By Hank Gibson, Gold Seal, CFI, CFII, MEI

I’m a Garmin guy, through and through.  Most of my glass panel experience is with Garmins, but I’ve been flying an Avidyne setup a lot lately, so I consider myself unbiased.  I’ll let you be the final judge in the end, but I’ll try and present a bipartisan view of both systems as best I can.  Now, just sit back and get ready to form an opinion.  (Note:  The Avidyne Entegra discussion below is specific to a Cirrus SR22)

The Avidyne Entegra

Avidyne has done many things well with their venture into the glass cockpit arena (brief side note:  I find it humorous that even Avidyne still uses Garmin’s GPS.  As usual, I digress).  On the PFD, there are eight bezel keys, four on each side, each with it’s own function.  On the bottom of the display are two knobs, one on each side, that are used to input information into each of the different fields next to the bezel keys.

The instrumentation display on the PFD is unique.  The attitude, airspeed, and vertical speed indicators are all displayed in the top half of the display.  The typical coloring for the attitude indicator (sky is blue, ground is brown) remains only in the top portion of the display.  The HSI along with the bezel keys are all in the lower half of the display, with black being the background color here.  Your course lines are displayed in the lower half as well.  Whatever you input into your flight plan in the GPS will be underlayed on the HSI and the surrounding black screen.

Moving to the MFD, the knob on the lower left gives you the ability to scroll through a myriad of different pages, depending on what your plane is equipped with.  The default page that comes up upon startup is the engine page.  Typically, as do almost all pilots, I keep the map page up on the MFD.  The Cirrus I fly has a TAWS terrain system on the second page.  There is also a trip page, a chart page (assuming you have the subscription), an electronic checklist page, which allows more streamlined checklist usage (and takes away flipping through a booklet), and the nearest page.

Now, looking through that list, some of what will be in your airplane largely depends upon what you want to put in there.  I would highly recommend the electronic checklist and the CMAX Jeppesen chart subscription.  The TAWS is nice to have, but not a necessity.  Situation awareness is always a priority, and the more you have the better.

You’re probably thinking at this point, what about traffic alerts?  Well, for those, you have to go through the Garmin GPS.  Sorry, I’m talking about Garmin again.  Let’s get back to Avidyne.

The ten bezel keys control many different functions depending on which page you are on.  To learn each of the bezel keys, you’ll really have to just go through the different pages, exploring and discovering all the complexities of the system.  There are a few online simulators that you can play with, too (Avidyne Trainer).

The Comparison

Here’s the problem with Avidyne that I have found.  It is a little simpler and a little more user friendly, but the integration is lacking.  The nice thing about a G1000 setup is the way everything is integrated within the actual system.  There isn’t a GPS built into the glass panel in this system.  You still have to get either a Garmin GPS and a second Com radio, or two Garmins.  With a G1000, the GPS is already in the system, as well as the audio panel.  You’ve got your frequencies on the screen already, instead of having to look elsewhere for them.

I’ve heard the knock on the G1000 is that the soft keys perform many different functions, making it hard to keep them straight.  Apparently, the nice thing about an Avidyne is all the bezel keys perform one action.  Now, on the PFD, this remains true, but on the MFD, I disagree.  Every separate page brings up different bezel key functions, so I don’t count that as a valid argument.  Albeit, Garmin has a steeper learning curve because of all it’s functionality, but it has a whole lot more power then the alternative.

Avidyne does seem to be a little more user friendly because of the simplicity of the system.  As mentioned above, a G1000 has a lot of functions, therefore causing a steep learning curve.

The Conclusion

After reading all that, I will let you come to your own conclusion.  My unbiasedness went out the window somewhere in the previous section.  I hope it doesn’t stick to the side of the plane like gum or something.  Anyway, in this pilot’s opinion, Garmin has mastered the art of the glass panel.  There is some more learning to be done when getting into a G1000 cockpit, but, it is so very worth it.  Plus, if you’ve been flying with a 430 or 530 GPS anyway, a lot of the functions are the same, just on a larger scale.

But, remaining bipartisan, go check out both systems.  If you’re able to fly each, give them each a shot and see what you think.  If money is a factor, well, money is a factor.  But, seriously, you can’t go wrong with a Garmin.

By Hank Gibson, Gold Seal, CFI, CFII, MEI

Last Monday, I went with a group of pilots to NASA to take a high altitude training course dealing with altitude in aviation.  Though I was unable to participate in the altitude chamber flight at the end of the day, it was still a valuable refresher for me on the effects of high altitude.  Hopefully, after you read this article, you will be more educated on the affects and dangers that high altitudes have on pilots, making you safer.  (All information that follows was taken from NASA’s High Altitude Training Seminar, unless otherwise noted).

What is Hypoxia?

Hypoxia, defined straight from NASA, is “a state of oxygen deficiency in the blood, tissues, and cells sufficient to cause an impairment of mental and physical functions.”  Basically, it ain’t good.  How does this oxygen deficiency occur in aviation, you ask?  Good question.

The higher a pilot goes in the earth’s atmosphere, the atmospheric pressure and the partial pressure of oxygen in the air both decrease.  At sea level (I’m going to use the units that NASA gave us), the atmospheric pressure is 760mm Hg (equivalent to 29.92in Hg) and the partial pressure of oxygen is 100mm Hg.  The oxygen saturation of the body is at 98%.

As altitude increases, both atmospheric pressure and the partial pressure of oxygen decrease, measuring 522.6mm Hg and 60mm Hg at 10,000 feet, respectively.  Up at that altitude, the oxygen saturation of the body is down to 87%.  At sea level, medically, when a person’s body gets down to 87%, doctor’s give that person an oxygen canister to carry around.  You see lots of older folks with them.  In aviation in an unpressurized cabin, this is the level a pilot’s body is at.  Mental and visual capability is impaired as well as other bodily functions.  That’s only 10,000 feet!

Different Types of Hypoxia

NASA told us about four different types of hypoxia in aviation, each affecting a different system of the body.  The first is hypoxic hypoxia, a lack of oxygen to the lungs.  This would be the most common form of hypoxia for pilots due to breathing air at a reduced atmospheric pressure.  The cause could be anything from improper equipment usage to a rapid decompression.

Hypemic hypoxia is any condition that messes with the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.  Where this pops up in aviation is with carbon monoxide poisoning.  CO poisoning can either come from a leak in the exhaust system creeping into the heater or smoking.  Our NASA instructor said if you smoke, that automatically put’s your body at 8,000 feet, even at sea level.  If you don’t smoke, don’t pick it up.  If you do smoke, please, for your sake, look into a program to stop smoking.

Histotoxic hypoxia prevents the cells from using the oxygen that is already there as they normally would.  The cause?  Alcohol and drugs.  Alcohol and certain drugs inhibit the cells from utilizing oxygen rich blood.  Don’t drink and fly (FAA regs) and be extremely careful with over the counter medication.  If it makes you drowsy, don’t fly after taking it.  Most prescription drugs don’t mix well with pilots either.

Finally, stagnant hypoxia affects blood circulation.  You have probably experienced this when your arm or your foot have “fallen asleep.”  Other causes of stagnant hypoxia that can be more dangerous in aviation are hyperventilation, g-forces experienced in aerobatic training, or even extreme hot or cold temperatures.

How to Identify Hypoxia

The folks at NASA were very specific when they were teaching us pilots how to identify hypoxia in someone.  There are signs (everybody would experience these) and symptoms (each individual would get different symptoms).  Our instructor also told us that a person’s symptoms changed with age, so mine would be different in twenty years.

Here is a list of hypoxic signs that would show up in everyone:

• Increase rate of depth and breathing
• Cyanosis (blueing of the lips and fingernails)
• Slurring of speech
• Poor coordination and mental confusion
• Euphoria
• Belligerence
• Becoming lethargic
• Unconsciousness

Not everyone will experience all of these signs.  Euphoria usually doesn’t change to belligerence, but these are what to look for in yourself and others.  NASA also gave us a long list of possible symptoms, ranging from numbness and fatigue to nausea, but the instructor was very specific in stating that symptoms are different for different pilots.  Basically, a symptom is anything that would be abnormal for you, personally.

Hypoxia Remedies

So what do you do if you discover you are becoming hypoxic?  The FAA and NASA both emphasize the time of useful consciousness.  Basically, that is the amount of time at certain altitudes that a pilot will remain conscious in a hypoxic state before he passes out.  It ranges anywhere from 20-30 minutes at FL 180, to 9-12 seconds at FL 430 for a slow decompression.  For rapid decompressions, the time is much shorter.  So, act quickly.

The first step is to get on 100% oxygen.  Check your supplemental oxygen gear to make sure it’s sealed properly.  Then, control your rate and depth of breathing and get down below 10,000 feet as quickly as possible.  If ATC asks, tell them it’s an emergency.  Do not take this lightly because it can turn in to a dangerous situation very quickly.

What if you don’t have any supplemental oxygen?  Well, what were you doing above 10,000 feet?  Get your butt down to a lower altitude ASAP and think a little bit more when picking your altitude next time.

Altitude in aviation can be dangerous if you aren’t prepared.  For those unpressurized, un-oxygenated pilots, keep it below 10,000 feet.  Your brain will work better.  You don’t want to sound like this guy.

By Hank Gibson, CFI, CFII, MEI

New Cirrus aircraft equipped with the Garmin Perspective avionics suite are a pilot’s dream.  All parties involved got this one right.  Gone are the days when general aviation pilots have to twist knobs to select an airport identifier.  In comes the Garmin Control Unit (GCU) with a complete keyboard which saves time and frustration.  Most of the knobs are gone off the MFD, now repositioned on the GCU for easier access.  Even the avionics panel is streamlined.  I’m getting ahead of myself, though.  Let us start with the PFD and analyze the whole setup.

The PFD

Even though it is optional, the thing that makes me giddy about the Cirrus Perspective is the synthetic vision.  For those of you unfamiliar with synthetic vision in aircraft (where have you been?), it is a 3-D terrain display on the PFD (see picture below).  The goal is to better enhance single pilot resource management by giving the single pilot more resources.  It goes without saying that synthetic vision is only to be used as a reference, not the sole means of terrain avoidance.

Other aircraft now show up on the PFD as well.  The system is a Traffic Avoidance System (TAS), instead of a TIS (Traffic Information System), but it isn’t as accurate as a TCAS, so Cirrus states other aircraft still need to be acquired visually.  The information is still based off of transponder signals.

Something that Garmin simplified with the avionics was taking off the navigation frequencies from the upper left hand corner of the PFD.  The Nav frequencies are now only on the left side of the MFD while the Com frequencies are only on the upper right side of the PFD.  Kudos to Cirrus on this change.  Students often get confused with the redundant frequencies on each display, so only having one Com and one Nav frequency bar lessens the confusion.

The MFD

The Perspective Avionics MFD is extremely simplified.  Looking at other Garmin 1000 aircraft, all the knobs from the PFD were mirrored on the MFD.  Now, all the knobs and buttons (FMS knob, range knob, Com and Nav selector knobs, the direct to button, the procedures button, etc.) have been moved to the GCU, which is located on a center console, almost directly below the MFD.  The soft keys all still remain under the MFD, but most everything else is on the GCU now.

The engine page on a Cirrus just makes me happy.  Being an old school steam gauge fan, I love the way the aircraft company did the engine gauges because they are actually gauges, at least on the engine page.  On the left side of the MFD on the map page, the gauges are still all there in the typical Garmin setup.  But, when the engine soft key is pressed, the engine page comes up and covers the whole display, showing RPM, manifold pressure, fuel flow, oil pressure, and oil temperature all in a traditional gauge format.  Makes me smile just thinking about it.

The Center Console

The GCU is positioned almost directly below the MFD on the top of the center console.  The GFC 700 autopilot, no longer next to either of the Garmin Display Units, is positioned directly below the GCU for easier accessibility.  Below that is the avionics panel.  As with older Cirrus aircraft, the throttle, mixture, fuel pump, fuel gauges, and fuel selector are between the seats.

As I stated earlier, the GCU streamlines operations.  Since there is a keyboard now, the pilot no longer has to twist the FMS knob fifteen different times to set in a flight plan.  All the FMS knob is used for now is what it should be used for:  scrolling between pages and use as a cursor when needed.  Everything else can be done on the GCU’s keyboard.  This makes for easier teaching and learning, and much less pressing of the wrong buttons!

If you haven’t had a chance to, go stick your head inside a Cirrus with the Garmin Perspective Avionics Suite.  If you are familiar with the G1000, you’ll pick up the system pretty easily and realize how much easier life can be.  You’ll feel like a corporate jet jock in no time.

An Aircraft Review

By Hank Gibson, CFI, CFII, MEI

As all readers know, Sunday was Christmas.  In Texas, where I live, it was actually cold.  The thing with Texas is, you never know what the weather is going to do.  One year, it was 80 degrees!  That doesn’t sound very Christmasy, does it?  I digress.

Anyway,  I had heard through the wires last week that Santa had finally upgraded his sleigh to give him better single pilot resource management in his yearly trek across the world.  My source had told me that Santa had grown tired of fighting through clouds and relying on his outdated TCAS system.  Rumor has it, his weather radar was so old, it was certified by the CAA.

I wanted to see Santa’s new setup myself and be the first to give a review of his new sleigh.  So, I camped out on the roof on Saturday night.  Right about 2am, I was awakened by distant jingle bells and some rather loud snorting.  I jumped out of my sleeping bag, almost forgetting that I was on a roof (that wouldn’t have been a pleasant start to Christmas), grabbed my note pad and hid behind the chimney.

He hit the other two houses on the cul-de-sac first, then made a somewhat bumpy landing on our roof.  I guess he still hasn’t quite smoothed the landings out.  I pulled out the cookies I had brought as insurance and approached the jolly, red clad icon.  As he turned around, he was startled by me, but I held out the cookies in a non-menacing way.  “Hey Mr. Claus!  I heard you upgraded the avionics in the sleigh.  I was wondering if I could have a look at it for my article this week.”

A big smile formed on his rosy, beard adorned face.  “Why of course, son,” he replied.  After a quick glance at his list, he looked up again.  “You must be Hank.  I’ve got a little something in this here bag for you.  Tell you what.  I’m going to go lighten my load a little bit and you have a look around.  When I pop back up the chimney, I’ll be glad to answer any questions you have.”  With that, he waddled over to the chimney and with great agility, hopped up in the air and down into the house.

With a shrug and a smile, I turned to gaze at the wonder of the SleighMobile 2100×11.

The Powerplant

Unfortunately, there isn’t much new to report about the engine.  The sleigh still only has 8 horsepower (or reindeer power if you want to get technical).  Rudolph and his nose weren’t needed this year.

The Cabin

Remember as a kid all the pictures of Santa’s sleigh with the open cockpit design?  Well, Claus finally wised up and enclosed the cabin (more comfortable when traveling through the northern latitudes).  It was a bubble canopy, vacuum sealed and pressurized.  He even had an emergency oxygen tank tucked in a compartment in the back.  True airspeed does increase with higher altitudes, so I guess he makes better time up high.

The seat was no longer a carriage seat that you see in the pictures.  No, Santa’s flying in luxury with a BE Aerospace custom designed seat.  It looked like he could open it up to use as a cot for a quick snooze between towns.

The reins to steer the reindeer were very uniquely worked in.  They were tied in to a computer, which was rigged to a side-stick in the cabin.  Even Santa is flying by wire these days.

The avionics were unparalleled.  The instrument panel had a G2000 touch screen system, complete with synthetic vision.  There was weather radar, an up to the second traffic alert system (I guess Santa needs it since he is the lone aircraft in the entire world who isn’t required to talk to ATC), and even XM satellite radio, tuned, appropriately, to the Christmas pops station.  Apparently, even Santa needs a GFC 700 autopilot.  There was also a heater and an air conditioner.  I guess the tropics are still a little warm even at Christmas!

The Exterior

The SleighMobile 2100×11 is still red.  The runners on the sleigh have been equipped with what appears to be a super sticky, non slip coating.  Very useful on icy roofs.  The defrost was still in full tilt and I could see tiny wiper blades peaking out the bottom of the windscreen.  There was a strange piece of metal on the front of the sleigh that I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.  An unidentified pipe protruded from the back of the sleigh.

Santa had the aviation style beacon on top of the canopy, in addition to his red and white position lights attached to the left and right sides, respectively.  His strobes were on the back of the runners.  Each reindeer also had a beacon strapped to the top of their antlers.

All in all, Santa had a pretty nice ride.  When he popped back up the chimney, I queried him about the metal piece and the pipe.  With a chuckle, he replied, “Those both have to do with waste.  “The metal piece is a dung guard for when the reindeer need to go.  I used to get it in the face back in the ‘30s before we came up with this.  Goggles were all I had to protect my rosy cheeks.”  As I looked closer, there were some brown and yellow stains on the metal, a clue a better reporter wouldn’t have missed!

With a chuckle, Santa continued on.  “The pipe is connected to a hose in the cabin.  I’ve got a hot chocolate and cappuccino maker in there and I’m not so young anymore.  Those liquids move rather quickly through me.  So, over oceans, lakes, or other uninhabited regions, the pipe takes care of the liquid!”

With that and a roar of laughter, he climbed back in his toasty cabin, gave his side-stick a push, and off he went, soaring into the cold, Christmas night.  I was left with half a cookie and a story to tell.

By Hank Gibson, CFI, CFII, MEI

Last week, I discussed changing the type of fuel we’re burning in our engines in order to save some money.  This week, I will discuss changing the type of engine entirely.  Gasp.  You mean not running a piston reciprocating engine in our general aviation aircraft?  Precisely.  (Unless otherwise noted, all information and quotes are from Justin Cunningham’s 2006 article, “Rotary Comes Around Again” featured in Professional Engineering magazine).

A company out of Geneva, Switzerland by the name of Mistral Engines is in the process of putting a 300 horsepower rotary engine on the aircraft engine market.  Going to a rotary engine would “dramatically improve reliability and offer a superior power-to-weight ratio.”  In a rotary engine, there is a significant decrease in the number of moving parts.  A typical recip engine contains valves, camshafts, connecting rods, pistons, push rods, rocker arms, to name a few.  A rotary doesn’t contain any of these.  The simple concept is an “eccentric shaft” (instead of a crankshaft) that the rotor is attached to which rotates around, covering and uncovering the intake and exhaust ports, turning the eccentric shaft in the process.

© Mistral Engines

This would by far decrease the amount of wear and tear on the engine with so few moving parts.  Mistral is in the process of getting their 300 horsepower engine certified by the FAA.  According to their Mistral-Engines.com, the company states the goal of a 3,000 hour TBO, which with the rotary concept is totally feasible.

The other really handy thing about the Mistral Engine is the flexibility when it comes to fuel.  Gordon Anderson, Mistral’s chief engineer, made the claim that with their rotary engine, fuel burn could be dropped by as much as 25% compared to conventional piston engines.  In addition, Mistral took things a step further with options when considering fuel.  Not only can the Mistral engine be run off of Avgas, but autogas can also be used.  As all you heavy footed, land dwellers have learned, autogas is cheaper than Avgas.  Yay for saving money!

Most new engine arrangements are equipped with Fully Automated Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and Mistral is no different.  Because of this, Anderson claims that “You can switch between fuels, or mix them in any proportion, with no change to your engine or settings.”  Mistrals are also liquid cooled, reducing the likelihood of shock cooling on descents, plus increasing engine life due to more even engine operating temperatures.

Well, I’m sold.  How about you?  Lets go load up that new Arrow we just bought with one of those fancy DeltaHawk’s or Mistral engines.  Unfortunately, as previously stated, we’re still waiting on the FAA to get their act together and certify these things (though, at the time of this writing, according to their Mistral-Engines.com, the FAA was in the process of certificating the 300 HP G-300 engine with the expected completion to be sometime next year).  When they do, we’ll all be going farther for less and enjoying the skies a whole lot more.

Until then, we’ll lean that mixture out just a little bit more and pull that throttle back a little farther on those descents, all in an effort to save a few coins on the Avgas in order to pay the auto gas bill, too. Am I the only one who picks airports based on their fuel costs?  Those who don’t care about money pick based on FBOs or the fanciness of the crew cars.  Me?  I’d rather have Waynette and her few remaining teeth tell me how to get to the local burger joint while giving me a wink on the way out if that saves me money on my fuel bill.  As long as I don’t catch something in the ground beef, it was well worth the trip.

By Hank Gibson, CFI, CFII, MEI

We hear it every day from those who are cursed to tread the pavement their entire lives.  “Gas is going up again!  I don’t want to pay $4 a gallon for fuel!”  I got news for you, my unairworthy friends:  according to 100LL.com, the average price of Avgas in the south central United States is $5.64 a gallon.  Before your tongue falls out of your mouth, be glad you don’t live in the northeast.  There, it’s $5.91 a gallon.  God bless the south.

So, you cursed (that’s curs-ed) car people, quit your griping and complaining.  Those of us blessed enough to touch the sky with our wing tips have it a lot worse than all of you.  I’ve seen plenty of commercials for all these new, fuel efficient cars that will give you 40 miles per gallon on the highway (that would be about 25 miles per gallon city; see the fine print) while cutting down on emissions, preventing those awful holes in the ozone layer.  It seems everyone on the ground is concerned about keeping things green.

Well, welcome to the pilot’s lounge, sweetie.  Here, we care about going fast, going far, and burning as much fuel as we can to accomplish that.  More speed?  Um, yes.  Ozone layer holes?  That’s for Al Gore to worry about.  The fact that my life savings will be spent on fuel is an after thought.  That’s what the ol’ credit card is for, right?

That mindset may work for those jet jocks out there, flying those big wig Chief Executive Officers around (who, I may add, are CEO’s of oil corporations, which begs the question, are they investing in their retirement fund?), but for the majority of us flyboys, we have to pinch a pretty penny to go flying on the weekends.  Most of our planes can only make it across the state of Texas on one tank of fuel (still faster than you can in that little VW Beetle!).  Problem is, that trip to El Paso once a week gets kind of pricey.  Is there a solution out there for us?

In addition to the price of fuel, there are those pesky maintenance costs as well.  For those pilots who only rent airplanes, this isn’t an immediate, billable cost.  But, what they don’t see behind those aircraft rental prices (which seem to be steadily rising as well) are the maintenance costs of the airplanes.  This involves routine maintenance like oil changes and inspections, maintenance when things break, and scheduled engine overhauls, which includes a complete tear down, cleaning, inspection, and reassembly of the engine.  That’s a good amount of man hours.  Not to mention the additional cost if something needs replacing.

Aircraft owners, on the other hand, don’t usually fly their airplanes enough to have to worry too much about an overhaul very often.  Still, when it does come up, it can get pricey.  Believe it or not, the goal of the aviation industry isn’t to suck everyone’s pocket book dry.  It only seems that way.  Is there help?

I’m glad you asked.  The nice thing about living in this day and age is technology is constantly advancing.  Hanging out in the time of Noah wouldn’t have netted us the Gulfstream G650.  I digress.

There is hope for a cheaper flying environment!  I’ll start with fuel options.  The easiest way to drive down fuel costs would be switch to a cheaper fuel, right?  Going back to our fuel figures from 100LL.com, remember how those northeasterners are paying $5.91 a gallon for Avgas?  Well, the price of jet fuel is only $5.59.  Yes, you did see that right.  $0.32 cheaper.  For us southerners, Jet A rings in at $5.25 a gallon, $0.39 cheaper than 100LL.

Well hot dog, Tommy.  Let’s go throw some Jet Fuel in the ol’ Piper!

Not so fast there, bub.  Throwing some jet fuel in the Piper over there will not only not get you anywhere, you’ll end up paying more for the overhaul after your engine seizes up.  Plus, Murphy may decide to drop in right after take off in that slow, nose high climb.  Can you say stall and spin?  That spells a little more than a hundred dollar hamburger.

There are a growing number of piston engines out there that run on Jet A, providing cheaper fuel and better fuel economy.  According to Brad Irwin from his article in PilotMag from December 2008, SMA Engines out of France produced a 230hp engine (something to think about with that gas guzzling 182 sitting in the hangar) that only burns 8 gallons per hour at 65% power.  On this side of the pond, Deltahawk, based in Wisconsin has produced three different horsepower engines (all are currently non-FAA certified).  From Deltahawk’s website, their Jet A/diesel 200 horsepower engine, the total savings over 2000 hours is $43,610.  That’s quite a chunk of change.

©DeltaHawk Engines, Inc.

Now, all you naysayers out there are probably already formulating your arguments.  I can see the first one coming already.  The engines aren’t FAA certified yet.  Yes, this is true, but it can’t be long now.  The FAA just takes a while with this sort of thing.  I can hear you grumbling there in the back about the cost of a conversion for your 182RG.  Is it worth the cost?  If you can spare the change for the conversion, it will serve you well in the long run.  Another option would be just to buy a new airplane with the Jet A piston already on there.  Again, that’ll take some time while everyone waits on the FAA.  The clock is ticking.

January 30, 2012

HPA is excited to announce this upcoming event…  We have organized a group event for the altitude chamber at NASA on January 30, 2012.  This will be a great learning experience that you won’t want to miss!

Check out all the details at www.flyhpa.com/altitude.  (Application deadline is 1/6/12).

By Hank Gibson, CFI, CFII, MEI

Holding Clearances and Reports

Before we dive into any holding scenarios, I want to address ATC communications within a hold.  A lot of pilots have difficulty with what is in an official hold clearance, what needs to be read back, and when and what to report.  First, the actual hold clearance.  According to the Instrument Flying Handbook, this is what to expect in a holding clearance:

• Direction of the hold from the fix referencing a cardinal direction (eg. N, S, NW, SW, etc.)
• The actual holding fix (if not already specified)
• The radial, bearing, course, airway, or route to hold on
• If RNAV or DME is used, leg length in miles (a request can be made for leg length in minutes, but if none is specified, one minute legs are assumed)
• Direction of turn (if none is specified, then right turns are assumed)
• Expect Further Clearance Time (EFC)  (A pilot must receive an EFC time in order for a hold to be legally performed)  (10-11)

Here’s a brief blurb on EFC times.  The reason an expect further clearance time is so important is in case of a communications failure.  Most holds are either because of weather delays or ATC delays (eg. flying IFR into an uncontrolled airport with another plane going to the same airport in front of you while ATC waits for that airplane to cancel his IFR flight plan).  So, the pilot knows the rest of his route after the hold, meaning in case communications fail, the pilot departs the hold and flies the rest of his route.  The most important thing is that this is what ATC expects, too.  It is vital to get the expect further clearance time.

Now, when in VMC conditions, a full hold clearance is not necessary.  Also, regardless of IMC or VMC conditions, if a hold is actually published, the fix may be omitted from the clearance.  Finally, once ATC issues the hold clearance, the pilot must read back the entire clearance.  Have a pen or pencil handy so nothing is forgotten.

Students regularly miss the hold entry and exit reports.  I regularly get on my students when entering holds because they forget to report the hold entry.  Here’s the entry report:

• “November 66 Bravo is entering the hold at the XYZ VOR at 3,000 feet at 2200 zulu”

And the exit report:

• “November 66 Bravo is exiting the hold at the XYZ VOR at 3,000 feet at 2200 zulu”

Holding With the Autopilot

A G1000 equipped with a KAP 140 autopilot unfortunately does not fly a hold hands off.  It is possible to use the autopilot to fly the hold, but it is not a simple set and watch situation.  The only way to get the KAP 140 to fly a hold is to set the autopilot in heading mode and each turn, the pilot must move the heading bug to the new heading on either the inbound or outbound leg.  The pilot is still responsible for keeping track of the time on each leg (or the distance, depending on what is being used to determine the length of the hold).

The KAP 140 still requires the pilot to figure out the hold entry, direction and turning.  If the hold is in the G1000 database, this helps with the workload because the hold will show up on the MFD.  Otherwise, it’s pencil and paper time!

Real Life

Jesse is inbound to the Sand Springs airport on V140.  A storm just hit the airport causing conditions to drop to zero/zero.  ATC advises Jesse of this and tells him they have a hold clearance ready.

Jesse:  “Stationair 7845, ready to copy”

ATC:  “Stationair 7845, hold southeast of the Sears intersection on victor 532, left turns, maintain 4,000, left hand turns, expect further clearance 1845 zulu, time now 1815 zulu.”

Jesse:  “Stationair 7845, hold southeast of Sears on victor 532, left turns, maintain 4,000, left turns, expect further clearance 1845 zulu, time now 1815 zulu.”

Jesse pulls out his chart to figure out the hold.  It’s unpublished, so he finds the Sears intersection first.  He is approaching on V140 from the west and the hold would be southeast of the intersection.  Jesse draws the hold on his chart, which would be on the west side of V532.  After drawing the hold, he figures out that it would be a parallel entry.  Jesse enters the hold and flies outbound for a minute.  Once he initially crosses the hold, he reports the entry to ATC.

Jesse:  “Stationair 7845 is entering the hold at Sears, 4,000 feet, at 1820 zulu.:

ATC:  “Stationair 7845, roger”

Once Jesse flies outbound for a minute on the airway, he makes a right hand, 225 degree turn to re-intercept the airway, flying inbound to the fix.  After he passes the fix, he makes a left hand turn to fly outbound.  Taking into account the wind, he flies outbound for a minute and fifteen seconds before turning inbound again.  He makes three turns in holding before ATC instructs him to exit the hold and fly direct to the airport.  Upon exiting the hold, Jesse reports the exit:

Jesse:  “Stationair 7845, exiting the hold at Sears, 4,000 feet, 1837 zulu.”

Holding doesn’t have to be hard!  With a little work and some art skills, it’s IFR made easy!

By Hank Gibson, CFI, CFII, MEI

”November Four Seven Two Mike Charlie, hold as published on the VOR, maintain five thousand, expect further clearance in thirty minutes.”  Those dreaded words no IFR pilot wants to hear.  In yeoman’s terms, a hold clearance screams “DELAY!”  This is when the pilot turns to his passengers and says, “Well folks, you might want to get comfortable.  Just hope none of you have to go to the bathroom.”

Whether it’s for weather, traffic, currency, or a myriad of other things, every IFR pilot has to hold at some point.  In training, it seems like almost every flight the trainee has to hold, much of the time partial panel.  But, when a pilot gets his instrument ticket, he just has to hold once every six months to maintain currency.  Plus, this can be just a procedure turn.  To top it all off, no where in the regulations does it say it has to be a pretty hold.

In comes the G1000 to save the day!  Sort of, at least.  In a sense, the G1000 makes holding simpler, but in another sense, a little more complex.  More details to come.

Flying Published vs. Unpublished Holds

First, some definitions to get out of the way just to make sure everyone is on the same page.  A published hold is any hold the is actually depicted on an approach plate or low en-route chart.

 (A published hold over the Stonewall VOR)

An unpublished hold is any hold is a hold over a fix that is not depicted on any chart.  Simple enough, huh?

With a published hold on an airway or over an NDB, the G1000 does not display the hold as part of the airway in the flight plan.  So, though it may be published on the chart, it isn’t in the actual G1000 database.  Having the hold published, though, does make pilot’s job easier in picturing the hold, but there is still the trick in getting the G1000 to do what is desired, especially when using the autopilot.

With an unpublished hold, the first thing that should be done is grab the chart.  Once you find the fix that ATC wants you to hold over, DRAW THE HOLD.  I can’t emphasize this enough.  In training instrument students, when they get lazy and don’t draw an unpublished hold, they either mess up the radial or bearing to hold on, or mess up the entry.  Unpublished holds are much more successful when they are drawn out.

Once the hold is drawn out, then it is time to figure out the entry.  The entry flown depends upon which direction the pilot is approaching the fix from.  Instead of being overly wordy in explaining degrees from the fix and such, here is a handy picture below that does a wonderful job explaining hold entries.

If the entry is a left hand pattern, just flip everything.

G1000 Holds

Regardless of whether the hold is published or unpublished, the G1000 can handle holds.  The key is, setting it up properly.  When the fix is determined, make sure it is the active leg in the flight plan (if the fix is past a few others, wait till you are cleared direct to it, or till it becomes the active leg in the flight plan).  If the hold is to be performed on a different radial or bearing then the one you are flying to the fix on, wait till the fix is actually crossed, then do the following.

Below the HSI, there is a soft key that says either SUSP or OBS.  This is the suspend or omni-bearing selector key.  When the fix is crossed, press this key.  Then, take the course knob (the same one used to select radials with VORs), and twist it until the proper bearing for the hold is showing on the HSI (and just to double check, make sure the CDI is in GPS mode).  Then just perform the entry and use the CDI as the inbound leg.  On the MFD, the proper bearing will always be magenta.  The side of the fix opposite the hold will be white.

Now, holds associated with approaches, whether it is a hold at an initial approach fix or a missed approach, are always depicted.  The entire racetrack pattern is shown on the MFD.  The G1000 will always ask if you want to hold at the IAF.  If yes is selected, then, upon crossing the fix, the G1000 will automatically go into suspend mode.  Be careful, because usually after one turn in holding, the G1000 automatically goes out of suspend mode so if you want to make more turns in holding, you’ll have to push it again.

Next week, I’ll present a few holding scenarios and what to do, plus talk some about using the KAP 140 autopilot in a hold.  Until then, go out there, grab an instructor and practice some holds.

By Hank Gibson, CFI, CFII, MEI

The Direct To Key

The direct to key is an aid to VFR pilots and a must for IFR pilots.  On VFR cross countries, I encourage all VFR pilots to still create flight plans for VFR flights, utilizing paper and pencil planning, then plugging it into the G1000 using user defined waypoints and the like.  On local VFR flights, the direct to key is awesome for going to closer airports or just getting a heading back to home base.

IFR pilots on the other hand, need the direct to key.  It is essential to have when receiving vectors on a departure procedure, then being told, “fly direct to this fix,” or flying direct to a fix to start an approach.

There are two common mistakes I see when using the direct to key.  The first is a misunderstanding of the system.  A pilot is told to fly direct to a fix on an arrival, but it isn’t the next fix on the flight plan.  The pilot has the flight plan up on the PFD, presses the direct to key, fully expecting the proper fix to pop up in the direct to window.  It does not, much to his dismay.  On the contrary, the next fix on the flight plan goes into the direct to window.  The desired fix has to physically be highlighted, then the direct to key pressed.

The second is when a pilot has already entered direct to a fix into the G1000, but ATC has him flying a vector for traffic.  Once clear of the traffic, ATC instructs him to fly direct to the fix, so he just turns at an intercept angle to center the HSI needle.  This is NOT flying direct to.  This is trying to intercept the previous direct to course.  Simply just re-enter the fix in the direct to window and then that will truly be direct to.

Don’t neglect flight planning and rely on the direct to key.  That is way too dangerous, especially when complacency and routine are prowling about.  Plan the flight, and utilize the direct to key properly.