wrote in message
...
So I own a 1961 Cessna 172. She's a great little airplane, light on
fuel burn, and not too bad on the airspeed, although she could do
better. I want an autopilot to start taking her on long trips. I'm
trying to do it as cheaply as possible but still legal obviously.
Anyone know of autopilots that will at least keep the wings level,
maybe an altitude hold as well?

Keep in mind that autopilots ain't cheap (at least certified ones).

I have an S-TEC 20 that has the heading bug, NAV/LOC/GPS tracking, and GPSS
options (no altitude hold). I've had it for several years and have never
had any problems with it.

The basic S-Tec 20 (no options) will run you about $6K and basic
installation will run you another $2.5K or so. If all you want is a basic
autopilot for VFR use, I would just recommend the heading bug option and
perhaps also connecting it to your CDI if it doesn't add much to the cost
(which gives you NAV/LOC/GPS tracking). Altitude hold is nice, but for VFR
use you don't really need it. Just trim the plane up and make occassional
adjustments. You need something to do on a long VFR flight anyway.

The S-TEC 20 is a great way to go. It's a nice reliable, easy to use
autopilot that replaces your turn coordinator and doesn't take up any space
in the panel. You can upgrade it to an S-TEC 30 later on, but this will run
you another $7-8K, so if you really want altitude hold, it's best to get it
up front.

If money is no object, just spend $20K on the S-Tec 55X and be done with it.