330-PS-2560 (USN 703638):  Navy’s New Autopilot.   Designed for use in US Navy jet fighters, this new automatic pilot (G-3) is described as a major step toward complete push-button control of high-speed jet interceptor planes.  The G-3 will hold the plane automatically at the desired barometric altitude, reading and attitude.   The pilot can put the plane through maneuvers he wishes by means of push buttons and a miniature control stick which moves under finger-tip pressure.   In addition to providing automatic control of the plane, the G-3 also is used as a “Yaw Damper” during manual flight to stabilize the airplane and improve its steadiness as a gun platform.  A unique safety provision prevents the human pilot from engaging the autopilot if the latter is not properly synchronized to the airplane’s flight conditions.   The autopilot (G-3) was developed by the General Electric Company in cooperation with the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics.  Photograph released March 11, 1952.  (5/19/2015).
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/127906254@N06">National Museum of the U.S. Navy</a>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/127906254@N06/17908044711/">330-PS-2560 (USN 703638)</a>