Auto Pilot Usage

[flyboy6585]

Not an airline pilot, but when I flew freight I usually turned it on when I leveled off and off before I started the descent. Caveat: if there was an autopilot installed. Even bigger caveat: this is making the assumption that when I turned the thing one it didn't start a dive for earth or a 45* left bank turn...gotta love the autopilot.

 

[KSCessnaDriver]

I try to hand fly the whole flight on Fridays. I call it hand fly Fridays.

You mean you have metro's that have a working autopilot?

 

[adk]

I think the consensus you'll get from most people is that it depends. It depends on airspace, workload, weather, your mood, fatigue level, and perhaps most importantly, whether or not you have a sandwich to eat on that leg.

 

[CoffeeIcePapers]

I flip it on at 500 feet and flip it off somewhere close to the airport. I got my fill of hand flying in 5+ hour legs in the metro.

 

[Finhunter89]

You mean you have metro's that have a working autopilot?

They work about 90% of the time. The other 10% lets just not talk about.

 

[BobDDuck]

I'll hand fly the departure until we are turned on course. On the arrival I'll normally dump the autopilot and autothrottles before I start configuring. It varies though. Yesterday I turned the AP on at 500 feet because the sun was my eyes and then later in the day dumped it at 500 feet because I was watching a submarine come into the channel (while monitoring all the pertinent flight instruments of course).

 

[Cal Goat]

I was never a CFI and I flew 135 freight for almost 2 years, so I have a lot of experience flying long distances with no autopilot. As such, now I turn it on in the climb as soon as they give me direct to some fix 100 miles away. I don't see the value in hand flying an RJ to altitude while not even making turns. It's fairly low-skill.

Coming back down, I click it off as soon as I get cleared for a visual, because that's actually enjoyable hand-flying. On an ILS, I might hand fly it depending on conditions once I'm straight. Certain non-precision approaches that have numerous step downs are actually easier to hand fly since autopilot inputs can take forever to become resultant actions.

 

[dasleben]

On the 767, for me it's autopilot on at around 10k in the climb unless we're on an RNAV 1 SID (required to be on after VNAV is engaged). Autopilot disconnect is dependent on the approach, but if it's an ILS I'll usually leave it hooked up until we're fully configured, or break out. Visual, usually on the base turn or higher up on final.

Autothrottles usually left on while hand flying unless I find that I'm overriding continuously. They offer good speed protection low to the ground while my attention is split between outside and in.

I also keep confusing @Finhunter89 for @Stone Cold.

 

[Baronman]

Climbing out maybe around 3-4000'AGL. Climbing is pretty mindless, usually I figure it's better just to keep looking outside.

Landing....somewhere on final or base to final on an ILS.....on a visual I'll handfly it sooner just because it's easier.

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

Workload dependent.... but typically I turn it on climbing through FL180 and then turn it off on base or downwind for a visual.

We have no requirement to have it on during an RNAV 1 SID, thank gosh. How freaking stupid!

 

[Boyington]

Hand fly up to the 10,000' callout, and descent depends on MANY variables. If it is clear and a million, and we are cleared for the approach from 15 miles out, I will kick it off and fly it in from there. If it is storming and we are being sequenced between lots of heavies, I will keep it on longer. I think it has to do with how many other tasks there are going on at the time.

 

[Polar742]

In the 744 and 748, I hand fly until I get bored (usually after flap retraction and leaving the SID. There are some lightweight departures where I hand fly to the 30´s, and there are others it comes on at minimum engagement. Reverse for arrivals.

Fluency in managing the automation and crew in all modes seems to be as much, if not more, of a weakness than manually controlling the aircraft.

 

[Mike Wise]

I'm a GA guy, never flown a jet but in the DA40/PA28/C172SP I use it in cruise at high altitudes/long flights, and on arrival weather/traffic dependent. @CFI A&P taught me how to fly in an old school 150 so right now at about 260hrs, the A/P thing is still very new and weirdish to me.

Still gotta figure out the coffee making feature thingy.

 

[A300Capt]

The MD11, while a stable platform, can be a hand full to fly while in busy airspace or complicated SID's and STAR's. The automation is generally smoother than I am and I prefer to monitor it during busy times rather than hand fly. So, depending on the situation, I'll get the autopilot on anywhere from 500' to 10K on takeoff.

For landing, I usually leave the automation on until around 1000'-1500' on final, especially IMC. If given a "cleared for the visual" on a downwind I'll typically click off the autopilot and hand fly it.

 

[Bandit_Driver]

I usually hand fly through the transition altitude then turn it on. On descent it depends....nice day i'll hand fly it once we are close to the airport on vectors or visual. On a crappy day I'll let the A/P do the work on the ILS if it is up to the task. If not then a Flight Director ILS it is.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

On as soon as accelerated to 250, off at about 300 feet on the approach.

All these people talking about hand flying into the teens, no wonder I can't get a smooth ride when I'm riding in the back.

 

[Maximilian_Jenius]

On as soon as accelerated to 250, off at about 300 feet on the approach.

All these people talking about hand flying into the teens, no wonder I can't get a smooth ride when I'm riding in the back.

Well Goddamn... what took you so long!?

 

[Tommay85]

I hand fly climbs and descents in the Metro. The autopilot sucks in pitch mode(the only mode we have for climb and descent for pitch control) and will usually kick itself off because it doesn't keep up with actuating the trim.

In the Brasilia, I'll turn the autopilot on after I bring the props back in the climb (about 10k). I take it off after the props go back to high on an approach. I hand fly better than both autopilots on an approach.

The flight director is on with both most of the time, because I just like to...

 

[ChasenSFO]

In GA planes, I very rarely use it. Only when straight and level for over 1.5 hours or so. Of course, I pay to rent those things so why would I let the AP fly it? If it was a job and I had a complex autopilot, I'd probably make it as easy as I could for myself while staying proficient.

 

[etflies]

I hand fly climbs and descents in the Metro. The autopilot sucks in pitch mode(the only mode we have for climb and descent for pitch control) and will usually kick itself off because it doesn't keep up with actuating the trim.

In the Brasilia, I'll turn the autopilot on after I bring the props back in the climb (about 10k). I take it off after the props go back to high on an approach. I hand fly better than both autopilots on an approach.

The flight director is on with both most of the time, because I just like to...

C'moooon, what's wrong with proposing down a glide slope?