I agree with Skip.  Autopilots are a wonderful addition that can absolutely enhance the safety and pleasure of flying.  Our ES's are about as stable as you can get.  Mine, especially near the forward CG, is so stable you think the autopilot IS engaged!  I flew my ES to Sun 'N Fun and back from Colorado Springs without the autopilot and even though it was sunny and smooth, it still was draining on a 4 hour leg to keep your altitude and heading on track.  I also like being able to keep my eyes outside looking for traffic.

 

I've never flown a 360 or a Legacy, but I would bet they are quite a bit more demanding.

 

IFR would compound the workload considerably.

 

I think keeping your hand flying skills sharp is equally important as knowing how to program and monitor your autopilot.  Both flying modes can be safe, if you stay current.  An incorrectly programmed autopilot is just as dangerous and a rusty pilot.  Mr. TruTrack does a fabulous job of holding course and altitude, far better than I can.  But I like to turn off the autopilot about 20 minutes out, and wake up my feet and get a feel for the controls before I enter the pattern, a trick my private instructor taught me.

 

Mike Easley

Colorado Springs