In a previous article, Mxsmanic said:
Paul Tomblin writes:
Usually when I trim the plane
correctly I don't need the altitude hold, so I hardly use it.

What about using the autopilot to trim, and then turning it off? I do this in
simulation, but only because the sim doesn't allow extremely precise trim
adjustments (as far as I know).

Recent aircraft (like the Cirrus) have a switch that automatically trims
off all the control force that you or your autopilot are holding. But the
sort of aircraft I can afford don't have that - you have to be pretty
close to trimmed before you can use the altitude hold.

But only an idiot would try an autopilot for the first time in IMC.

I dunno. A pilot who isn't IR might try to turn on the autopilot upon finding
himself in IMC in order to keep the aircraft straight and narrow while he
gathers his wits about him, even though he might not have ever had occasion to
use it previously. It would be a reasonably logical thing to try.

Sure, but it would be more logical to try out the autopilot when you're
checking out in the aircraft in the first place.

Both. Last week when I was doing my IPC I started to get airsick. I
immediately turned on the autopilot so I could take a break.

What is IPC?

Instrument Proficiency Check.


--
Paul Tomblin http://blog.xcski.com/
C has features?? I thought the whole point of that language was to
offer nothing but bare metal.
-- David P. Murphy