AircraftOwner Online

What’s your comfort level with your airplane’s automation? Are you one of the devoted hand-flyers who takes pride in never touching the knobs of your autopilot? Or, are you part of the “Nintendo generation” who wonders how long you could go during a flight without actually touching the controls?

Regardless, we can all agree that autopilots and automation in small airplanes have come a long way from the days of the first autopilot designed by the brilliant Lawrence Sperry. Until recently, small airplane

autopilots were little more than glorified wing levelers. They were often temperamental, requiring very specific conditions to be engaged.

Not your Father’s Autopilot

With new sensor, servo, and processor technology and advances in avionics integration techniques, today’s small-airplane autopilots are nearing the capabilities of large-airplane Flight Management Systems. The new autopilots are more forgiving in the way they engage and operate, are more reliable than ever, and may even

be considered required equipment for some of the new technologically advanced airplanes. They can do much

more than just hold heading or altitude, and are bringing GPS-coupled approach capability to airplanes whose pilots would have only dreamed of having such capability just a few years ago. Who knew flying a DME arc could be so easy?

These developments, along with a requirement in the current instrument rating practical test standards (PTS) for demonstration of proficiency with the installed autopilot, are persuading even some of the most hardcore handflyers to reconsider. It is a positive development, since studies show that even a basic autopilot can

provide substantial safety benefits. Autopilots can reduce pilot workload, buy time when the pilot gets “behind the airplane,” and make flying complex procedures easier. History also shows that airplanes with a factory-equipped basic autopilot or wing leveler have a better safety record than those without.

With these facts in mind, it is no surprise that FAA is committed to certifying autopilot systems, both for new airplanes and for the retrofit market. In addition, FAA is working with industry on future autopilot technologies, such as devices that could protect from stall or fly the airplane home if the pilot is incapacitated. Such capabilities could hold the key to big improvements in small airplane safety and possibly even remove the current requirement for a second crew member in some types of operations.

Know and Respect your Equipment

Pilots must understand and respect aircraft systems. An autopilot can help you, but it can also help you get into trouble if you are not well versed on how to use it. It is tempting to get into the routine of engaging the system right after takeoff and disengaging only when you reach short final. It is certainly tempting when a course change or altitude change is simply a knob twist away, and most new systems will follow your GPS flight path with ease.

To keep your hand-flying skills sharp, consider hand-flying every other flight, or even every other leg of your flight. If you constantly use your autopilot from wheels up to wheels down, you may be allowing your skills to get rusty.

Whether your airplane is already equipped with an autopilot or whether you are considering adding or upgrading, your time will be well spent learning all you can about how to use your autopilot, understanding its limitations, and keeping your hand-flying skills sharp.

Wes Ryan is the manager of the FAA Small Airplane Directorate’s Programs and Procedures Branch.