Learn to make your autopilot a true workload-reducing partner
Modern autopilots can be one of the most valuable tools in the cockpit, reducing workload and helping pilots fly more precisely–but only if the pilot understands what the automation is doing, and why.
That’s the focus of Garmin GFC Autopilots: Next Level, a new comprehensive online course from PilotWorkshops designed to help pilots move beyond memorizing buttons and modes to truly understanding and anticipating their autopilot.
Rather than simply repackaging information from the Garmin manual, this course uses a series of progressively complex flights to teach the foundational principles, best practices, and practical workflows needed to use the Garmin GFC autopilot effectively. Along the way, pilots will discover common misconceptions, subtle nuances, and potential traps that can catch even experienced pilots.
“An autopilot should reduce your workload, not become another task you have to manage,” says Ryan Koch, PilotWorkshops course developer and instrument flight instructor. “The goal of this course is to help pilots understand how the autopilot thinks so they can anticipate what it’s going to do, recognize when something isn’t right, and use the automation as a true partner in the cockpit.”
The course starts with the fundamentals, including how the autopilot and flight director work together, how to select and monitor modes, when to use the flight director without the autopilot, and how to develop habits that keep pilots engaged with the automation. From there, Garmin GFC Autopilots: Next Level tackles increasingly complex real-world scenarios, including:
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Takeoffs into IMC: Using the flight director and autopilot effectively during the critical transition from takeoff to instrument flight
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Departures and SIDs: Understanding heading-mode behavior, anticipating turns, and safely navigating complex departures
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Approaches and missed approaches: Managing APR mode, vertical guidance, altitude selections, and the different techniques required when the autopilot flies the missed approach
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VNAV: Using vertical navigation to make continuous descents easier while understanding the difference between advisory altitudes and actual VNAV constraints
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Textual departures and holds: Combining OBS, HDG, and NAV modes to safely manage procedures that don't have a fully graphical presentation
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Step-down approaches: Using the selected altitude, pitch wheel, and other autopilot cues to stay ahead of non-precision approach requirements
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Non-RNAV approaches: Applying Garmin autopilot techniques to VOR approaches and other procedures where GPS-based navigation isn't available
This course also addresses dozens of smaller details that can make a significant difference in the cockpit, including why IAS mode can be particularly useful during descents in turbulence, how to anticipate the autopilot’s turn direction, and why APR mode does not automatically level the airplane at the selected altitude.
Koch brings extensive experience in instrument flight instruction, simulator training, and aviation curriculum development to the course. He is the driving force behind several PilotWorkshops training programs, including Garmin GTN: Next Level, Instrument Rating Accelerator, Private Pilot: The Missing Lessons, and Advanced IFR. He is also a contributing expert for the company’s IFR Mastery series and regularly participates in the Instructor Roundtables.
Garmin GFC Autopilots: Next Level is organized into four modules for ease of navigation and includes 140 minutes of valuable learning content. The course is available for a special introductory price of just $99 at Sportys.com and via the Sporty’s Pilot Training app.
ADDITIONAL COURSE IMAGES:
