Our cross country planes will soon have new GFC 500 autopilots. These are really nice additions to N3QZ and N9497M and will really up our game in cross country flying. The new autopilot has a different layout, behavior and features as compared to previous club autopilot installations. This page is intended to provide a set of resources for learning about the GFC 500. An important caveat is that the AFMS that comes with the autopilot installation is the final authority on features and operation. These manual supplements are specific to each plane and contain the specific v-speeds and limitations for those installations. The resources here are provided for general understanding and safe practices when using the GFC 500 (or any autopilot).
Resources:
- Garmin G5 and GFC 500 Autopilot AFCS Manual
- Getting to Know the Garmin GFC 500 Autopilot - Garmin Training - an excellent overview of important features and operation of the GFC 500 ( in general ) including a full IFR flight scenario using the GFC 500 features
- particularly pay attention at 17:30 - the mantra is "press the button AND verify the mode and annunciators"
- if the autopilot is not doing what you think it should or what you expect it to do, disengage and hand fly
- Autopilot Basics - AOPA - information about components of autopilots and human factors related to autopilots
- Aviation 101 - Mountain waves and Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) - many of us follow Josh Flower's YouTube channel (Aviation101), this episode is a great reminder that even the best autopilots must have our attention and input. See 11:00 where Josh and Chelsea are expecting mountain waves and those do affect the performance and the autopilot.
- N3QZ - GFC 500 Autopilot AFMS for 182 Series