I may be asking a "non-realistic" question, but in P3D/FSX, most autopilots allowed me to engage an Altitude hold whilst allowing free use of aileron control. Is this possible in the default FS2020 airplanes? 

If not, is anyone aware of a mod to do this?

Good question, I am used to this from P3D as well. Besides, if memory serves me right, I only have to dial in the wanted altitude, press the Alt button (on the Saitek Multi panel) and the plane is heading towards this altitude.

Initially I thought about a bug in MSFS, until a search in the official forum told me that the way MSFS handles this (i.e. forbidding aileron movement with Alt engaged and requiring a VS setting for the plane to head towards the altitude) is the way it's done in real planes.

I would be thankful for a RL pilot to comment on this.

Kind regards, Michael

16 minutes ago, pmb said:

Good question, I am used to this from P3D as well. Besides, if memory serves me right, I only have to dial in the wanted altitude, press the Alt button (on the Saitek Multi panel) and the plane is heading towards this altitude.

Initially I thought about a bug in MSFS, until a search in the official forum told me that the way MSFS handles this (i.e. forbidding aileron movement with Alt engaged and requiring a VS setting for the plane to head towards the altitude) is the way it's done in real planes.

I would be thankful for a RL pilot to comment on this.

Kind regards, Michael

R/W autopilot technician.

When an autopilot is engaged, the pitch and roll servos have full control over the associated control surfaces. On many aircraft the autopilot also controls pitch trim. In most aircraft, trying to override the autopilot with the yoke will cause it to disconnect. Manually changing pitch trim will also cause an immediate disconnect.

Some airplanes have Control Wheel Steering (CWS), activated by a button on the yoke. When this button is pressed and held, it disengages the servos, but allows the autopilot computer itself to remain engaged. This permits the pilot to manually steer the aircraft. When the button is released, the servos re-engage.

I know of no autopilot where you could have just the pitch channel engaged to maintain a specific climb or descent rate, (or to hold and altitude), while still being able to control roll manually. It’s all or nothing.

Edited October 14, 20205 yr by JRBarrett

10 minutes ago, JRBarrett said:

I know of no autopilot where you could have just the pitch channel engaged to maintain a specific climb or descent rate, (or to hold and altitude), while still being able to control roll manually. It’s all or nothing.

You have to go a bit back in time, but the Sperry SP-77 as used on the 727 and 737-200 (and probably other aircraft of the era) had separate paddle switches for the aileron and elevator servos.  As did the Smiths Flight System (SFS) on British aircraft of the same period such as the Comet and Trident, which being 3-channel systems also had a switch for the rudder channel. 

I would suspect that these were used only in non-normal cases, though I do not have access to any SOP's from that period.

Some of the early GA autopilots - the Piper "altimatic" comes to mind - may also have had separate servo channels.

 

Edited October 14, 20205 yr by lzamm
rearranged paragraphs

Mh, i think there was a special autopilot mode on older Boeings, 737-100/200 and 727, where the pilot could initiate a roll command by yoke and the autopilot would follow the bank until the pilot would roll back?! But as i am only 42 years, i don't know by own experience 🙂

Izamm has been faster 😉

Edited October 14, 20205 yr by ankh21
add note

Yes, all good, but it wouldn't be realistic in the current MSFS default aircraft now then.  Thanks JR for answering that!  👍

I wanted a 'hold altitude but let me steer' mode as well, but for now I am just twisting the Heading dial around while I am on autopilot.  The Saitek panel helps!  🙂

Thank you for the informational feedback!

I'm hoping someone is aware of a mod to allow for this regardless of realism 🙂.

In most of the ingame GA planes I've flown, you can set an altitude and then use the AP to hold it while you can also roll/turn the plane. Not sure it's realistic but it does it that way.

1 minute ago, Phantoms said:

In most of the ingame GA planes I've flown, you can set an altitude and then use the AP to hold it while you can also roll/turn the plane. Not sure it's realistic but it does it that way.

There is aileron resistance and it seems to roll back when I've try that.

2 minutes ago, Phantoms said:

In most of the ingame GA planes I've flown, you can set an altitude and then use the AP to hold it while you can also roll/turn the plane. Not sure it's realistic but it does it that way.

You're technically fighting the AP when you do this, it may cause problems in some cases.  

Unrealistic or not, there is a way of holding altitude whilst changing flight direction. I remember a gauge on one of the download sites a few years ago which offered this facility.

I believe it may have been for FS9.

Piper Malibu in FSX Had CWS (Control Wheel Steering) on the Yoke. What ever attitude pitch and roll it would hold that 

Regards