AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2025 - 38

BRIEFING
TECHNIQUE /
'Simon Says' for autopilots
'In Use,' 'Heading,' 'Cleared,' and 'Contact' are your cues
BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN
MODERN AUTOPILOTS CAN perform
a wide variety of dazzling tricks, but
knowing when to perform them can
be confounding without certain code
words. So here are the magic words,
and it's much like a game of Simon Says.
It starts when you pick up the
automated weather report at your
destination and learn which approach
is in use. Even if a visual approach is
likely, go ahead and load it in your GPS
navigator. " In use " is your cue to load.
Whether you're flying VFR direct
to the airport, or you're on an IFR flight
plan on your way to a fix, you're likely
using the autopilot's Nav mode. Keep
doing that until ATC directs you to turn
to a particular heading. The word " heading "
is your cue. Simon Says heading,
put the autopilot in heading mode and
follow ATC vectors.
An assigned heading is also your cue
to activate " Vectors to Final " on your GPS
navigator. Even if ATC hasn't told you so
explicitly, you're being vectored onto
the approach. It's not unusual to receive
multiple vectors during the descent as air
traffic controllers do their best to fit many
airplanes with various approach speeds
into the same conga line.
Eventually, you'll hear the words
" Cleared for the approach. " That's your
cue to push the approach or vertical
navigation button that enables the
autopilot to follow both vertical and
horizontal approach guidance.
The important thing here is to resist
pushing the approach button until ATC
says the word " cleared. " No clearance,
no approach mode.
Sometimes, for their own mysterious
reasons, ATC will vector you through
the final approach course. If that
happens and you've already activated
the approach function, the autopilot will
dutifully intercept and track the final
38
AOPA PILOT / January 2025
TIPS
ATIS says ILS Runway 23
approach is in use: Load the
expected approach on your GPS
navigator.
Turn to heading 360: Activate
heading mode on the autopilot
and " vectors to final " on your
GPS navigator.
Cleared for the ILS Runway
23 approach: Activate the
autopilot's approach mode
so that it captures and tracks
vertical and lateral approach
guidance.
Contact the tower on 132.4:
Set missed approach altitude in
the autopilot's altitude window.
AV I AT ION CALENDAR /
2025 Aviation
Events
February 13-14 NGPA Industry Expo
February 14-16 AOPA Fly-In at Buckeye Air
Fair
February 22-23 Northwest Aviation
Conference
March 10-13
March 18-21
March 19
Verticon
AEA International
Convention and Trade Show
R.A. " Bob " Hoover Trophy
Awards
March 27-29 Women In Aviation
Conference
Sun 'n Fun
April 1-6
April 9-12
May 3-4
May 20-22
July 21-27
August 15-16
Aero Friedrichshafen
Great Alaska Aviation
Gathering
EBACE (European Business
Aviation Association)
EAA AirVenture
AOPA Fly-In at Props &
Pistons Festival
September 10-14 National Championship
Air Races
approach course, and that's a potentially
gigantic problem. So don't hit approach
until you're cleared for the approach.
Once the approach is active and your
autopilot is tracking the final approach
course inbound, ATC will tell you to
contact the air traffic control tower or
change to the common traffic advisory
frequency. That's your reminder to set
the missed approach altitude in the
autopilot altitude window if you haven't
done so already.
Your airplane is all set to descend
to decision altitude. Setting the missed
approach altitude now-the one you'll
climb to if you get all the way down
to minimums and still don't see the
runway-will save you an important step
during the potentially very busy missed
approach sequence to come.
dave.hirschman@aopa.org
September 22-28 AOPA Oasis at Triple Tree
October 14-16 NBAA-BACE
November 16-18 AOPA Foundation You Can
Fly High School Aviation
Stem Symposium
aopa.org/community
http://www.aopa.org/community
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2025
