The autopilot can be an important safety tool, but pilots should have a
thorough knowledge of how the autopilot works and what its limitations are.
'George' does a good job of flying the airplane in smooth air and frees you
up for other tasks, such as monitoring your route, talking on the radios,
eating a sandwich, etc. The flip side is that it is easy to relax a little
too much and stop paying attention to what is going on.