The first "glass" cockpit airplane that I flew was a Falcon 10 or 100, well over 20 years ago. At that time the nomenclature was EFIS (for electronic flight instrumentation system), the equipment was from Collins radio and basically it replicated the mechanical flight instruments. I recall that the depiction was not particularly crisp and I thought it caused some eyestrain. When the Beech Starship came along it had a whole kit of cathode ray tubes, 16 in all, that took over most of the information display in the airplane. Then came the flat-panel displays with superior and crisp graphics. These took over all informational chores and came first to turbine airplanes. Now they have come to virtually all new general aviation airplanes, from both Garmin and Avidyne, and basic glass instrumentation systems will soon be available for the retrofit market.
One thing has changed with all this. Even with the first EFIS systems, as I flew in that Falcon years ago, we still placed the emphasis on flying the airplane. Now, with fully integrated systems, the emphasis is on operating the airplane through the systems. When getting checked out in a new glass cockpit airplane, the flying basics remain but there is more, a lot more, to learn if the systems are to be operated completely and intuitively. A pilot can truly be a lost ball in high grass if he doesn't know all about everything that is hidden behind the knobs and buttons and what everything on the screen means.
So what is the best strategy to employ in learning all about this? I think the best place to start is with the manual for the equipment. If there is an abbreviated version to get you started that's good, but eventually you need to read all the way through the complete manual. The integration of the autopilot and the system is an important thing to learn about in this study period.
This independent study needs to be done before any ground school. Glass cockpits are not something that can be learned just by plopping your butt down in a chair and daydreaming through a lecture. Read it all in advance and make notes about anything you would like to have clarified in ground school. None of the manuals are perfect and all will leave you with questions.
GPS is an integral and important part of these systems, so a pilot who is a whiz with GPS is ahead of the game. The Avidyne systems use Garmin 430s as the com/navigators and the Garmin G1000 systems use the architecture of the 430/530, so pilots who have been flying with Garmin are ahead of the game, though there is much more to be learned in a glass cockpit.
There are also PC simulators available for download or purchase that many pilots find quite helpful in learning to operate these systems. Some feel that these lack realism because the knobs and the buttons are not there, but much of the functionality can be learned.
A simple thing: If it is the G1000 that you are learning, pay close attention to the communications functions. The presentation is a bit different and many pilots have found it confusing.
The most basic thing about any aircraft system is power. It is electricity in this case. The first thing I am curious about with any of these systems is the backup for power. What is between you and a panel full of flickering and then dark screens? This is covered in the manuals, and the function of the electrical buses, especially the essential or emergency bus, is something to know all about before you go flying.
It is important to know that all you are owed, by FAA regulation, is enough power to go for 30 minutes with essential equipment after the failure of the charging system. The study of the system should help you understand how much more than the minimum is available with any system. In every case that I have seen, word is always to land at the nearest suitable airport to get anything that malfunctions repaired. This is true even with dual electrical systems.
Pay special attention to the various pages that are available on the multifunction display. Navigating through and setting up the pages is extremely important. You need to know what pages are available and what can be displayed on each page. There is a menu for each page. Press the menu button and it will tell you what can be done with the display on that page.
Also learn the function of "soft" keys, so named because they are related to software. The labels for what these keys do changes with the various pages.
There is no way you can successfully use a glass cockpit by looking for things. The goal is to know where everything is and how to get there.
I cranked up a new Skylane to go night flying last year. When the G1000 system came alive the display was far too bright. It was so strong that I thought I wouldn't want to go flying unless I could tone it down. Though I had read the manual and been checked out on the system, I must have missed the part about how you cut down on the brightness. I did know enough about how it works to know that a good place to start was by pressing the menu button on the primary flight display. Presto, that is where dimming is enabled and I was soon on my way.
Once you have read the book and attended the ground school, is it time to go flying? No, not yet. You need some time with the hardware. Some training institutions have real G1000 systems in simulators but, lacking that, there is still a way to get hands-on experience with it. Just hook an external power source to the airplane and spend time actually working with the knobs and keys. The first thing to do might be to put in a flight plan. Using flight plans is the most basic necessity of flying with a glass cockpit (or GPS) and they are easy enough to put into the navigator.
