Managing the cockpit of a Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) often poses a challenge for pilots, particularly those who have learned to fly with conventional panels. As we learned in Part 1 of this series, when learning to fly a TAA, it's crucial to get some proper systems operational training before you make your first flight.
One of the most challenging tasks, pilots tell us, is trying to master the button navigation of the glass cockpit in a timely manner. It is one thing to try to memorize the most basic commands of the system, but it is quite another thing to master the "switchology" necessary to control the TAA cockpit without getting your head stuck inside when your gaze should be outside, miles ahead of the aircraft.
Flying an aircraft is not the same thing as programming a VCR. Some people are content to have the time flashing on the display of the VCR in their living room. You cannot take the same approach to your aircraft. You may not need to use every function on the screens in your aircraft every flight, but you at least need to be familiar with the functions of the system and be able to call up the right function when you need it. This becomes more important in maintaining situational awareness when operating in stressful situations such as a busy or unfamiliar airport, deteriorating weather conditions, and emergencies.
Regardless of whether you have decided to learn to fly in a Cirrus with an Avidyne Entegra glass cockpit, or a Cessna or Diamond with a Garmin G1000, the rules of learning the system are the same. You need to start out with some kind of system operational training before you start flying. To do otherwise produces too much inside distraction for the pilot and takes away from the important task of maintaining an effective traffic scan. A number of systems trainers and avionics ground schools are available to new and transitioning pilots from Sporty's Pilot Shop, King Schools, and Aviation Supplies and Academics.
If you purchase a TAA or wish to rent one and fly it solo, you might be surprised to discover that your insurance company (or your flight school's) will require you to take an approved TAA overview course or will offer you a premium discount after you do. When a new glass-cockpit aircraft is sold to a customer, the manufacturer generally offers special training that accompanies aircraft delivery. Today, however, many aircraft buyers purchase their aircraft through a dealer, and in some cases the purchasers are being shortchanged in terms of the transition training they get--unless they seek out that training either on their own or at the prodding of their insurance carrier.
Using the systems
Let's look at how the pilot uses the systems in the cockpit. The Avidyne and the G1000 have some basic similarities that you will learn about in ground training. The main thing that the pilot in training must learn is how to configure the integrated avionics contained within the primary flight display (PFD) and the multifunction flight display (MFD). The G1000 has been designed for simplicity and redundancy from the ground up. The PFD and the MFD are identical and largely interchangeable, except in those aircraft where the integrated Garmin GFC 700 autopilot is installed instead of an independent autopilot. In those cases, Garmin has designed the MFD to serve as the host for the autopilot controls. (We will discuss autopilot operation in installment four.)
A pilot can use either the knobs and controls on the PFD or the controls on the MFD to get the desired result except for the controls in the lower right corner of each screen. These are referred to as the flight management system (FMS) and they only control functionality of the menus within that screen. This means that the pilot may have to reach across the cockpit to grab a knob on the more distant screen.
In the case of the G1000, the communication and navigation radios are integrated into the system, and their controls are embedded within the screen bezel knobs and buttons. The pilot must use the audio panel to control which transmitter is being activated and direct audio to the cabin speaker. The audio panel also controls handy functions such as crew isolation, clearance recorder playback, PFD reversionary control, and split com; the latter allows two pilots to transmit on separate frequencies at the same time.
Bump, scroll, and twist
The biggest challenge for the pilot in training is to memorize finger placement on knobs and softkeys along the screen to access buried functions. Multifunctional controls such as the FMS knob have an inner and outer knob, and the inner knob can be clicked or pushed in. We have come up with an easy way for pilots to remember how to work these multifunctional knobs; it is called the "bump, scroll, and twist."
This sounds like a new dance, but it is actually an easy way to remember how to access many of the functions in the G1000 system. Screen navigation from chapter to chapter is controlled by scrolling the outer knob, pages within the chapter are controlled by twisting the inner knob, and the cursor is turned on and off by bumping in the inner knob. If the cursor is on, then the inner and outer knobs drive the user deeper into the current page and call up integral menus. When the cursor is off, a scroll or twist navigates away from the current chapter or page.
To enter a flight plan from your current airport to another airport, press the FPL softkey, "bumping" the cursor to turn it on in the first position of the new flight plan, "twisting" the inner knob to call up the first letter of the station identifier, and then "scrolling" to the next position for the next letter of the identifier. Then twist the inner knob to advance the alphabet until you reach the desired letter; after that, scroll to the next position and repeat the process.
Once the pilot gets this down to a point where he doesn't have to stare at the screen to accomplish a task, operating the system becomes considerably easier. New pilots may think this cumbersome, but more experienced pilots will recognize it because it is based upon the Garmin GNS 430/530 menu navigation paradigm. Knowing this will be very useful to the pilot who decides to transition to a Cirrus or a Piper, because the Avidyne Entegra systems installed in those aircraft is accompanied by a GNS 430, and "bump, scroll, and twist" will again be used.
Avidyne's approach
The current-generation Avidyne Entegra system found on Cirrus, Piper, and Symphony aircraft uses a different approach to screen integration. The Avidyne Entegra panel uses two nicely integrated 10.4-inch screens representing the PFD and the MFD, but most of the information comes from the Garmin GNS 430s installed in the panel. The pilot in training must learn to navigate both the GNS 430 radios and the PFD and MFD menu hierarchy in order to properly operate the system. Luckily, the "bump, scroll, and twist" method of finger navigation works perfectly on the GNS 430 radios. While operation of these radios may be intuitive to seasoned pilots, they will be confusing at first to the new pilot and to transitioning pilots not familiar with their operation. It does not take long to learn, but time consideration must be given for the learning curve.
On the Avidyne Entegra, the bezel-mounted controls and buttons operate only the displays to which they are attached. Information accessed through one display cannot be shown on the other. If one of the screens or its supporting electronics fail, there is no ability to transfer information to the remaining screen as there is with the G1000 system.
However, the Avidyne system is more robust in terms of screen display functions than the G1000. Onscreen checklists, onscreen navigation charts, and onscreen taxi diagrams are fully functional on the Entegra system and will be appreciated by the training pilot, if he can muster the mental bandwidth to deal with all the information. It's likely that Avidyne is working on the next generation integrated Entegra system to one-up the integrated approach of the G1000.
Common mistakes
Instructors of TAA aircraft have found that students tend to make the same kinds of mistakes as soon as they start flying glass-cockpit aircraft. The mistakes are classified into two major categories: programming and fixation. The programming challenge can be cured with a thorough ground school or ground training software. Instructors will find that these tools will make transition and training more productive and less overwhelming for the student.
The fixation challenge has the FAA and the TAA training community concerned. It is human nature to focus on an area of interest or concern. When a pilot does this at the wrong time, however, it can lead to risk because he falls behind the aircraft.
Students should be taught about scan flow, a methodical process for moving the pilot's attention around the cockpit--and out the window--to avoid fixation. A Technically Advanced Aircraft has four focus areas that must be repeatedly scanned to avoid falling behind the aircraft. They are:
- Outside the aircraft--for traffic and terrain avoidance.
- Primary flight display--is the flight progressing as you intended?
- Multifunction display--electronic situational awareness of location, weather, traffic, terrain, and other parameters.
- Chores--running checklists, managing charts, briefing passengers.
Student pilots already struggle to keep their eyes outside the aircraft, watching for other traffic and maintaining situational awareness. The bright and vivid colors of the G1000 and Avidyne Entegra PFD and MFD are an irresistible temptation for many pilots. After all, the MFD contains everything from moving maps to terrain warnings, airspace alerts, and traffic annunciations. It is very tempting for the pilot to look at the MFD rather than look out the window.
This temptation turns into fixation when the pilot is attempting a programming task and can't remember exactly how to do it. The instructor must intervene and get the pilot's eyes flowing again. It is not uncommon for a pilot to take 30 to 40 seconds to try to spell out an airport or intersection identifier. An aircraft traveling at 150 knots covers almost one and one-half miles over the ground in that time. An aircraft traveling 220 knots covers almost three miles.
Understanding the challenges
You should now have a better understanding of what it is like to operate these glass-cockpit-equipped aircraft and the challenges of doing it safely. Pilot preference will drive you to select aircraft installed with either the G1000 or the Avidyne Entegra.
Take the time to do the studying on the ground before you get in the aircraft. Take advantage of any available ground training or software that will help you master the buttons and knobs before you fly. Use the bump, scroll, and twist to keep you from staring at a screen and breaking your scan-flow.
When you're able to stay ahead of the aircraft, you will definitely have the time to enjoy the capabilities of these new-generation glass cockpit systems.
Michael G. Gaffney is president of Skyline Aeronautics at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in St. Louis, Missouri. A Master CFI and a Master Ground Instructor, he was named the 2007 national Flight Instructor of the Year. Gaffney, author of ASA's The Complete G1000 Course, also holds airline transport pilot and airframe and powerplant certificates. He has more than 3,200 flight hours.
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