PROOF THAT IT REALLY TAKES AN ENGINEER TO EFFICIENTLY OPERATE A GLASS COCKPIT...

NO, BUT IT HELPS IF YOU READ THE BOOK

Now that I have your attention, one doesn’t have to be an engineer to operate a glass cockpit. I consider myself lucky to know someone that can make the dials spin on the Garmin G1000 and it doesn’t have any dials.

I’ll retrogress to tell you a little about his man whom I am proud to call a friend. He is an Army Viet Nam combat veteran, and I’m glad he served on our side. He has been married to the same woman for almost 40 years and has made a great life for himself here in Scottsdale.

I am not a proponent of several panel mount GPS units. In fact, it took Garmin too long to come out with the GPS 3000. The 3000 has 2 touch (think I Phones) units mounted on the console. If one wants to call up a frequency, you tap the frequency icon and type in the number. It’s that easy to perform all functions on the 3000.

I wish I could say the same for the Garmin 430/530 and G1000 units. Although the G1000 is easier to operate that the 430/530, it still takes currency and practice to make it “sing” for you.

I have a good friend who did not start flying until age 57. He bought a brand new Piper Turbocharged Saratoga with a G1000. This was purchased just after he received his private pilots certificate. I told him before he could really fly anywhere that he needed his instrument ticket. We took a flight to San Diego, IFR, and I was PIC. My friend plugged in the flight plan and we departed Scottsdale (SDL) on a warm summer day. To this day I tell my friend that the most important switch in the Saratoga is the one that says AIR CONDITIONING. We were VMC, and I wanted my friend to see what the real world flying IFR with ATC is like. On approach ATC gives us vectors for airline traffic and told us to go direct MIBBY intersection. This is where it all fell apart for my friend. He was not familiar enough with the G1000 to do this.

I told my friend that he needed to study the G1000 book until he knew it by heart. I had him buy the airplane adapter so he could plug in his G1000 without running the batteries down. I realized that this was not real world experience, and my friend was ready to start his instrument training. I introduced him to Bob Littlefield. Bob is a CFII who is certified on glass panels including the Garmin and Avidyne units. As I said earlier he could make knobs spin where there aren’t any on a glass panel. My friend went on to obtain his instrument ticket and has a vastly improved knowledge of operating the G1000.

Bob realized that many who flew glass panel airplanes were neither proficient nor comfortable with the panel. He decided to write a book, GLASS COCKPIT FLYING. Information to obtain this book is listed below.

BTW: Bob is also a Councilman for the City of Scottsdale up for reelection this year. I appreciate when he uses his engineer mind to make informed decisions for Scottsdale citizens.

Even if you don’t currently fly glass, GLASS COCKPIT FLYING makes for an informative read.

Glass Cockpit Flying

Authored by Robert Littlefield

Glass cockpit technology offers general aviation pilots the promise of increased levels safety and performance. Unfortunately, the increased levels of safety have not materialized. A recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) study showed fewer total accidents for glass cockpit aircraft but a higher fatal accident rate and a higher total of fatal accidents!

Why has the promise of greater levels of safety for glass cockpit airplanes not been realized? Because general aviation pilots and training providers have not yet evolved the way they train and fly to catch up with the advances in glass cockpit technology. The goal of this book is to help remedy that problem.

This book is important to everyone who flies, wants to fly, or instructs in general aviation glass cockpit airplanes. It explains what makes glass cockpit airplanes different, and gives general aviation pilots the tools and knowledge they need to fly these airplanes safely and efficiently. You can find more information on the book – and order it online – at Amazon.com, on our web site at www.flightskills.com or on our Facebook page. The book is also available for purchase in the pilot shops at DVT, GYR, IWA and SDL.