Flying a 172 with Autopilot?

A good working autopilot is great for long trips and a safety
enhancement in IFR. They do seem to need a bit of maintenance. Mine has
needed $2200 worth in about 2000 hours. It is currently not working
again. In smooth air my simple Century I flies a very straight line. I
recently took a long trip without it and found myself veering around
more than I would like. I do think someone who flies behind an
autopilot comes to rely upon it. Make sure you are competent without
it. The trip without it did me quite a bit of good, I believe. I don't
use it for training in IFR and only use it in cruise in actual. I do my
climbouts and approaches without it. Of course the airliners all have
them now, and use them almost constantly. Make sure you read the manual
and find out as much as you can about yours. They all seem to work a
little differently.

Doug wrote:
use it for training in IFR and only use it in cruise in actual. I do my
climbouts and approaches without it.


Well, that's me as well. I always used mine in cruise only... VFR or IFR. I
always hand fly climb outs and approaches... always have....



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

"Jose" wrote

Actually a jet conversion might be interesting. I like to fly low, so I
don't really care about the FL290 restriction - I'd light the
afterburners at 500 feet and scream along the treetops. My passengers
would just scream.

That is, take off the wings as the engine rips its way through the
fuselage and tumbles down the runway.

chuckle The guy that has the jet powered Waco doesn't have an
afterburner, but doesn't need it. He came to speak at our Aviation
Explorer's base a couple years ago, and one of the kids asked how fast it
would go if he kept it at full throttle, level.

He replied something like, "I duno, probably about 300, before the wings
ripped off." g
--
Jim in NC

Jose wrote:
That is, take off the wings as the engine rips its way through the
fuselage and tumbles down the runway.



Bitch, bitch, bitch....




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

Used it today on a 172SP. It was only an hour flight but it came in handy
flying through Philly class B airspace to Lancaster. I'm a new pilot and
having a solid lock on altitude and heading with afternoon thermals while
dialing through at least 4 radio changes helps enormously. I'm sure ATC
appreciates me holding course as well. Nice really nice, and I didn't
forget how to land the plane.


"VE5JL" wrote in message
news:R4fye.1866495$6l.1009425@pd7tw2no...
Is there any one here flying a 172 using an autopilot?

I think on longer flights (3+ hours) and autopilot would be an advantage,
however there are some in the old school that think it is not necessary.

I'd like some opinions.

thx

Joe


http://www.ve5jl.com

Yes.
I used it all the time when in actual IMC as a work saver and safety
improver. It could be coupled in to the NAV1 CDI and that then could be
switched to GPS or a VOR. It was nic eon the R and S model as there is
GPS steering and I could watch the plane fly it self onto course.

On my plane, a Warrior, I have an older version of an autopilot without
GPS steering but I have a LOC-BC setting that makes flying those
approaches a little easier.

then on any long flight it is just nice to be able to set a heading and
relax a little. My friend has altitude hold on his plane. I do not like
it as much as I can trim the plane and hold alitude better than the AP can.

Scott
--------------------
Scott F. Migaldi
CP-ASEL-IA
N8116B

PADI MI-150972
Join the PADI Instructor Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PADI-Instructors/

--------------------

VE5JL wrote:
Is there any one here flying a 172 using an autopilot?

I think on longer flights (3+ hours) and autopilot would be an advantage,
however there are some in the old school that think it is not necessary.

I'd like some opinions.

thx

Joe


http://www.ve5jl.com




--

On Mon, 04 Jul 2005 18:19:29 GMT, "VE5JL"
wrote:

Is there any one here flying a 172 using an autopilot?

I think on longer flights (3+ hours) and autopilot would be an advantage,
however there are some in the old school that think it is not necessary.

I'd like some opinions.

thx

Joe

I just tried using the AP on the C172SP I rent from the local FBO last
time I flew, about two weeks ago. I'd never actually used it during
training or in the two years since I got my pilots license, and I
always wanted to try it.

So two weeks ago I did the preflight checkout of the unit, and then
took off and climbed to 3000 feet. I punched in the "AP" button, the
"ALT" button and selected "Heading" as a choice. Then I sat back and
watched while it turned the few degrees needed to lock to the
Directional Gyro's heading and held it there while sticking precisely
to 3,000 feet. The morning was hot and moist and very very still so
the AP had little work to do once it got where it was set.

I tried moving the compass bug a bit to one side or the other and the
AP dutifully tracked to the new heading as it should. I did not try
using it to track the GPS or the VOR, although it could.

I can see this as being a really important tool when flying solo and
having to change frequencies or look one up or any of a number of
occasions when having the Auto Pilot on would be of valuable
assistance.

I'm seriously considering purchasing a non certified unit for my
homebuilt.

Corky Scott

Corky Scott wrote:

I just tried using the AP on the C172SP I rent from the local FBO last
time I flew, about two weeks ago. I'd never actually used it during
training or in the two years since I got my pilots license, and I
always wanted to try it.

So two weeks ago I did the preflight checkout of the unit, and then
took off and climbed to 3000 feet. I punched in the "AP" button, the
"ALT" button and selected "Heading" as a choice. Then I sat back and
watched while it turned the few degrees needed to lock to the
Directional Gyro's heading and held it there while sticking precisely
to 3,000 feet. The morning was hot and moist and very very still so
the AP had little work to do once it got where it was set.

Yeah, it's too bad we don't usually get instruction in how to use these things.
If you're going to self-instruct be sure to explore the edges of what happens in
altitude-hold when the airspeed bleeds off. Does it disconnect, or fly you into
a stall, or what?

Self-instruction is better than no instruction at all, and may be better than
what you would get if you asked an instructor.

Dave

And make sure you know all the ways to turn it off/disable it.

"Dave Butler" wrote in message
news:1120659733.724673@sj-nntpcache-3...
Yeah, it's too bad we don't usually get instruction in how to use these
things.
If you're going to self-instruct be sure to explore the edges of what
happens in
altitude-hold when the airspeed bleeds off. Does it disconnect, or fly you
into
a stall, or what?

Self-instruction is better than no instruction at all, and may be better
than
what you would get if you asked an instructor.

Dave

On Wed, 6 Jul 2005 11:57:09 -0400, "Stephen McNaught"
wrote:

And make sure you know all the ways to turn it off/disable it.

Just to check myself, for the AP on the C-172S:

A) AP disc on the yoke.
B) I think if you push AP again on the unit... but I would have to
doublecheck that one.
C) Pull out AP breaker.
D) The Avionics bus master that it is on (Of course, I forget which
one) for those with a split avionics master.
E) Master switch.

Did I get all of them?