Avionics and Autopilots

FlyMarines09

FlyMarines09

Well-Known Member
I love flying. It is my passion and my dream to one day be a professional pilot. I love that flying is a challenging and rewarding skill. Something that really scares me, though is the new technology being put into todays aircraft. It seems to me that it is taking the challenge out of flying. Increased automation, though helpful, is perhaps making pilots more systems analysts than aviators. I've never personally flown the G1000 or similar systems, but from what I've read about them, it seems that is the way aviation is going......... and it's happening so quickly. I don't even want to imagine where we'll be 15 years from now.

Any comments?
 
The G1000 has just consolidated the gauges into pretty screens. The same four forces are still at play.
 
They are absolutely a good thing. Unfortunately, there is a lot of poor instruction in their use that goes on.
 
Roger said:
They are absolutely a good thing. Unfortunately, there is a lot of poor instruction in their use that goes on.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree completely. I flew my first 120 hours or so with steam gauges, and switched to the G1000. The G1000 is a nice system and really increase situational awareness. I was lucky and had an awesome instructor for my instrument rating. I still try to fly non G1000 aircraft just to keep those skills sharp. The biggest thing for me when I got into flying the G1000 (when I was actually allowed to use the autopilot) was making sure that you were thinking ahead of the autopilot. My instructor use to demonstrate how easy it is to overlook something on the autopilot, and how it would put you in a position that you didn't want to be in. I still prefer to hand fly everything, just monitoring things gets boring pretty quickly; however, during high workload phases (briefing/loading approaches) the autopilot can make the workload very manageable for single pilot ops.
 
I have yet to fly a G1000, and that is on purpose. I know that if I try one, I will probably like it too much, and not want to go back to steam. It's cheaper not to indulge in this as far as rental prices go. One day though.
 
I've been flying for 24 years and never got anywhere close to a G1000! :)
 
Doug Taylor said:
I've been flying for 24 years and never got anywhere close to a G1000! :)
Click to expand...

You know that G1000 is probably just as, if not more capable than the stuff we have?... Amazing piece of technology, and it presents more information in a clear package than any other form of avionics. Used properly, it can be a big aid to safety as far as situational awareness goes
 
Did they ever fix that AHRS dumping with the big red X??? I wouldn't want that in hard IMC even with the backup instruments. I wonder how many people are really practice flying partial panel on the backup instruments?
 
I've got a butt-load of time in G1000 and never heard any first hand accounts of losng the AAHRS. I have heard stories of that kind of problem with older Avidyne equipped airplanes, though
 
I've seen the AHARS go into the red x mode twice in an airplane. One time was on taxi back to the ramp after a hard landing. The other was in IMC, while being vectored to a back course approach, over the ocean, with about a 20 knot crosswind. It came back on about 15 seconds later, but that's the scariest thing I've seen yet.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
I've seen the AHARS go into the red x mode twice in an airplane. One time was on taxi back to the ramp after a hard landing. The other was in IMC, while being vectored to a back course approach, over the ocean, with about a 20 knot crosswind. It came back on about 15 seconds later, but that's the scariest thing I've seen yet.
Click to expand...

I still think its much more reliable than 1920's technology gyros. How many of you guys have lost vacuum or had an alternator go out? I would take AHRS any day over the old gyros...
 
So this thread leads me to a question....I am going to finish up my Instrument in the next 60 days and flew a M20J yesterday that, let's just say it's a little bit of a RampRat. Really a waste..I was excited to get the time in it. I have an option to flly a DA-40 with the G1000 for the rest of Instrument for same $$. Any opinions??
 
FlyMarines,

Thus far, all technology has really accomplished is tighter tolerances and more situational awareness. I'm not the most accomplished pilot, but I've flown everything from /U to /L, and each "category" has its own challenges. Some rattle their sabers about UAVs in the future, but I still argue that there will be incredibly challenging jobs - all requiring the skill and experience of an aviator - to safely accomplish these missions.
 
SIUav8er said:
I still think its much more reliable than 1920's technology gyros. How many of you guys have lost vacuum or had an alternator go out? I would take AHRS any day over the old gyros...
Click to expand...

For sure. I've flown a variety of the GA glass panels and haven't had any issues with them, other that what I posted. Heck, even the cheap Dynon D-10 in the CTSW in my avatar works amazing.

ratherbflying74 said:
So this thread leads me to a question....I am going to finish up my Instrument in the next 60 days and flew a M20J yesterday that, let's just say it's a little bit of a RampRat. Really a waste..I was excited to get the time in it. I have an option to flly a DA-40 with the G1000 for the rest of Instrument for same $$. Any opinions??
Click to expand...

What's your experience level with a Garmin GPS? If you've got time flying a 430/530, flying the G1000 isn't really that hard. If you've never used anything Garmin, there might be significant time needed to get used to how the system works. Personally, I'd stick with the M20J, just because its a harder plane to find to rent/train in, and down the road that Mooney time might help more than Diamond time.
 
I actually think it is a good thing. I fly a basic Cessna 150 with a six pack, a single nav/comm, and I occasionally use my portable VFR only Garmin 96C, but I think if you are properly trained to use a G1000, it enhances safety and increases situational awareness. I'm actually thinking about going to get to get checked out in my local FBO's Diamand DA-40 just to learn more about the system by the CFI I did my private with who knows quite a bit about the system. The only potential downsides to G1000 imo are poor training, and not keeping your eyes moving outside the airplane during VFR operations. As for the autopilot...I don't have my instrument rating yet, but if used properly I imagine if greatly increases situational awareness in IMC during single pilot IFR ops.
 
A150K said:
I actually think it is a good thing. I fly a basic Cessna 150 with a six pack, a single nav/comm, and I occasionally use my portable VFR only Garmin 96C, but I think if you are properly trained to use a G1000, it enhances safety and increases situational awareness. I'm actually thinking about going to get to get checked out in my local FBO's Diamand DA-40 just to learn more about the system by the CFI I did my private with who knows quite a bit about the system. The only potential downsides to G1000 imo are poor training, and not keeping your eyes moving outside the airplane during VFR operations. As for the autopilot...I don't have my instrument rating yet, but if used properly I imagine if greatly increases situational awareness in IMC during single pilot IFR ops.
Click to expand...

A big part of poor instruction in the G1000 system (and others) is when the CFI is still learning the system and is the one doing all the knob turning and button pushing instead of having you do it.
 
Mike H said:
I've got a butt-load of time in G1000 and never heard any first hand accounts of losng the AAHRS. I have heard stories of that kind of problem with older Avidyne equipped airplanes, though
Click to expand...
IIRC my source on this "issue" was Garmin. They had a problem with the AHRS LRU that led to its realignment inflight. Garmin came out on with this in 2007 (again IIRC). Just to be clear I am not knocking them, just curious if they fixed the problem which did in fact exist.:)
 
granlistillo said:
IIRC my source on this "issue" was Garmin. They had a problem with the AHRS LRU that led to its realignment inflight. Garmin came out on with this in 2007 (again IIRC). Just to be clear I am not knocking them, just curious if they fixed the problem which did in fact exist.:)
Click to expand...
I have probably 900 hours in G1000 planes and the only times I've been able to knock the AHRS offline are spins and extreme slow flight (like going sideways/backwards over the ground).
 
SIUav8er said:
I still think its much more reliable than 1920's technology gyros. How many of you guys have lost vacuum or had an alternator go out? I would take AHRS any day over the old gyros...
Click to expand...

Good point, they both can fail, that is why they should have redundancy imo. I don't remember if the G1000 has two ahrs systems but I think not. I am assuming that getting a second AHRS LRU with some type of crosstalk function would cost a pretty penny for the rare occurences where it dumps. I do know that the Garmin moving map gives way to phenomena where some folks flying the moving map and with AP, and have lost the ability to really be able to fly it partial panel with a backup electric driven AI, ASI and altimeter.

BTW, here was the problem I was referring to: http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Garmin_G1000_Problem_Affects_GA_Deliveries_195931-1.html

Seems like they have fixed it?
 
Doug Taylor said:
I've been flying for 24 years and never got anywhere close to a G1000! :)
Click to expand...

I took Firebird2XC up for his first time in one last month, he was impressed, but mostly by the Air Conditioner - which he says was much better than in the Saab...

Dough, let me know that next time you roll through KTPA, would be happy to take you up in a G1000.

My personal opinion, there is absolutely no difference in the skills required to fly glass or steam. Workload doesn't change much. Far more important to be proficient and current in whatever type you happen to be flying.

The only thing I get excited about is an altitude select bug that actually couples to the A/P.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top