Typhoon , The autopilot basically takes over control of the aircraft from you , and instead of using the yoke and rudder , you actually ” dial in ” the settings that you want the autopilot to control.

In the Cessna , you will find the Autopilot controls on the Radio Stack. There are a number of buttons marked ” AP , NAV , HDG , ALT ” etc.

Each one has a specific task to perform , I will go through the basic ones .

AP This turns the Autopilot on and off.

NAV This allows the Autopilot to fly the aircraft using Navigational beacons , when the correct frequency for a beacon is selected , it will automatically fly to that beacon.

HDG This setting is one of the most used , you select the heading you want to fly on the Heading Indicator , and the autopilot will fly the aircraft on that heading until you change it , or turn it off.

ALT This one ( where fitted ) allows you to preselect how high your aircraft flies , and how quickly or slowly it does so .

Now , having covered the basics , a word of caution . Do not become overly dependant on the autopilot , because if it fails ( and sometimes they do ) you would still need to know how to recover the aircraft , and aviate it safely.

It is a great time saving device for the pilot , but at th eend of the day , you must still be able to fly the aircraft manually.

Ross