Originally Posted by
megan
For the GA mode to work you need to be already coupled, selection of GA cancels all other modes but after engagement any lateral mode may be used, if any pitch mode (VS, ALT, ILS, IAS) is then selected GA is cancelled. would work if the button were pressed in the cruise, but difficult to see, given the position of the buttons, how you could do this accidentally.
Nothing unpleasant if you were to hit it in the cruise, it just commands a 750 ft ROC and maintains the current heading.
Okay, I was wrong about the GA mode, at least in the 109 anyway. I engaged it in cruise (not coupled to the autopilot) and it started a climb. Nothing abrupt or steep, probably because I was already at a high power setting. I still don't see how it would have helped the accident pilot though as he probably was just hand flying after getting spatial disoriented. I have the feeling he rarely if ever used the autopilot and was not terribly familiar with it's operation.