Maybe a user issue but I find when I'm using a GPS or Loc approach and I turn off the vertical speed hold and/or altitude hold I do not have manual control of the vertical descent. it's like the plane won't release control. I have to turn off the entire AP to regain vertical control. Even reducing the altitude to O on the AP doesn't work. it makes things worse with a steeper descent I can't control.

 

is there something I'm missing?

Is the actual light behind the "Button" turned out? Or is it just underlined? 

Maybe a user issue but I find when I'm using a GPS or Loc approach and I turn off the vertical speed hold and/or altitude hold I do not have manual control of the vertical descent. it's like the plane won't release control. I have to turn off the entire AP to regain vertical control. Even reducing the altitude to O on the AP doesn't work. it makes things worse with a steeper descent I can't control.

 

is there something I'm missing?

 

A real autopilot typically does not give you manual control when it is engaged.

 

If you want manual control, turn off the autopilot. 

 

Some autopilots have "Control Weel Steering" which will allow you to change the

vertical profile with the autopilot doing the steering..

If that was the case how would a commercial pilot with say a 737 execute a BLOC landing where there is horizontal guidance but no vertical. Would he turn off the entire auto pilot?

 

This is the first plane I've used that does this and I've been doing flight sim since the 80s.

Is the actual light behind the "Button" turned out? Or is it just underlined? 

The indicator light  is to the right of the button. It's either on or off. I can disable it and the light goes off but the AP still is in total control. same with the VS button. I can disable that and the light goes out but I still have no control.

This autopilot will default to Pitch and Roll mode when engaged.

 

 

If you like, you can descend in Pitch mode or VS mode...

 

 

For more detail, suggest downloading the  Garmin G1000 Socata Cockpit Reference Guide

yes you are correct. When you disengage the altitude hold and VS the indicators on the PFI say it is in pitch and roll mode however it isn't doing that. It still keeps vertical control of the A.P. originally I thought there was some cryptic button somewhere I was missing but now I'm thinking the A.P simply isn't working right on my install. The advice I got from carenado on this was to change the CDI button away from GPS mode. Well, duh, that's pretty basic and not a solution.

In Pitch mode, the autopilot has vertical control.

 

You can adjust pitch with the UP/DOWN rocker.

 

Your autopilot is working correctly, as best I can tell. ^_^

 

Maybe you are expecting this autopilot to do something which

it does not do in real life..  Not all autopilots are the same (!)

Aside from old SP50 based 727-100/200 units, I don't know of any 2 or 3 axis autopilot that allows manual control of the verical axis, while the lateral axis is still engaged.

 

Approaches with no vertical guidance are executed using pitch or VS modes, or the AP is disengaged and they are flown manually.

 

I think you must have mainly been flying default type aircraft, if you're expecting that behaviour from the AP.   But the default APs (like most aspects of the default aircraft) are quite unrealistic.

This is just my 2 cents but but I believe the G1000 defaults to the "Pitch and Roll" mode which basically is "straight an level". I read an article some years ago that this mode was all part of a certification requirements for a single pilot operated a/c.