Autopilot questions for small GA aircraft

Paul Tomblin writes:

Recent aircraft (like the Cirrus) have a switch that automatically trims
off all the control force that you or your autopilot are holding.

Sounds like aircraft will eventually go the way of cars, with only a few
idiot-light indicators and perhaps an airspeed indicator.

I can see trimming off force for the pilot, but I'm puzzled by the autopilot
interaction. Don't most autopilots work by adjusting trim to begin with (at
least for altitude)?

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.

What happens if you are far away when you engage the autopilot?

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

True, but when you're stuck in fog and you don't know anything about flying on
instruments, it might be instinctive to reach for something that could fly the
plane for you and give you some time to think of a way out of your situation.

Instrument Proficiency Check.

Were you engaged in unusual maneuvers that made you sick? I don't know what
an IPC involves. One of my concerns about ever flying in a small airplane is
that the movements might make me sick, although I've never been airsick in
large aircraft (apart from some queasiness on one or two flights when I was
already sick with something else and we were flying through turbulence).

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In a previous article, Mxsmanic said:
Paul Tomblin writes:
Recent aircraft (like the Cirrus) have a switch that automatically trims
off all the control force that you or your autopilot are holding.

Sounds like aircraft will eventually go the way of cars, with only a few
idiot-light indicators and perhaps an airspeed indicator.

Sounds like you know very little about what it means to pilot an aircraft.

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.

What happens if you are far away when you engage the autopilot?

It disengages. If you're close but not right on, it flashes a "trim up"
or "trim down" light at you.

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

True, but when you're stuck in fog and you don't know anything about flying on
instruments, it might be instinctive to reach for something that could fly the
plane for you and give you some time to think of a way out of your situation.

Part of checking out in a new aircraft is becoming familiar with *all*
aircraft systems - and you should do that in perfect weather. If you
haven't become familiar with all aircraft systems then you shouldn't be
flying it alone in marginal weather.

Instrument Proficiency Check.

Were you engaged in unusual maneuvers that made you sick? I don't know what

Yes. One of the required skills for instrument flight is recovery from
unusual attitudes. You close your eyes, your instructor tries to get you
disoriented, puts the plane in an unusual attitude - usually either a
steep spiral dive or a steep climb near stall. It's the "get you
disoriented" part that got me sick - my instructor likes to give you a
real roller coaster. The first recovery, I counted four really hard
positive G pulls, a couple of hard negative G pushes,some hard slips and
skids, and the stall horn went off a couple of times. The second recovery
was about the same.

--
Paul Tomblin http://blog.xcski.com/
Surely the 98% of DNA we share with monkeys must be enough to stop
people from sinking this low.
-- Frossie

Paul Tomblin writes:

Sounds like you know very little about what it means to pilot an aircraft.

Wait and see. Cirrus is doing very well.

Part of checking out in a new aircraft is becoming familiar with *all*
aircraft systems - and you should do that in perfect weather. If you
haven't become familiar with all aircraft systems then you shouldn't be
flying it alone in marginal weather.

And I'm sure every pilot follows that policy religiously. That's why
accidents never occur.

Yes. One of the required skills for instrument flight is recovery from
unusual attitudes. You close your eyes, your instructor tries to get you
disoriented, puts the plane in an unusual attitude - usually either a
steep spiral dive or a steep climb near stall. It's the "get you
disoriented" part that got me sick - my instructor likes to give you a
real roller coaster. The first recovery, I counted four really hard
positive G pulls, a couple of hard negative G pushes,some hard slips and
skids, and the stall horn went off a couple of times. The second recovery
was about the same.

His technique sounds excessive.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
Paul Tomblin writes:

Sounds like you know very little about what it means to pilot an
aircraft.

Wait and see. Cirrus is doing very well.


Has "zip" to do with the man's point.

Part of checking out in a new aircraft is becoming familiar with *all*
aircraft systems - and you should do that in perfect weather. If you
haven't become familiar with all aircraft systems then you shouldn't be
flying it alone in marginal weather.

And I'm sure every pilot follows that policy religiously. That's why
accidents never occur.


Yes, by far most do. But you couldn't realize this having never flown.

Yes. One of the required skills for instrument flight is recovery from
unusual attitudes. You close your eyes, your instructor tries to get you
disoriented, puts the plane in an unusual attitude - usually either a
steep spiral dive or a steep climb near stall. It's the "get you
disoriented" part that got me sick - my instructor likes to give you a
real roller coaster. The first recovery, I counted four really hard
positive G pulls, a couple of hard negative G pushes,some hard slips and
skids, and the stall horn went off a couple of times. The second
recovery
was about the same.

His technique sounds excessive.


Standard procedure with a good CFI.

Clueless as usual.

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Paul Tomblin writes:

Sounds like you know very little about what it means to pilot an
aircraft.

Wait and see. Cirrus is doing very well.

You're an idiot.

Bertie

You're an idiot.

Time for someone to insult his mental state, isn't it?

I knew it was too good to last.

"Morgans" wrote in news:eY_3i.16$Oe2.9
@newsfe06.lga:

You're an idiot.

Time for someone to insult his mental state, isn't it?

I knew it was too good to last.


And you were right! I knew he'd be back. K00ks never go far.


bertie

Paul,

Sounds like you know very little about what it means to pilot an aircraft.


Please! Not again! How can you possibly feed the idiot?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Paul Tomblin writes:

Recent aircraft (like the Cirrus) have a switch that automatically
trims off all the control force that you or your autopilot are
holding.

Sounds like aircraft will eventually go the way of cars, with only a
few idiot-light indicators and perhaps an airspeed indicator.

then maybe you'll be able to fly!
nah.

Bertie