Garmin and Avidyne introduced autopilots that have safety features unheard of 25 years ago in light planes, including envelope protection to keep the plane from going outside the normal margins of flight (unless, that is, the pilot directly commands that maneuver.) And it does it even when the autopilot is turned off. The capability part is due to the computer revolution and avionics manufacturers making use of small and inexpensive computer chips to mimic the abilities of the flight control systems in airliners, while adding some capabilities the airliners don’t have.Ī few companies pioneered digital autopilots for small planes, including BendixKing, Genesys/S-TEC, Avidyne and Garmin. With no mechanical parts in the sensor system, modern digital autopilots are far less likely to fail than their predecessors. They achieve great accuracy because, instead of mechanical fast-spinning gyros, they make use of digital attitude sensors, which also account for their reliability.

Today’s digital autopilots are remarkably accurate, reliable and capable. Not that you need an autopilot to be safe, but when the airplane you’re flying is equipped with an automatic flight control system and you know how to use it, your level of risk drops, especially for instrument flying and even more for new instrument pilots. We’ve come to understand that the autopilot is a key component to flying safety. We’ve also realized the importance of recognizing where a pilot’s performance might fall short and how we can make our flying safer by coming to terms with our inherent imperfection.

Why is an autopilot a great choice for a safety upgrade? Over the past couple of decades, we’ve come a long way in understanding the nature of the risk we face when flying, especially when flying in instrument conditions, and the role that automation can play in that overall risk picture. We’d argue that the best safety bang for your buck is with an autopilot if you don’t have one or an upgraded one if yours is a bit long in the tooth. They are still more capable, reliable and affordable than they have ever been, by orders of magnitude, too. When we compiled this article not too long ago, there were already some great aftermarket autopilots out there, and that much hasn’t changed.

Trutrak autopilot manual