A LOW TIME SOCATA TBM 700 PLT RPTS A TRACK AND ALTDEV AS HE ATTEMPTED TO COMPLY WITH AN ATC CLRNC. SYS IN USE WAS A GARMIN 530.

Narrative

WHILE FLYING AT FL270 I WAS GIVEN AN AMENDED FLT CLRNC. THE AMENDED CLRNC WAS DIRECT ABC AND TO DSND TO FL250. I LOADED THE FLT PLAN INTO THE GARMIN 530 AND ACTIVATED IT. THE PLANE MADE A TURN TO INTERCEPT THE DESIRED TRACK LINE. I THEN WENT TO WORK ON THE ALT. I TRIED TO ENTER THE VERT SPD SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL. I THEN TRIED TO MAKE THE ACFT DSND USING THE AUTOPLT VERT TRIM CTL ROCKER SWITCH. IN THE DARKNESS OF THE COCKPIT AND NOT BEING FAMILIAR WITH THE TRIM I MISTAKENLY TRIMMED THE PLANE UP. THE CTLR THEN INQUIRED ABOUT MY HDG. I RPTED I WAS DIRECT ABC AS THE GPS AND AUTOPLT INDICATED THE ACFT HAD TURNED TO INTERCEPT THE DESIRED TRACK LINE I HAD INPUTTED. I THEN NOTICED THE ACFT HAD NOT DSNDED BUT HAD CLBED 200 FT. THE CTLR THEN GAVE ME A RADAR VECTOR TO INTERCEPT ABC AND ALSO REMINDED ME TO DSND TO FL250. I THEN DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND TURNED ON COURSE AND DSNDED. SOME CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE MY RELATIVELY FEW HRS IN THE ACFT I WAS FLYING; THE LOW LIGHTING ON THE AUTOPLT PANEL; AND MY NOT BEING AS FAMILIAR WITH THE AUTOPLT AS I THOUGHT. I SPENT TOO MUCH TIME TRYING TO GET THE AUTOPLT TO DSND. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN QUICKER TO HAND-FLY THE ACFT; WHEN I WAS HAVING PROBS WITH MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO OPERATE THE AUTOPLT. I NOW HAVE MASTERED THE VERT MODE ON THE AUTOPLT. ALSO; FROM THE TIME I INPUTTED THE NEW FLT PLAN INTO THE GPS AND ACTIVATED IT A LOT OF DISTANCE HAD BEEN COVERED IN THIS HIGH PERFORMANCE ACFT. NEXT TIME I WILL ACTIVATE DIRECT TO THE FIRST FIX AND THEN WHILE I HAVE MORE TIME I WILL INPUT THE ENTIRE FLT PLAN.