The flight director provides the pilot and/or autopilot with computed lateral and vertical steering commands to fly the helicopter along a desired lateral and vertical flight path. The flight director steering commands are presented on the lateral and vertical command bars on the ADI/EADI. The flight director mode selector (controller) tells the computer which raw data (sensors) to use, depending on pilot mode preference. The computer processes the raw data and gain scales the information to be displayed on the ADI/EADI command bars and/or to the autopilot.

The autopilot typically has several modes of operation. The most common are referred to as Stability Augmentation System (SAS), Attitude Retention (ATT) and Coupled (CPL).

The Coupled Mode's function is to enable the autopilot to follow the lateral and vertical commands provided by the flight director and/or the flight path computer. This mode allows the AFCS to fly the aircraft along a desired flight path, such as a navigation route to a specific waypoint, essentially allowing the pilot to act as a system manager and monitor the AFCS's operation.