Once the program is downloaded and installed, you're in for a treat. Garmin provides a very sophisticated simulator. You can fly approaches, arrivals, and departures to any airport in the United States as well as create your own flight plans. The simulator replicates almost all the functions that are in use in the real, panel-mounted instrument.
You can find other simulation software on the Internet by visiting Mike Meadow's site ( www.gpsforvfr.com/download.htm ). There you'll find several GPS manuals as well as a few other varieties of GPS simulation software. For instance, you can download the KLN 89B software. The Bendix/King KLN 89B is a GPS unit found in many general aviation airplanes.
Once you learn the basic principles of how GPS works and how GPS approaches are flown, you'll have much less difficulty transitioning from one GPS unit to another. When a student calls you to help him with GPS approaches, you can always brush up on your computer before jumping in his or her airplane. At least you won't be heard to say, "Is this thing on? How can you tell?"
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