Ask the IFR Expert: How Often Should I Hand Fly?

There is no magic number of minutes or percentage of a flight that every instrument pilot should spend hand-flying. The right balance depends on the pilot, the airplane, the conditions, and the workload. But there is an important distinction between using automation and becoming dependent on it.

If the autopilot is available, working properly, and reducing workload and fatigue, that’a s good thing and there is nothing inherently wrong with using it extensively—even for an entire IFR flight. The key is to make sure you’re still maintaining the skills required to fly the airplane when the automation isn’t available.

Make proficiency part of your normal flying

One of the easiest ways to maintain hand-flying skills is to incorporate short periods of manual flying into routine flights when conditions and workload permit. For example, you might establish a personal rule to hand-fly the departure through a certain altitude, or disconnect the autopilot for a portion of the arrival. You could also hand-fly an approach when you’re in VMC or under simulated instrument conditions and have a safety pilot. So rather than thinking, “I should hand-fly more,” establish habits or general rules that make it happen.

Practice meaningful skills

Hand-flying isn’t simply keeping the wings level. Use those opportunities to practice the skills you’ll actually need if the automation becomes unavailable. Work on precise heading and altitude control, airspeed management, intercepts, course tracking, approaches, missed approaches, and transitions between different phases of flight. If you’re flying with a safety pilot or CFII, use the opportunity to introduce realistic challenges rather than simply flying a perfectly smooth, straight-and-level segment.

The goal isn’t to prove that you can fly without the autopilot. It’s to remain proficient when you’re forced to.

Don’t turn proficiency practice into a problem

There’s also a danger in taking the “hand-fly more” philosophy too far. If you’re in actual IMC, navigating complex airspace, dealing with weather, managing a high-workload arrival, or troubleshooting another problem, there may be no good reason to disconnect a perfectly functioning autopilot simply to get some practice. Automation is a tool for managing workload. Use it when it provides a safety or workload advantage.

Be ready for the day automation isn’t available

An autopilot failure in benign VMC is an inconvenience. An unexpected automation problem in IMC, during a busy arrival, or while managing an approach can immediately increase workload. The pilot who regularly practices hand-flying doesn’t have to learn—or relearn—the skill at the same time they’re dealing with the problem that caused the automation to become unavailable.

That’s the real goal of proficiency. Use automation because it makes you a better, more capable pilot—not because you’ve forgotten how to fly without it.

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Eric Radtke

It was his first airplane trip at age seven that made Eric decide to become a pilot. "While boarding the airplane, a flight attendant noticed my interest in the flight deck and urged me to go talk to the pilot. I give a lot of credit to that pilot for my career choice." Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and went on to an airline career. He learned to fly at Sporty’s as part of the University of Cincinnati’s Professional Pilot Program, an initiative he later directed.Eric now manages Sporty’s media network including IFRFocus.com. In addition, Eric serves as a Captain in a Cincinnati-based corporate flight department.

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