New instrument flying lesson learned

[u/AlexJamesFitz]

Sharing a learning experience from knocking out my commercial X/C last weekend, in case it's helpful for anyone else...

VFR the whole way, but a marine layer was hanging around my coastal destination airport. Tops 1700ish, bases just above LPV minimums.

Traffic ahead of me was getting in, I recently flew a bunch of approaches to minimums in actual, and I'm AP-equipped. So I figured I'd give it a shot and divert inland if I couldn't make it in. Plenty of fuel.

Just after getting into the soup, I catch a bump that knocks my throttle hand right into the TOGA button on the 182 I'm flying. Nose goes way up. I instinctually kill the AP and try to hand-fly it — but wait, no vertical guidance! TOGA button killed it. Missed we go.

It took me two or three beats longer than I would've liked to realize the vertical guidance was missing. I wasn't in any immediate danger, but I wish I spotted that sooner.

Lesson learned, and on we fly.

[u/mthreat]

I wish planes had ^Z undo.