Can you suggest an emergency in which an autopilot is really that helpful?
Any high workload situation where the autopilot is functional and safe to use, e.g
- heavy ATC workload
- sudden procedure change e.g. a new STAR/approach given at last minute due to wind/rwy change
- flying a complicated vert/hor route
- attending a sick or distressed passenger
- attending any other cockpit issue e.g. tangled oxygen pipes, or (you will like this one) changing over the oxygen bottle
- having a wee
- having a wee, and the bottle cap has fallen on the floor
- flying a 7hr leg?
- not being a macho man with a hairy chest
- etc etc etc
To state the converse is saying that a higher workload is more safe, which is utterly wrong. Which is not to say I have never come across that attitude among many pilots, but I am trying to keep this technical. Shedding excess workload is a vital safety measure.
I would not use the AP:
- if it has failed (obviously)
- in heavy turbulence (it will likely disconnect anyway)
- with a vac failure (mine uses the #1 horizon which is vac driven)
- in heavy icing (control surfaces could freeze up & not be obvious)
- any control surface problem
However, re #2 above, the objective is to keep wings level and maintain pitch attitude (only), and mine does have that mode.
I don't for a moment have a problem with not having one on a short scud run but to say they are a liability generally ????