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After quite a few flights for which I relied heavily on the autopilot (engaging it right after takeoff and disengaging it just 1000 ft above the runway, and making all in-flight adjustements to follow ATC directions in the AP itself) I am now practicing flying making little if any use of the AP. I only engage it when I have reached the cruise altitude (to grab a coffee or the like  ;D ) and disengage it again when I start descending. Then I tune to the ILS frequency and manually follow the localizer and glideslope indicators.
My question is: what is a realistic use of AP on big liners? In particular, do pilots always switch on the APR function and let the AP take care of LOC alignment and glideslope or do they just use these two indicators as a reference and fly manually during the approach?

Some aircrafts are designed to let the AP engage at just 200ft AGL, right after take-off (Md80's).
Quite frankly crews in airliners use the AP very extensively, often letting the AP align the aircraft with the runway, and then disengaging it, and fly the approach manually, after FD commands.

But there are as many different techniques as there are pilots, really

Like NEXUS said there are many ways of doing this I have friend who flys the B777  and said mainly he dissengages the a/p at roughly 200 feet agl....but as pilots age (or it seems to me)they seem to get more "comfortable" with flying and will disconnect the aircraft and manuially fly the approach...thats not to say a CRJ pilot just starting off won't fly the whole approach without autopilot

All are correct so far. The procedure will generally differ from airline to airline according to their company SOP.

In the citation i am usually privilaged to "ride" in and according to the American Airlines pilots i personally know... the autopilot is engaged between wheels up and 500 feet AGL... adjustments are made to the autopilot as needed to comply with ATC instructions and during the entier flight the pilots are "systems monitors" is how it was described to me... the only really intervene when something isnt quite right.

The AP stays engaged and even couples to the ILS approach until 1 of 2 conditiosn are generally met...

1. The aircraft is not autoland equipped and you reach 500 ft AGL during the instrument approach.

Or 2. You have visual contact with the runway and are in a position to make "normal maneuvers to a landing".

In the citation it works the same way we are hands on until positive rate of climb... wheels up... flaps up... no dummy lights and 500 feet AGL the machine flys it until we are 500 agl in the decent at the destination.

Like NEXUS said there are many ways of doing this I have friend who flys the B777  and said mainly he dissengages the a/p at roughly 200 feet agl....but as pilots age (or it seems to me)they seem to get more "comfortable" with flying and will disconnect the aircraft and manuially fly the approach...thats not to say a CRJ pilot just starting off won't fly the whole approach without autopilot

i am pretty shore on this but dosnt he engage the auto pilot at 200feet AGL???
its some where on here
http://www.geocities.com/khlim777_my/

A/P is normally engaged by a 1,000' AGL (after takeoff) if the climb is not going to be hand-flown (which it normally isn't).

Where is you guys' fun side? In not so wonderful weather, or where necessary, traffic is heavy, etc, the autopilot is engaged as soon as feasible after takeoff. Some pilots, myself included, find much more entertainment (and a quicker climb) from hand flying. Though not exactly smiled down upon by the airline's management, any half-decent pilot wouldn't have any problems hand flying the entire flight. Obviously the cruise is a time where the autopilot is needed as trimming and playing with thrust isn't exactly perfect. Don't know why some pilots would always turn it on so early and off so late, I engage towards the top of climb and disengage during the descent, usually around the start of the approach phase unless I need it to fly the approach. I fly all the VFR approaches manually unless I just want to see something or the scenery is beautiful or the traffic is heavy.

On the other hand, my current copilot was taught to use it as much as possible, I have had to get mad at him for literally taking his hand off the throttles and putting it on the A/P switch. I just don't get it, but whatever.