Now playing in your cockpit
Of course, the cockpits of contemporary new light airplanes, from light sport designs and Cessna 172 to Cirrus, Columbia, Mooney, and beyond, have indeed become largely computer-based and super-capable. For the most part, however, the fears I expressed 10 years ago have not materialized. Yes, the electronic instrumentation, navigation, and hazard-awareness systems do require training and proficiency, but once learned they are relatively user-friendly and, at least as important, they have proven to be extremely reliable.
That's not to say the digital transformation has been problem-free. In fact, it has heightened another long-standing concern with yet another amazing capability. One of the most dramatic changes in the modern light aircraft cockpit has been the move to color visuals on electronic displays--moving navigation maps, ground-based Nexrad weather radar depictions, terrain, and traffic. The ability to look at a color display and immediately see exactly where the airplane is with respect to the course, the airport, the terrain, and other traffic is nothing short of amazing.
I am a partner in a 1967 airplane that straddles old and new generations. It has conventional round dials and analog needles for flight and engine instrumentation, but it also has a variety of computer-based devices, most with some sort of visual display--a Garmin 530 with WAAS GPS approach certification, a Garmin 396, a Mode S transponder that allows the display of traffic conflicts on the Garmin, and a Stormscope.
No question the visual power of the modern cockpit has immeasurably improved situational awareness. One glance at the moving map display and we instantly know where we are and where we are going. That's a big plus for safety, especially in clouds, at night, and over hostile or unfamiliar terrain.
Yet, ironically, all of the computing, database, and display power in a modern light airplane cockpit can have a negative impact on safety because of the simple fact that we spend more time with our eyes focused on the panel and less time looking outside the cockpit. Modern avionics require a lot of manipulation compared to the old analog days. Configuring the boxes and displays, entering a flight plan, setting up climb and descent profiles, cycling through various electronic pages, checking Nexrad weather--there's a lot to do.
But it's not all work. Except for unrepentant anti-gadgeteers, most pilots think that messing around with the electronics is genuine fun. Nothing wrong with having fun while you're flying, but is it absolutely necessary to cycle through the Waypoint pages to get to the list of frequencies for the destination airport, highlight the one you want, push Enter to put it in the Standby position, then push another button to transfer it to the Active window? What happened to monitoring your position and looking for traffic? The alternative to selecting the desired frequency from the database is to tune it yourself. Retro for sure, but it's quick.
The issue of when you interface with the electronics also can be a safety-of-flight problem. Most of the big events that take place on the electronic displays occur in the terminal area after takeoff and on arrival, just when we should be spending all of our time looking outside.
If you fly an airplane with an electronic visual display, you must be aware of the problem. If you are honest with yourself, you'll admit to having heard that little voice in the back of your head whispering, "You know, right now you really should be flying with your eyeballs referencing the real world on the other side of the windshield and scanning for traffic instead of concentrating so hard on those screens on the panel."
I've been flying with pilots whose heads were buried in the panel during the most critical phases of flight. They had to hear that whispering voice. And, yes, I've heard it as well.
We can manage the gadgets in our cockpits so that their use does not fall into the category of technology for technology's sake. First, learn how the equipment works when you're still on the ground rather than relying on on-the-job training while you fly. Good computer-based training programs exist for almost every kind of electronic cockpit device.
When you believe you have a decent operational grasp of the equipment, take a friend who is qualified in the airplane to act as a safety pilot, and go fly. Let the safety pilot fly, with eyes outside, while you play with the boxes and displays.
In normal day-to-day flying, when you won't have a safety pilot aboard to scan for traffic, set up the avionics before taking off. Have a flight plan entered, if applicable, so you don't have to divert your concentration in flight to set it up. Configure all of the equipment for the takeoff and climb so you don't have to do anything until you're clear of terminal-area traffic.
Know how to make changes on the fly, so to speak. If you have to resort to the instruction manual while in flight, you don't know your system.
Recently I met a pilot and airplane owner who has kicked the whole electronic panel thing up a notch. He boasted about all of his new displays and added that he's also installed a DVD player with displays mounted on seat backs. A nice touch so passengers can watch movies while he flies. Then he happened to mention that he's also mounted a DVD display on the panel for the front-seat passenger. It was unsaid but understood that he also likes to watch in-flight movies.
Is this is the new paradigm for general aviation light aircraft? Is a panel full of situational and hazard awareness displays not enough? Must we also go the route of lazy, irresponsible drivers who have DVD players affixed to the dashboard? Is it really necessary to install a movie screen on the panel to take the boredom out of long cross-country legs?
What does it say when we feel compelled to watch movies during the few moments in a flight when we're not looking at the multifunction display? Who is flying the airplane? Who is looking outside for traffic, for weather, for landmarks?
The wonderful thing about general aviation in the United States is that, even with FAA regulation, we remain remarkably free to do what we want with our airplanes. We can fly just about anywhere at any time. As with any freedom, however, it comes with responsibility. Can we not do without self-indulgent entertainment long enough to accomplish the serious business of flying?
Mark Twombly is a writer and editor who has been flying since 1968. He is a commercial pilot with instrument and multiengine ratings and co-owner of a Piper Aztec.
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