How do you activate autopilot in the steam gauges PC-6 ?
The steam gauge PC6 does not have an autopilot. This was typical for older versions of this aircraft, which first went into service in 1959.
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I once flew a PC-6/340-H2 Porter (no auto pilot) from Amsterdam to a small airport near Boston.
Route - Amsterdam to Shannon to have a ferry package installed. 500 gallon tank
in the cargo area. Route was EHAM-EINN-EGPO- EKVG-BIRK-BGSF-CYFB-CYZV-KBGR-26MA. I could barely stand the Stick with the throttles and prop control in the center.
The route from BIRK to BGSF was crazy, 10,000 ft. only put me 500 ft at times above the ice cap. I had to wear two pairs of sunglasses to keep from going snow blind from the glare.
Super Impressive aircraft but it is a real drag queen in bad icing conditions.
The trip took nearly a month due to waiting for the weather and a mechanical break down at Frobisher Bay.
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On the other hand, it seems to be very stable, so you can probably get by without an autopilot as long as you take the time to trim it properly.
I agree that it is good to hand fly. If it wasn’t I would not have taken on that task. I don’t remember how many hours flying it was, but it was a lot @ 100 knots.
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