Hey fallows,i saw this one:

and it confused me, i am almost sure i heard from a real pilot the autopilot engaged 400ft AGL and the VNAV 800ft AGL, why they did not engaged the autopilot? after 800ft?

Why do they have to engage the auto pilot? I think it is better if the pilots get hands onn experience than just taking off and watching the AP doing the rest.I think if you want to fly the whole leg without AP nobody will kill you and you can do so, however probably it is quiet uncommon to do so.

Edited January 9, 201214 yr by xxJohnxx

thanks for the answer, though i think i am missing something.

They're arming the autopilot, not engaging, that way they have cues to follow the flight director.. You can hand fly up to cruise if you want to..

what do you mean by arming the autopilot? how can you do that i did not know it's possible.

I think he means the Flight Director

what do you mean by arming the autopilot? how can you do that i did not know it's possible.

Setting the various options. Put in the given ATC altitude, a suitable IAS, and the current heading you're aiming for, then if worse comes to worse then you can just hit one button and you have more time to do.. well, whatever's needed. That'll also put on the FD.I'll be honest, if I was flying now i'd hesitate to engage the autopilot until as late as possible.. I have a passion.. I'd want to fly, not get flown :(

I second that. He must refer to the FD, the AP can't be armed.And to the OP: Why shouldn't you fly manually? I also do so often in my NGX. While waiting for the NGX to be released I've even handflowen an complete 90min flight in my MD11. No Problem at all!And also I'm handflying in real world all the time. My aircraft does not even have an AP As long as the aircraft is trimmed propably there's no problem and you can also just "sit back and relax".

Edited January 9, 201214 yr by Emi

If you want, you can handfly the entire flight, that is, unless your shooting an approach to landing that requires autoland. But even then, this is a sim, you can do whatever you want.Some companies require the flight director to be active in certain phases of flight if able, some don't. If you wanna bone up on your foundational pilot skills then turn it off and do the flight.JB

Edited January 9, 201214 yr by Buzz313th

When you select LNAV or VNAV you are 'arming' the autopilot, in other words it will give you cues on the flight director to follow if flying manually.. Cmd A or B will 'engage' autopilot then it's hands off..

There are options as well to have LNAV go from arm to engage automatically with flight director on or off.. Depends on what a company orders..

Daniel,There are lots of methods which can be used during climb out. Which method you choose will depend on company procedures (SOP), airport procedures (noise), and the specific departure procedure and initial route segment.One option...You can select LNAV on the ground provided the initial track leg is within 5 degrees of runway heading, in which case LNAV will become the active roll mode passing 50ft. If you choose to select LNAV on the ground it must be done prior to selecting TO/GA. You can also select VNAV on the ground. During the initial climb your FD will command climb at V2+20 through acceleration height, at which time the FD will command pitch down as the aircraft accelerates through flap retraction speeds. You can engage the AP climbing through 400ft. If you choose or are otherwise unable to select LNAV on the ground you will want to choose heading select or, if applicable, LNAV prior to engaging the AP- this ensures you have an active roll mode. The practice of selecting LNAV and or VNAV on the ground is likely highly subjective and dependent on the guy in the left seat and specific operator policy and intended departure procedure.JW

Edited January 9, 201214 yr by Jeffrey L. Whitaker

Hey fallows,and it confused me, i am almost sure i heard from a real pilot the autopilot engaged 400ft AGL and the VNAV 800ft AGL, why they did not engaged the autopilot? after 800ft?

Daniel,You don't ever need to engage the autopilot (except in a few cases). When you turn it on depends on company SOP, how the pilot follows that SOP, and most importantly, when the pilot deems it safe/necessary. Some SOPs say turn the A/P on soon after takeoff, others at 10,000 (or some other altitude), and some leave it up to the pilot flying (PF), or PIC.It's up to you.

" i am almost sure i heard from a real pilot the autopilot engaged 400ft AGL and the VNAV 800ft AGL"It can (soonest) engage at 400 and 800'Except for practice handflying and some sentimental reasons, using the autopilot (or even any form of automation) has the advantage of decreasing the workload of the crew. They can now concentrate more on other important issues.Bert Van Bulck

Edited January 9, 201214 yr by rocketfs

What about a walkthrough of the attached video?I can see that IAS 125 does not change to V2+20 but the speedtape does? because the AP is not engage? and the PNF is activating N1 during the takeoff mode. is this NADP1 since they does not change the flaps as well ? and why is he hitting N1?She is about to turn right , so is she using manually yawdamper as well? How is this moved L og R pedal up?ThanksMichael

Edited January 9, 201214 yr by Michael Moe