PLT424: Autopilot Use Limitations
What code PLT424 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Autopilot Use Limitations before your checkride.
Recall regulations - limits on autopilot usage
What this means for your checkride
Regulations set minimum altitudes for using the automatic pilot, so it may not be engaged below a specified height above the terrain or airport depending on the phase of flight and the equipment's approval. A pilot must be able to promptly take manual control if the autopilot malfunctions.
An autopilot failure at low altitude leaves little time to recover, so the FAA tests the minimum-altitude limits on its use.
The autopilot minimum-use altitude is not the same for all phases; approaches with approved equipment allow lower use than en route, and the limits differ accordingly.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.