Flying by George
More than anything else in modern aircraft, autopilots evoke wonder and bewilderment, often at the same time. The first thing to learn about any new autopilot is which axes it controls. An uncomplicated single-axis autopilot just controls roll. They’re easy to operate and maintain, but less useful in IFR flight. Add a second axis for pitch and it starts to become complex, especially when configured with pitch trim. A true three-axis autopilot additionally includes yaw control.
Simplicity?
If all a pilot ever learnt about flight was to pull back to go up, push forward for down, roll left and right and centre the slip ball, would they be competent? Of course not. Competent pilots co-ordinate their control inputs to suit the conditions and fly proper airspeeds. They know which control surfaces move with stick and rudder and understand concepts such as adverse yaw and Dutch Roll.
The same is true for autopilots. Whilst basic knowledge might work most of the time, it’s just not enough.
“The autopilot” in itself, is a misleading term. Even the simplest ones comprise multiple devices assembled into an Automatic Flight Control System.
So why are so many GA pilots bamboozled by autopilots? Two problems frequently dominate this conversation:
• the autopilot’s• autopilot human interfaces are too complex for guesswork or intuition (no matter how adept a pilot might be with their mobile phone).
