The Autopilot function doesn’t really behave as the name suggests. Instead, it appears to act as an accelerator that propels the ship through space faster instead of locking onto where the player is supposed to go. We recommend changing this to allow the Autopilot to direct players to a specific location selected from a list (nearest station or system, etc.). Alternatively, it could be retooled and renamed something resembling cruise control.
Call it for what it is, Fast-Forward. Recent versions of Endless Sky have this same feature (except x3 speed instead of x5), and even put a fast-forward icon at the upper-left corner of the screen.
@megas: Good idea!
Someday we gotta work on Reverse mode.
The line of text in the begining of the game says "Press A to accelerate time" so that essentially is fast forward...
Added a fast-forward icon in 1.9 Beta 1, plus changed (most) references to "accelerate time"