On Sat, 01 Oct 2005 13:00:22 -0000, Dylan Smith
wrote:

On 2005-09-30, Ron Garret wrote:
Not hands off, according to some Cirrus drivers.

It will fly level hands-off in roll (which is the axis that really
matters if you have to choose) but not in pitch at high speed -- at
least I have the very devil of a time trimming out the pitch. But YMMV.

Then again, a Piper Arrow generally won't do so either (all the Arrows I
find have had a fairly pronounced and slow phugoid oscillation. In fact,
I find the Beech Bonanza a lot less work to fly IFR than an Arrow
because the Bonana flies better hands-off).

The bo has much lighter controls too.
OTOH you see very few Bos flying IFR without autopilots. The Arrow is
just a big Cherokee with out the landing gear drag. They are still
very docile airplanes.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com