When do you use autopilots?

Reasonable.

I must ask and encourage you to at least take a discovery flight at a
local flying school. Have you ever given it a try?




Mxsmanic wrote:
The Visitor writes:


Do you sit there at your sim, droning along for 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 hours
enroute, handflying?


No, but I was wondering if I was "cheating" by using the autopilot.


What aircraft/route are you asking about?


At this very instant (thanks to autopilot), I'm flying VFR from KPHX
to KSAN, via GBN JUDTH MOHAK WARTT BZA ARGUS IPL NICKK KUMBA PILLO
CANNO BARET RYAHH HAILE KSAN. The GPS unit is handling the routing.
I picked 6000 feet MSL for most of the flight because the manual says
the Baron is highly efficient at this altitude; I'll go briefly to
8500 to get over the mountains on the way in to San Diego.

If this is the way real pilots use autopilot, fine. I just don't want
to do anything that would handicap me in real flight (I'm not sure how
experienced real pilots are supposed to be in hand-flying).