Would you fly IFR without an auto pilot?

[rwhite]

I did all of my IFR training and check ride with the autopilot off. The airplane is really out of rig and as soon as you let it go, it will roll to the left. I did my instrument training in 5 days and took the checkride on the 6th day. Over 7 hours a day and a third of that was IMC, the rest under the hood. It was not fun, but doable. Now that I'm rated, I do use the autopilot IMC but I usually shoot the approaches without it, especially if I'm VMC. I haven't had an autopilot failure yet but I would probably cancel a trip if something was wrong with the plane, especially a long one. I just don't like taking off with something broken.

[1600vw]

I did all of my IFR training and check ride with the autopilot off. The airplane is really out of rig and as soon as you let it go, it will roll to the left. I did my instrument training in 5 days and took the checkride on the 6th day. Over 7 hours a day and a third of that was IMC, the rest under the hood. It was not fun, but doable. Now that I'm rated, I do use the autopilot IMC but I usually shoot the approaches without it, especially if I'm VMC. I haven't had an autopilot failure yet but I would probably cancel a trip if something was wrong with the plane, especially a long one. I just don't like taking off with something broken.

IMHO when you flew an out of rig airplane you already broke your number one rule.

1600vw

[Lrrryo]

IMHO when you flew an out of rig airplane you already broke your number one rule.

1600vw

Agreed,

I could accept no autopilot before an out of rig plane, especially if it rolls to one side with the AP off.

As for the AP being a required item, no, but there are some trips that I could understand why someone would not go without one. A long trip with lots of stress, weather, no copilot, perhaps other deferred items rapidly gets to be too much.

My first two planes did not have autopilots and they did fine, and so did I.

But, I'd value an AP more than a moving map... it's a major contributor to reducing fatigue.

[Jim Clark]

If you're not comfortable and confident with your abilities to hand fly IFR than you shouldn't launch into IFR just because you have an autopilot to lean on. I had a Baron AP go inop just as we caught the glideslope in heavy snow with WX going down. It was a non incident as the problem was recognized immediately and I hand flew the approach. Do the recurrent training and practice as if the AP will fail at the worst moment, it happens.

[Tom Gilmore]

To my way of thinking after many hours in IMC, an autopilot for single pilot IFR flying is indispensable. I feel you are really rolling the dice, especially in situations such as when getting an amended clearance from ATC, having an unruly passage that demands attention and when shooting an approach to minimums. All of these scenarios require either a head down situation or more than just a quick scan off the panel for even a very short time.

[N2849R]

I think the question is defined by "need" or "want"- do i need an AP ? no, I can fly IMC with my own hands and head or i should not up there to start with - do i want one? yes, it reduces the potential for mistakes that could go from embarrassing to other worldly- the issue is also one of a matter of other problems and as an aviator i know other problems all too well- they occur at the worst possible moment often appearing in groups for some reason- without an AP a small problem like forgetting to switch tanks can lead to a momentary distraction followed then by an errant engine noise leading me down a path from which i may not return if i am hand flying - i see the AP as something similar to another set of hands and another head- i only need to manage the AP correctly and then it can manage many other things whilst i switch tanks

[whodja]

If "George" the autopilot is engaged, then you now have a two pilot cockpit. Consider yourself the autopilot co pilot when it's engaged. 24k hours


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[aeromir]

I learned to fly with piper 180 and 140s with an instrument rating the 172 before I joined the Air Force as a pilot. I was later a T-38A instructor pilot. None of those aircraft had autopilots. Flying the aircraft trimmed up helps quite a bit as you can scan the cockpit without big deviations in heading, altitude or airspeed. Trim is your friend VMC and especially in IMC. I recently got back in the cockpit after 13-years off while I lived in Europe in GA aircraft. Nice to come back to my roots. I suspect I'll still fly without an AP most of the time even if one is available.