DaveColangelo
Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2015
- Messages
- 15
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I was getting checked out in an arrow yesterday at a new flight school and the instructor taught me one of the strangest auto pilot procedures I have encountered, I was wondering if anyone else does this, IMO its unsafe.
Preface, its an Arrow II with an Stec-55X
Anyway:
We started the engine up as usual and were waiting for the oil to warm up programing the GPS and getting ready for the flight. I went to turn on the auto pilot and begin the test procedures as per the POH when the instructor stopped me. I told him I was going to run the pre-flight AP tests and his response was
"I don't even power up the autopilot until Im in the air"
I was pretty taken aback but most of the stuff I generally fly does not have an auto-pilot so in an attempt to learn I asked him why he adopted that procedure. His response:
"In case the autopilot does something wonky on takeoff and you cant override it"
while I get where he was coming from and my assumption is that this likely happened to him once I was very un-sure of the whole situation and it did not seem correct. The POH is developed for safe operation and not testing an AP prior to takeoff seems like a pretty strange thing. For that matter engaging an un-tested autopilot in the air seems even more dangerous....
Does anyone else do this? Has anyone else encountered someone who does?
Preface, its an Arrow II with an Stec-55X
Anyway:
We started the engine up as usual and were waiting for the oil to warm up programing the GPS and getting ready for the flight. I went to turn on the auto pilot and begin the test procedures as per the POH when the instructor stopped me. I told him I was going to run the pre-flight AP tests and his response was
"I don't even power up the autopilot until Im in the air"
I was pretty taken aback but most of the stuff I generally fly does not have an auto-pilot so in an attempt to learn I asked him why he adopted that procedure. His response:
"In case the autopilot does something wonky on takeoff and you cant override it"
while I get where he was coming from and my assumption is that this likely happened to him once I was very un-sure of the whole situation and it did not seem correct. The POH is developed for safe operation and not testing an AP prior to takeoff seems like a pretty strange thing. For that matter engaging an un-tested autopilot in the air seems even more dangerous....
Does anyone else do this? Has anyone else encountered someone who does?
