Nose dive when changing altitude in ALT ACQ mode
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It happened to me a few times now, that I changed the selected altitude while the autopilot was in ALT ACQ mode. The aircraft then tried very aggressively to pitch towards the new altitude.
The manual I have does not clearly state, what the real RJ does in this case. It does however mention the transition to VS as a basic mode several times and many other aircraft also switch to VS if the altitude is changed in altitude acquire mode. Can someone confirm if the current behavior is correct or if it should switch to VS mode in this case? -
I've also seen this behavior in the JF RJ.
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I do recall that in the 146 FCOM, there are warnings advising pilots not to change the set altitude or vertical mode during the ALT ACQ phase. So you would let the aircraft acquire the altitude before then making any further adjustments to the autopilot vertical modes. With the RJ sharing a lot of the philosophy from the 146, that is likely good practice to follow in the RJ too.
Mark - Just Flight
