Which glass panel is easier to learn first??

Rotor2Wing

Rotor2Wing

Unapologetically American
I am about to start the process of getting checked out in two new airplanes or maybe just one if it appears one system is much better than the other. One has a G1000 w/ the KAP140 AP and the other has a G500 with dual Garmin 430w and flight stream. Which system is easier to learn for someone with very minimal glass time? If you had to choose one what would you choose and why? The flights I’ll be doing mostly will be single pilot IFR less than 200 nm.
 
Garmins can be pretty complex glass systems if it's your first jump at a glass cockpit. Is there anywhere around you that might still have an Avidyne PFD/MFD setup?
 
Both are going to have very similar interfaces. The G1000 is probably easier to start with since everything is self contained and you don’t have the additional vagaries of the prehistoric G430 to learn.
 
Roger Roger said:
Both are going to have very similar interfaces. The G1000 is probably easier to start with since everything is self contained and you don’t have the additional vagaries of the prehistoric G430 to learn.
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That’s what I assumed but I do have 430 experience and the flight stream reduces all the turning and twisting since you can upload and edit your flight plan on the iPad and stream it to the 430. It kinda looks like it maybe about the same learning curve in different ways.
 
I have experience instructing in both, I would agree with what someone said earlier that the G500 coupled with the dual 430s will present a challenge of having to learn both the G500 interface and the G430 interface. Most of my students were able to learn the G500 in 2-3 lessons max but the 430 always took more time. Even though the two use very similar user interfaces, the 430 is a bit more complicated and has a number of different ways to accomplish the same task. With this setup, you'll likely be interacting with the 430 way more than the G500.

The G1000 is way more powerful and will take some time to master the many functions it has. The added function of an autopilot here is pretty cool and helpful for single-pilot IFR. If it were me, I'd go with the G1000 setup here.
 
flybywp said:
I have experience instructing in both, I would agree with what someone said earlier that the G500 coupled with the dual 430s will present a challenge of having to learn both the G500 interface and the G430 interface. Most of my students were able to learn the G500 in 2-3 lessons max but the 430 always took more time. Even though the two use very similar user interfaces, the 430 is a bit more complicated and has a number of different ways to accomplish the same task. With this setup, you'll likely be interacting with the 430 way more than the G500.

The G1000 is way more powerful and will take some time to master the many functions it has. The added function of an autopilot here is pretty cool and helpful for single-pilot IFR. If it were me, I'd go with the G1000 setup here.
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Are there additional tasks to learn on the 430 when it’s connected to the g500? I’m not a pro on the 430 but I am moderately proficient in the use of one under IFR.

What’s your thoughts on the KAP140 auto pilot with the G1000? I know the Garmin auto pilot is way better but I don’t have access to one.
 
And then you get hired at an airline and have to fly something like this:

0280939.jpg


And all that “glass” time is for naught.
 
Cptnchia said:
And then you get hired at an airline and have to fly something like this:

0280939.jpg


And all that “glass” time is for naught.
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I’d probably be more comfortable with that at this point. 98% of my time is all analog but glass just makes sense. If glass is an option when flying single pilot IFR it’s a no brainer especially if it includes traffic, weather, and synthetic vision.
 
Rotor2Wing said:
Are there additional tasks to learn on the 430 when it’s connected to the g500? I’m not a pro on the 430 but I am moderately proficient in the use of one under IFR.

What’s your thoughts on the KAP140 auto pilot with the G1000? I know the Garmin auto pilot is way better but I don’t have access to one.
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The KAP 140 is a perfectly fine autopilot (when it works). It’s a good starter AP because it’s pretty “dumb”, most of us can still manage to outsmart it.
 
Roger Roger said:
Both are going to have very similar interfaces. The G1000 is probably easier to start with since everything is self contained and you don’t have the additional vagaries of the prehistoric G430 to learn.
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Prehistoric? I think I was already an airline pilot when that thing was released! Lets go fly NDB holds like I had to do on my instrument ride and then you can talk about prehistoric. :)
 
The “buttonology” on the 430 is a little screwy. I’d say the G1000 is a little easier to learn but once you fly both, they’re not too bad.
 
Rotor2Wing said:
Are there additional tasks to learn on the 430 when it’s connected to the g500? I’m not a pro on the 430 but I am moderately proficient in the use of one under IFR.

What’s your thoughts on the KAP140 auto pilot with the G1000? I know the Garmin auto pilot is way better but I don’t have access to one.
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No you should be fine if you already have an understanding of the 430. The 430 is sort of the "boss" of the G500 hence why you will be messing with that a lot more than the 500. You should be able to get a hang of it quickly after just a lesson or two.

Unfortunately I don't have any experience with the KAP140 so don't have anything to offer there. I imagine any autopilot used with a G1000 should be pretty good and serve its purpose well.
 
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