IMC without an autopilot

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote in message
...

If you don't know three ways of disabling the AP, you shouldn't use it.
Even
more, most current AP's have fault detection warnings.

Some early autopilots don't have three ways of disabling them. Cessna did
not start putting circuit breakers that you could pull in their single
engine planes until just a few years ago. Autopilots from the 1980's did
not
have yoke mounted disconnect buttons. I had a 1982 Cessna 172RG that had
only two ways of disconnecting the autopilot -- either turning off the
autopilot switch or overpowering it. Overpowering it did not really
disconnect it. I could have turned off the master switch, but that would
have been a last resort.

Now that I have referred to the 1980's as 'early' I think I will just go
hide somewhere.... maybe drink some Ensure.

Don't forget the Depends...

What I fly (well, okay...right seat, never solo) have CWS, AP Master switch,
CB, APOR/D...not to mention the other disconnects. Yes...I'm spoiled.

In article , "Tom Sixkiller"
writes:

If you don't know three ways of disabling the AP, you shouldn't use it. Even
more, most current AP's have fault detection warnings.


Help! I only know one - Turn it off. Maybe a second if you count overpower it
if it doesn't go off. The circuit breakers on my plane, a 79 Archer, are the
little white buttons that you can't "pull out" to disconect. Removing the rear
seats and pulling the floor is a bit much while flying(grin). So what might be
other ways?

Chuyck

"PaulaJay1" wrote in message
...
In article , "Tom Sixkiller"
writes:

If you don't know three ways of disabling the AP, you shouldn't use it.
Even
more, most current AP's have fault detection warnings.


Help! I only know one - Turn it off. Maybe a second if you count
overpower it
if it doesn't go off. The circuit breakers on my plane, a 79 Archer, are
the
little white buttons that you can't "pull out" to disconect. Removing the
rear
seats and pulling the floor is a bit much while flying(grin). So what
might be
other ways?

Each model is different. What does your owners manual say?

Tarver Engineering wrote:

Fighting with the autopilot to disconnect it is dangerous.

Not in an L-1011 it isn't.

Mine's an STEC-20 in a 1965 Cherokee Six. I've got 7 ways to override mine:

1) push the yoke mounted autopilot disconnect button
2) push and hold the mode switch on the unit
3) turn off the autopilot switch (cuts power between buss and autopilot)
4) pull the autopilot circuit breaker (a klixon 7277 series pullable breaker)
5) overpower the autopilot
6) turn off the avionics master
7) turn off the master switch

PaulaJay1 wrote:

In article , "Tom Sixkiller"
writes:

If you don't know three ways of disabling the AP, you shouldn't use it. Even
more, most current AP's have fault detection warnings.


Help! I only know one - Turn it off. Maybe a second if you count overpower it
if it doesn't go off. The circuit breakers on my plane, a 79 Archer, are the
little white buttons that you can't "pull out" to disconect. Removing the rear
seats and pulling the floor is a bit much while flying(grin). So what might be
other ways?

Chuyck

--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950
email
http://www.andraka.com

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759

wrote in message ...


Tarver Engineering wrote:

Fighting with the autopilot to disconnect it is dangerous.

Not in an L-1011 it isn't.

Only if you want to be unemployed, others use the disconnect switch.

Tarver Engineering wrote:


Only if you want to be unemployed, others use the disconnect switch.

Shows how much you know, Trav. A pilot cannot fight with the autopilot in
an L-1011. When you apply a specified force to the control wheel or column,
the autopilot complies and drops out of command mode into control wheel
steering mode. I thought all aeronautical engineers knew that, especially
in light of the long-ago Eastern Airlines accident.

wrote in message ...


Tarver Engineering wrote:


Only if you want to be unemployed, others use the disconnect switch.

Shows how much you know, Trav. A pilot cannot fight with the autopilot in
an L-1011. When you apply a specified force to the control wheel or
column,
the autopilot complies and drops out of command mode into control wheel
steering mode. I thought all aeronautical engineers knew that, especially
in light of the long-ago Eastern Airlines accident.

Then after you spill eveyone's drinks you find other employment.

The Eastern airlines accident was traced to the pilot never engaging the
autopilot. The training failure that caused Eastern's pilots to cause such
a crash was their arrogant attatude toward flying and their tendancy to get
drunk and go play golf when they were supposed to be attending training at
the Manufacturer.

My instrument instructor flew full-time as a King Air single pilot. He made
sure I knew I had to practice to keep non-autopilot skills up to par, but
for real-life IFR single-pilot flying he always said "make liberal use of
the autopilot". I fully agree. If it's visual weather you have to look for
traffic as well as fly your courses and approaches and the autopilot lets
you do that; if it's IMC the autopilot frees brain cells for important stuff
like situational awareness and unusual ATC calls, etc.

"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
news:et2cc.183846$_w.1849839@attbi_s53...
In article ,
Jon Kraus wrote:
For myself being new to IFR flying I feel safer knowing that if needed I
could turn the autopilot on. Maybe it is a false sense of security...

It's easier, but it's worth practicing with one. If you've never used
a wing leveller and tried to control pitch yourself it's a very odd
feeling.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

Tarver Engineering wrote:


The Eastern airlines accident was traced to the pilot never engaging the
autopilot. The training failure that caused Eastern's pilots to cause such
a crash was their arrogant attatude toward flying and their tendancy to get
drunk and go play golf when they were supposed to be attending training at
the Manufacturer.

You're so full of it Trav.

Finding #7 of the NTSB's final report on EAL Flight 401:

"The autopilot was ultilized in basic CWS."

Or, are you saying that the NTSB finding is incorrect?