What to do while on autopilot?

jtrain609 said:
USA Today.

And if you think it's bad now, wait until the autopilot can actually fly the airplane, capture altitudes, fly your entire flight plan, yada yada.
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I hate handflying in cruise, but I love hand flying on approach and departure.
 
Look up nearby radio frequencies and use them listen to AWOS, banter with the rednecks/hicks/hillbillies on CTAF, click the PCL on and off, find your position with VOR cross radials, listen to HIWAS, monitor 121.5 to see if anyone's ELT goes off, etc.
 
bring a laptop and play FS2004 or FSX while in cruise and recreate the flight that you're flying....

On a 1 1/2 hour flight i just play with the buttons and knobs of the G1000 and say "what does this button do?"

I usually take pics of the outside...
 

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Roger said:
Look up nearby radio frequencies and use them listen to AWOS, banter with the rednecks/hicks/hillbillies on CTAF, click the PCL on and off, find your position with VOR cross radials, listen to HIWAS, monitor 121.5 to see if anyone's ELT goes off, etc.
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Yes! How can I forget.

Monitor local CTAF's and laugh. I had some good laughs doing this.
Oh and I usually monitor 121.5 during cruise; don't be alarmed when you hear ELTs going of within 5 minutes of top of the hour
 
almost all the suggestions here are pretty valid, but iono personally i go by the whole rule of, if you find yourself thinking that everything is fine and dandy, and have nothing to do, well thats usually when s--t hits the fan, and you become all disorganized and what not.
 
I read the enroute charts and look for emergency diversion options. Try going through different scenarios in your head...lost comms, engine failure, total electrical failure, diverting at min fuel with unforecast low vis. It helps pass the time.
 
maybe i'm still too new to this whole pilot thing but i always have alot of fun while flying. (even with george at the controls) I havent been bored at all since leaving the practice area during training. also, i try to always bring a camera with me and snap photos or videos along the way. despite bringing it with me most of the time, i often forget to use it as i'm usually trying to keep myself busy flying the plane.

aviate, navigate, communicate. then if you have time you can fiddle with your camera/ipod.
 
yoman793 said:
maybe i'm still too new to this whole pilot thing but i always have alot of fun while flying. (even with george at the controls) I havent been bored at all since leaving the practice area during training. also, i try to always bring a camera with me and snap photos or videos along the way. despite bringing it with me most of the time, i often forget to use it as i'm usually trying to keep myself busy flying the plane.

aviate, navigate, communicate. then if you have time you can fiddle with your camera/ipod.
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Agreed. Admittedly I've only got 100-something hours, but I have never in my life been bored while flying.
 
TGatch said:
Eh I have especially on the Long x-c for the commercial. But I still love it more than anything else.
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When I was CFI in Tulsa, I used to help students do their long cross country for their commercial. Tulsa to Dalhart TX, god that flight was so boring, took 8 hours to do a round trip. Nothing but oil fields, cow land, and a lot of flat land. The only cool about that trip is there is a private airport Mesa Vista, it has a 6,000 ft runway and I think it has a ILS for goodness sake.
 
PGT said:
Monitor local CTAF's and laugh. I had some good laughs doing this.
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I have had some of my best laughs ever just listening in.

I always play the mental game of looking at the ground and asking myself "Could I land there?". By doing that I just watch the countryside go by, to me that isn't half bad.

Oh and XM radio off the 496 is awesome.
 
I'm kind of surprised to see a thread about what one should be doing while flying...That being said (and being comfortable with my own thoughts and therefor not needing an ipod) I monitor gauges, talk with the Capt., monitor gauges, work the radio, monitor gauges and do my job the way I'm supposed to. To me adding all the distractions that people do to the cockpit will ultimately one day bit you in the ass.
 
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