Handheld Six-Pack?

While it is unlikely youll ever have to use your hard-earned partial panel flying skills in a real emergency, critical systems do and will fail at the worst possible times. The good news is there are several relatively inexpensive tools on the market that can make the ordeal more manageable for a single pilot in IMC. The Garmin GPSMAP 396 and 496 handheld GPS receivers retail for under $2500, plus about $50 a month for the databases and XM weather subscriptions. In addition to a color moving-map display loaded with terrain and weather graphics, a "five pack" of virtual instrumentation provides most of the information one needs to accomplish partial-panel instrument flying. (There is no attitude information, hence its not a "six pack," but more on that in a moment.) The 296 and monochrome 196 units each offer the panel page, too, but not the XM weather.

Key Takeaways:

• Portable Garmin GPSMAP units (e.g., 396/496) offer virtual "five pack" instrumentation as a valuable aid for single pilots experiencing partial panel emergencies in IMC following system failures.
• These handheld devices are not IFR-certified, and their virtual instruments provide information differently (e.g., groundspeed, track, rapid VSI) than traditional panel instruments, requiring pilots to understand these differences and limitations.
• Effective and safe utilization demands thorough preparation, pre-flight programming, secure mounting, and extensive practice in visual conditions with a safety pilot, as these units supplement existing partial panel skills rather than replacing them.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

See a mistake? Contact us.