> I particularly like the 'get me out of IMC' button - just press and
> hold for 3 seconds - Autopilot comes on, turns you through 180
degrees....
I don't wish to start a debate over the concept of....if you need an
autopilot to 180 out of IMC...and arguable wisdom of periodic dual
instruction in that regard. :-)
IMO, the issue is how well the thing will do the job in turbulence, as
an instrument-rated pilot knows any +/- excursions from what you want
it to do don't mean anything. There's conditions where turning the
aircraft as per ATC or the approach plate is easier to do manually,
since there's simply less thinking to do in the instrument scan. But
for a VFR-only pilot, those excursions might be disconcerting, the
first of a chain of events potentially leading to a "problem."
With such a feature, I think it would be good to thoroughly and
periodically test it in turbulence, to get used to what the panel
instruments will be doing, so as to better monitor how well the
autopilot is bailing you out. Just like an IR pilot would do, with
that box optionally doing what the subconscious brain has been trained
to do.
Reg,
Fred F.
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