A LIGHT TWIN PLT MAKES A COUPLE OF NAV ERRORS ON HER XCOUNTRY TRIP THAT REVEALED SOME AREAS OF NEEDED IMPROVEMENT IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE AUTOPLT NEAR ABE; PA.

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I HAD A CLRNC TO FJC V149 LHY; MISSED THE TURN TO LHY WHEN THE CTLR INFORMED ME I WAS 5 MI W OF FJC AND CLRED ME DIRECT LHY. 2 DAYS LATER MY CLRNC WAS GGT V153 LHY; MISSED THE TURN TO LHY WHEN THE CTLR INFORMED ME I HAD PASSED GGT; GAVE ME A VECTOR TO JOIN V153. BOTH INSTANCES WERE INCORRECT USE OF THE AUTOPLT. THE FIRST TIME; I HAD THE AUTOPLT SET TO HEADING; REACHED THE WAYPOINT AND WAS WAITING FOR THE AUTOPLT TO TURN US; BUT I HAD NOT TURNED THE HEADING BUG; THINKING THE AUTOPLT WOULD FOLLOW THE GPS. THE CTLR REDIRECTED ME. I REALIZED MY ERROR ONCE I WAS ON THE GND AND WAS REVIEWING WHAT HAPPENED. I SHOULD HAVE HAD THE AUTOPLT ON OMNI. ON THE RETURN TRIP; I SET THE AUTOPLT TO OMNI; BUT BASICALLY HAD THE SAME ERROR. AGAIN; THE CTLR REDIRECTED ME. ONCE ON THE GND; AGAIN REVIEWING WHAT HAPPENED; I REALIZED I HAD NOT FLIPPED THE AUTOPLT SWITCH THAT ENABLES IT TO BE CONNECTED TO EITHER THE VOR'S OR GPS -- IT WAS IN THE 'OFF' POS. THE FOLLOWING LEG WAS MADE USING THE AUTOPLT WITHOUT ANY NAV ERRORS. MAIN PROB -- RELYING ON AUTOPLT AND NOT FOLLOWING THE OTHER EQUIP (VOR'S) FOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND INCOMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE AUTOPLT SYS. CORRECTING IT: PRACTICE AND UNDERSTAND SYS BEFORE USING ON ANOTHER IFR TRIP MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AT ALL TIMES.