Maximize your panel's potential
In many flight schools, students are being taught some of the basics, but nothing of the advanced functions. And many flight instructors who are extraordinarily skilled at flying the aircraft know little about the operation of the advanced avionics increasingly found in rental aircraft.
This is not a criticism so much as it is an observation. With the proliferation of features that the microprocessor revolution has enabled - particularly in GPS receivers - it is difficult for an instructor to learn all there is to know about every manufacturer's product. Frankly, when AOPA first began lobbying back in the 1980s for civilian use of GPS, even we had no idea of the capabilities that eventually would be built into these units.
Some instructors purposely don't teach the use of the advanced avionics. There is no specific requirement that you know how to use the GPS to pass the practical test. Some instructors even tell students to turn off the GPS before taking the checkride so that the examiner won't test on it. (Nothing says that the examiner can't test you on the GPS if it is installed in the airplane, however, and some do require that you demonstrate basic operation of everything in the panel.) But not using every tool in the airplane is just plain dumb.
Now you may be saying, "Look, my flying is just VFR, I'm not trying to land at Megacity International in the middle of a busy Class B area, I don't need to know how to use all that stuff." Well, maybe not. And no, you don't need to know how to load and fly an IFR approach. But knowing some of the other functions of the box can make things a lot easier and safer for you.
Some comm radios, for example, have a monitor feature, allowing you to listen to two frequencies at once. They're set up so you can listen to the secondary frequency, but if a transmission comes across the primary frequency, the radio will shift to it so that you don't miss an important call. This is a great way to listen to the ATIS or AWOS while you're also monitoring approach control or the tower. (And don't forget, you're now required to monitor "guard" - 121.5 MHz - at all times if you have the equipment to do so.)
Or consider the flight plan function of your GPS. Most people only learn how to "go direct" and nothing more. But if you learn how to enter a flight plan, you can use that to comfortably guide you around TFRs around Class B airspace or through VFR flyways.
Look at a terminal area chart. Many now have "VFR waypoints" designated by a five-letter code beginning with "v." That marks a visual reference point that's likely stored in your GPS database. AOPA and the Air Safety Foundation pioneered the concept - and lobbied the FAA to add VFR waypoints to the charts to make navigating busy airspace easier and safer for VFR pilots.
And you would certainly want to know how to use the "nearest airport" function on every GPS you fly.
So how do you learn how to use this stuff? Some flight schools and FBOs have demonstration units you can use to learn on the ground. Or you can sit in the aircraft itself and familiarize yourself with the avionics. You might want to see if the FBO will connect a power cart to the airplane so you don't run down the battery. (And only power up the box you want to learn. That will help keep from generating more heat, which is tough on avionics.)
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has online resources that will help. Start with the GPS Technology Safety Advisor, which you can find in the publications section. ASF also has links to online manuals and computer simulators for many of the popular GPS units.
There is an opportunity for flight instructors here as well. If you take the time to become expert on one or more of the advanced GPS units, you'll find a ready training market of students and aircraft owners.
There are some fantastic tools now appearing in our aircraft, which do require more training. But unlearned functions of an avionics box are just like runway behind you and altitude above you.
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