Sport Pilot Talk

Just curious to see how many people use their auto pilot when flying in B, C, D airspace while under ATC control. I find it helps staying ahead of the plane and helps me with communication with ATC. I can jot down instructions on sticky notes and put them on my canopy. I fly with Nav using way-points, but when it gets busy and I may be vectored, I switch to heading allowing deviations with just a turn of the dial. IE instruction to turn to heading X is as simple as a turn of the dial until i reach the correct heading. Just wandered how many use their autopilot as I do.

Short 2 min video on my a x-country from PA to RI skirting in and out of NY airspace.


Autopilot or hand fly?

I usually just plotted my course in ForeFlight, set my Autopilot to “straight and level” and then dialed in my heading and altitude changes as desired. To me it offers more flexibility than predetermined nav way-points and could adjust easily to ATC requests and/or traffic situations.

Hand fly for fun. Autopilot to go the distance : )

Autopilot is a great fatigue reliever on a long XC, Dave, weather you are receiving ATC services or not. Just remember that a vector being given you by a controller is a heading, and GPS ground tracks are courses. So make sure your autopilot is in heading mode, not course mode.

I once got scolded by tower that I had drifted over the centerline of the parallel runway when I had been instructed to fly runway heading. I was flying runway heading, but there was a significant crosswind. At the time I wasn't quick witted enough to say, oh did you mean runway course.

Of course you weren't.

drseti wrote: ↑Wed Nov 29, 2023 10:01 am . . . . . make sure your autopilot is in heading mode, not course mode.

Additionally, if using Dynon Skyview equipment, when assigned a "heading" by ATC, make sure your autopilot is NOT in "Track" mode. Track mode is a GPS track across the ground.