Autopilot

The autopilot is the difference between white-knuckling an entire cruise and actually enjoying it. It is simple by design: one key to engage, one key to pick what you are adjusting, two keys to adjust it.

Engage and disengage: P

Press P in flight and the autopilot takes over. Out of the box it does two things:

• Holds your altitude. Whatever altitude you were at when you engaged it.
• Follows your route. It steers toward the destination on its own.

Press P again and the airplane is yours. Habit worth building: have the plane steady and trimmed-out in attitude before you disconnect, so the handover is a non-event instead of a lurch.

Pick a target: Tab

Tab cycles which autopilot target is currently selected:

Target	Meaning
SPD	Target speed
HDG	Target heading: follows the heading bug
ALT	Target altitude
V/S	Vertical speed: how quickly to climb or descend

Adjust it: [ and ]

With a target selected, [ and ] nudge it down and up. A typical mid-flight edit: Tab to ALT, tap ] a few times to set a higher cruise, then Tab to V/S and choose a polite climb rate.

Two extras worth knowing:

• While the autopilot is engaged, W and S adjust the target speed directly.
• The heading bug (the marker on your compass that HDG mode chases) moves in 10-degree steps with , (minus) and . (plus).

NAV and APR

• N re-arms NAV, the "fly my route" mode. Wandered off to sightsee, or been hand-steering on the heading bug? N points the autopilot back along the planned route.
• O arms APR, an ILS-style approach mode. (An ILS is the real-world radio beam that guides airliners down to a runway.) APR captures a descent path toward the runway so you arrive at the right height instead of a thousand regrets too high.

A hands-off route, start to finish

1. Take off and climb by hand. How to Play covers the drill.
2. Once established in the climb, press P. The autopilot holds what you give it.
3. Tab to ALT and ] your way up to a cruise altitude; Tab to SPD and set a cruise speed.
4. Confirm it is tracking the route (press N to re-arm NAV if it is not), then sit back and watch the scenery scroll by.
5. Approaching the destination, step the altitude down (a modest V/S keeps the descent civilized), slow up, and arm APR with O to ride the approach path in.

Hand-fly the landing

The autopilot gets you to the runway; it does not land for you, and you would not want it to. Disconnect with P on short final with flaps and gear already set, and fly the touchdown yourself: on the numbers, descent under about 300 fpm at the moment the wheels touch. That score is yours alone.

Every key mentioned here, in one place: Controls.