Which technique should be avoided to aid AFCS off flight?

Which technique should be avoided to aid AFCS off flight?

• A. Avoid overcontrolling the aircraft
• B. React positively and smoothly to divergent movements
• C. Enter all maneuvers slowly
• D. Keep a fixed altitude

Answer: (A)

When AFCS is off, you fly with the airplane’s natural stability and your own precise, light inputs. The autopilot normally damps disturbances, so without it you must avoid making big, abrupt control moves. Overcontrolling drives the airplane away from the desired path, can cause pilot-induced oscillations, and makes the aircraft harder to manage as disturbances happen or as you respond to them. In manual flight, smooth, modest corrections are far more effective and keep the aircraft responding predictably. That’s why the rule to avoid is overcontrolling. The other behaviors described—reacting smoothly to disturbances, entering maneuvers slowly, and adjusting altitude with measured control—are consistent with maintaining stability and control when the AFCS is not assisting.

When AFCS is off, you fly with the airplane’s natural stability and your own precise, light inputs. The autopilot normally damps disturbances, so without it you must avoid making big, abrupt control moves. Overcontrolling drives the airplane away from the desired path, can cause pilot-induced oscillations, and makes the aircraft harder to manage as disturbances happen or as you respond to them. In manual flight, smooth, modest corrections are far more effective and keep the aircraft responding predictably.

That’s why the rule to avoid is overcontrolling. The other behaviors described—reacting smoothly to disturbances, entering maneuvers slowly, and adjusting altitude with measured control—are consistent with maintaining stability and control when the AFCS is not assisting.