% of the time. Autopilot can, but it's limited by hardware and software. Still you're better off with autopilot than without it because it will catch many of the potential crash situations. I'd suggest that this unfortunate accident had more to do with the road not following the geometric design standards than it did with either the driver or autopilot. Had there been a decent size median between the two traffic flows, a) the truck driver might have stopped the truck in the median, b) the Tesla driver would have had more time to notice, and c) the speed of the truck would have been lower.

Classroom training, sure: be sufficiently aware, stay in control, no matter what you think the vehicle should do.
Strangely, even trains still crash ... what is the lession there?

It's generally impractical to engineer for the thousand year flood.

 

[EVCollies]

A video is a great idea. Put it on youtube, see if it gets traction, and go from there. Planning it right now ; )

Uncle Elon should sponsor you, as the voice of experience and reason.

 

[Papafox]

Will be going to Reno for TMC Connect but will do the video shortly afterwards. Thanks all for the encouragement!

 

[Beryl]

I see a similar, but abbreviated, training experience for AP. Perhaps MyTesla will have a 15 minute overview of the features, risks, benefits and what to watch out for. @Papafox could narrate . Once completed AP will activate. That would be good for the driver, the public and the regulators.

I totally agree with this suggestion.

Before receiving my vehicle and throughout my nearly 8 months of driving it, I've been referring to this thread. In fact, I copied it to Evernote. I think it helped me be more confident and responsible with AP and prevented some mistakes.

 

[Papafox]

Here's a new way of looking at Tesla's requirement to keep your hands on the wheel. Your hands certainly are on the wheel in order to take over if needed, but there's another vital function. Your hands give you feedback regarding the autopilot's left or right turning inputs. A lack of inputs could be a sign that autopilot is not in lane-keeping operation, and an excessive turn to the left or right could be your cue that it's time to take over the lane-keeping duties.

At the 2016 Tesla Motors Club conference in Reno, one industry expert said that a person who is not paying attention could take up to 7 seconds to regain control of the vehicle. While I think that number might be exaggerated, I do know that if you've lost situational awareness (traffic and other pertinent information), you will require seconds to put it all back together. Personally, I've found that my time to disconnect the autopilot when I am not happy has been growing shorter over time, and I strongly believe it's less than half a second now.

 

[NikeWings]

With 40 years of experience as a flight instructor, let me show you how I'd teach the Tesla Autopilot to a flight student. Work with me and we'll get you flying solo soon.

Welcome to groundschool! Before we jump into the Tesla and take off on our first autopilot session, some knowledge of the system is in order
Definitions:
Cruise control- That portion of the Tesla Autopilot that controls speed
AutoSteer- That portion of the Tesla Autopilot that controls steering


Controls:
Autopilot lever (also called "stalk) on left side of steering wheel controls:
* Speed up- move lever up to the first position and then back down for increasing speed 1 mph/kph, move lever up to the higher position to increase speed to the next highest 5 mph/kph number
* Speed down- move lever down to the first position and then back up for decreasing speed 1 mph/kph, move lever down to the second position to decrease speed to the next lowest 5 mph/kph number
* Cruise control and AutoSteer Enabled/disabled button- If either cruise control or autoSteer is enabled, pushing the button at the end of the autopilot lever will disable all active autopilot functions. Pushing the lever forward (away from driver) provides the same termination of either autopilot function.
* AutoSteer on- Move the autopilot lever twice back towards you. If cruise control is not already on, it also turns on with this movement.
* Turning steering wheel- If you turn the steering wheel past a certain point (not very much) while AutoSteer is active, the Autosteer function will disconnect

Now, let's take a look at the autopilot display:

Hi Papfox,

I just stumbled on this thread and love what you did. I wish I had seen it when first taken delivery, but I still find it helpful.
Any chance of a New Owners manual sequel in the near future, indexed to easily seek-out all the valuable information.

NikeWings out

 

[Papafox]

Hi Papfox,

I just stumbled on this thread and love what you did. I wish I had seen it when first taken delivery, but I still find it helpful.
Any chance of a New Owners manual sequel in the near future, indexed to easily seek-out all the valuable information.

NikeWings out

NikeWings- Prepare yourself for A Flight Instructor Teaches Tesla Autopilot- THE VIDEO. Under construction right now ; )

 

[Rupe]

I'm commenting on the word "autopilot" and typical misunderstandings. I too was a flight instructor, not for as many years, but in 3 Air Force fighters. As far back as can remember, the word "autopilot" was used to describe a level of flight control not provided by the pilot. There was altitude hold and heading hold, then course hold (corrected for winds), and then track hold (point A to B). Auto-throttles were introduced somewhere along the line. Now some autopilots can fly from gear up through landing. Note that they are all still called "autopilots." Each with a specified level of sophistication. It's the specified part--not the assumed part--that drivers need to understand about Tesla's autopilot implementation and its upgrades. There was never any doubt in my mind as to who was responsible for safe flight, nor should there be any doubt in a driver's mind who is responsible. One thing I learned as an instructor pilot is that it's not the "bad" students that will kill you, it's the good ones, because you let your guard down, trusting longer than you should. For low-level operations we also had a saying to not fly below your comfort level, even if cleared lower, but I found that one can get comfortable at 100 feet and 500 knots, where there is very little time to react to a bad situation. I've seen the Tesla autopilot mature and drive more like a seasoned driver than a new one, but it still makes "knee-jerk" reactions. As Tesla smooths these out and drivers get comfortable using it, I caution you--no, implore you--NEVER let your guard down to this technology, especially one that has the power to kill.

 

[Patrick W]

Do you suppose they are talking about when Teslas are totally autonomous?

patrick (retired CFI)

 

[Papafox]

I'm commenting on the word "autopilot" and typical misunderstandings. I too was a flight instructor, not for as many years, but in 3 Air Force fighters. As far back as can remember, the word "autopilot" was used to describe a level of flight control not provided by the pilot. There was altitude hold and heading hold, then course hold (corrected for winds), and then track hold (point A to B). Auto-throttles were introduced somewhere along the line. Now some autopilots can fly from gear up through landing. Note that they are all still called "autopilots." Each with a specified level of sophistication. It's the specified part--not the assumed part--that drivers need to understand about Tesla's autopilot implementation and its upgrades. There was never any doubt in my mind as to who was responsible for safe flight, nor should there be any doubt in a driver's mind who is responsible. One thing I learned as an instructor pilot is that it's not the "bad" students that will kill you, it's the good ones, because you let your guard down, trusting longer than you should. For low-level operations we also had a saying to not fly below your comfort level, even if cleared lower, but I found that one can get comfortable at 100 feet and 500 knots, where there is very little time to react to a bad situation. I've seen the Tesla autopilot mature and drive more like a seasoned driver than a new one, but it still makes "knee-jerk" reactions. As Tesla smooths these out and drivers get comfortable using it, I caution you--no, implore you--NEVER let your guard down to this technology, especially one that has the power to kill.

This is a late reply to an important post While the autopilot in your plane may be engaged, it is never the pilot in command. The same is true with autopilot operations in a Tesla prior to the release of a fully-autonomous version of self-driving. Until then, you are in charge all the time. One of the first things someone needs to learn with autopilot operations in a Tesla is how to turn it off. If I were teaching someone new to use the autopilot, I'd have them turn on autopilot a bunch of times in a no-traffic situation and then immediately get used to the various ways of disengaging autopilot, particularly by turning the wheel. Thus, the driver quickly comes to realize that his or her control of the vehicle is never more than half a second away.

 

[Mark Vallaster]

A good post. I'm a pilot as well and when learning autopilot I was constantly reminded that its a tool like every other instrument or piece of equipment. And all equipment is failable. Its there to make our workload easier and you're still in charge.

 

[FluxCap]

This is a superb post, thank you Papafox.

This is certainly a tragic accident and nothing will change the outcome of this particular instance, but I believe throwing out life-saving driver assist technologies like Tesla's completely is not the answer.

Certification programs may help:
-Drivers could be certified to handle these technologies within their limits as Papafox suggests.
-Cars and driver assist technologies could be certified for differing levels of approved usage based on testing
-Roads and map areas could be certified for driver assist technology suitability (some roads may be deemed too complex for driver assist usage).

Teslas remain some of the safest cars ever made despite this tragedy, and I'm confident a prudent course of action can be found to maintain the life-saving benefits of driver assist technology while avoiding tragic accidents like this in the future.

 

[EVie'sDad]

May I also suggest new drivers be required to do a thorough perusal of this forum and the online user's manual in their vehicle. To better understand both the capabilities and limitations of this highly complex system. This is not your grandfather's automobile, keep that in mind at all times while operating this piece of technology.

 

[asLan7]

Wow. Great post papafox and rupe.

As a military instructor pilot, evaluator pilot, and pilot for a major airline who also holds a current flight instructor license, I can truly relate to your posts...and agree 100%.

Thank you for the great information.

 

[bluedog]

Wow. Great post papafox and rupe.

As a military instructor pilot, evaluator pilot, and pilot for a major airline who also holds a current flight instructor license, I can truly relate to your posts...and agree 100%.

Thank you for the great information.

This has been a great learning blog for me. I am new to Tesla with just taking delivery of my Red Model 3. I feel more connected to the driving experience and, believe me, my hands are on the wheel full time when in Auto Steer. Thanks to John Sergeant on Motley Fool Tesla board for directing me to this blog.

Bluedog

 

[Agassi]

Hi All
Here are my experiences with Autopilot and the new Navigate On Autopilot:

Tesla Navigate On Autopilot Beta | Agassi Tesla

Tesla Autopilot | Agassi Tesla

I am also a private pilot and enjoy auto piloting Tesla. Very much reminding me of flying in Cirrus SR 20

And I always stay a "pilot in command" !