During TCAS RA, what should be done with the autopilot?

During TCAS RA, what should be done with the autopilot?

• A. Disconnect autopilot
• B. Keep autopilot engaged
• C. Engage autopilot in new altitude hold
• D. Increase autopilot gains

Answer: (C)

When a TCAS Resolution Advisory is issued, your main task is to follow the vertical instruction to maintain safe separation. Using the autopilot to hold the new altitude prescribed by the RA helps you meet that instruction precisely and keeps the aircraft on a stable path at the new altitude without requiring rapid manual inputs. Engaging the autopilot in a new altitude hold captures and sustains the altitude change automatically, reducing workload and the chance of overshoot or drift in a high-workload moment. Disengaging the autopilot or leaving it in its prior mode would not reliably follow the RA, and options like increasing autopilot gains aren’t part of the procedure.

When a TCAS Resolution Advisory is issued, your main task is to follow the vertical instruction to maintain safe separation. Using the autopilot to hold the new altitude prescribed by the RA helps you meet that instruction precisely and keeps the aircraft on a stable path at the new altitude without requiring rapid manual inputs. Engaging the autopilot in a new altitude hold captures and sustains the altitude change automatically, reducing workload and the chance of overshoot or drift in a high-workload moment. Disengaging the autopilot or leaving it in its prior mode would not reliably follow the RA, and options like increasing autopilot gains aren’t part of the procedure.