When Max Trescott, 2008 National Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year, debuted his first book on then-new Garmin G1000 flight decks in 2006, the revolutionary glass cockpits were just gaining a foothold in the general aviation market. Now, roughly 15 years later, Trescott has built upon his expertise on the popular avionics just as Garmin has evolved its product line to incorporate touch-screen and experimental-aircraft versions—as well as the G3000 and G5000 flight decks now found in a host of singles, twins, turboprops, and jets.
The G3000 and G5000 are the subject of Trescott’s latest primer on these avionics, “Max Trescott’s G3000 & G5000 Glass Cockpit Handbook.” Using a clear narrative style that keeps the informative prose from becoming too dense, Trescott introduces the newest integrated flight decks in a way that’s both easy for a newcomer to understand and interesting to those pilots who have been with the G1000 since the beginning.
The primary difference between the two products lies in their certification basis: The G3000 is designed for Part 23 aircraft, such as the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, Daher TBM 940, and Piper M600, while the G5000 serves Part 25 aircraft such as the Cessna Longitude and 10+ and the Learjet 75. Other main variables between installations deal with the user interface—using touchscreen controllers in a variety of configurations as well as softkeys and knobs familiar to G1000 users. Trescott lays out the flight plan for the text in a logical way to help the pilot navigate fairly precisely the configuration they can expect for the aircraft they’ll use—though like any third-party manual, Trescott’s book states clearly that it doesn’t supercede the manufacturer’s documentation or training materials. The book is $44.95 and can be purchased on Trescott’s site.
