Pilot Training Resources

What is a Glass Cockpit or Glass Panel Airplane?

Monday, January 28th, 2008

A glass cockpit contains at least two tv links or pc like viewing screens that are used to display flight information previously displayed by the standard “six-pack” of flight instruments, mainly the Airspeed Indicator, Altimeter, Artificial Horizon, Turn and Bank Indicator, Directional Gyro/HSI and the Vertical Speed Indicator.

The first screen is right in front of the pilot and is usually referred to as the Primary Flight Display (PFD), which is the screen that is replacing those six previously mentioned flight instruments. The second screen, usually placed to the right of the first one is the Multifunctional Display (MFD). This screen is sometimes referred to as the Multi-Frustration Display. This is the display that shows the moving map displays, engine instruments, traffic, weather and even approach plates and instrument charts.

When glass panels first came out, most pilots were leary about flying around in bad weather having to depend on what looks like a television screen. Who hasn’t had a tv crap out on them during an important show like the Super Bowl? Fortunately, the failure time of one of these newer units is much in excess of the life span of most aircraft. Even so, probably to make pilots feel better about the initial transition to a glass panel, three of the six familiar “steam gauge” flight instruments are included in the cockpit in the unlikely event backup instruments are needed.

The best thing I can tell you about getting ready to fly a glass cockpit equipment aircraft is to get the owner’s manual ahead of time and study it well in advance of your scheduled flight. Don’t show up 15 minutes before your passengers and expect to have this thing figured out. There are DVDs showing how to operate the popular Garmin 1000 and Avidyne FlightMax Entegra PFD. Take advantage of these resources to learn as much as you can about what the more than 180 knobs and buttons on these devices do. Make sure BEFORE you press that button or turn that knob that you know what the little doohickey does. If you do make a mistake, that is what the clear button is there for, hit it and try again.

Don’t forget to be looking outside of the cockpit when in VFR conditions. The glass cockpits look pretty cool alright, but avoid the head down syndrome by making sure to look outside and enjoy your flying.

Even the new light sport aircraft are being made with glass panels, along with the production models Cessna Skylane, Cirrus SR22, Diamond DA40 and others.

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Fractional Aircraft Ownership - Is It For You?

Monday, January 28th, 2008

Not too many people would rate flying on a commercial airline as a pleasant experience. I know I don’t. I do everything I can to avoid the airlines. The airline industry is reeling right now, and budget cuts coupled with the high cost of jet fuel have resulted in higher ticket prices for fewer services and amenities. This might be an acceptable situation for people who fly once a year to go on vacation, but if you own a business that requires you and your employees to spend a great deal of time in the air, you’re going to suffer unless you find an alternative. That’s why you should consider fractional aircraft ownership.

Fractional aircraft ownership packages are becoming more and more common nowadays. These packages allow you to purchase flight time on a private jet that you will share with other owners. Since fractional aircraft ownership falls between the extremes of commercial flying and buying your own airplane, it can obviously present you with numerous benefits. First, you’ll have all the advantages of a private jet without any of the hassles. That’s because maintenance, inspections, flight plans, pilots, certifications and crew members are all taken care of. Second, many fractional aircraft ownership programs give you access to an entire fleet of aircraft. That means, you can take off and land at many different locations without having to worry about whether or not one plane in particualr is available. If any of the program’s planes are nearby, you’ll be able to use it if no one else has booked it. Third, most fractional aircraft ownership programs only charge you for the hours you fly. Unlike traditional chartering services, you won’t get docked for waiting times or assessed empty-leg charges, so you can enjoy flexible scheduling that allows you to stay overnight if necessary.

The specific terms of each fractional aircraft ownership package vary significantly, so due diligence is required before signing up with a particular company. However, the basic operating principles of these companies are pretty similar. Since fractional aircraft ownership actually entails being an owner, you’ll have to put up a large sum of money to purchase your share, but you will not have to be a jet pilot, though being one is certainly okay. The amount you pay depends on how many hours you expect to use the plane. After that, you’ll have to pay for each hour that you actually fly on the plane during the contract period. You can exit your fractional aircraft ownership package at any time by selling your share. Usually, the company you bought the package from will help you sell your share and most of the time, you’ll get a good portion of your purchase price back.

If the high cost of commercial airline travel is taking its toll on your company’s bottom line, maybe it’s time for you to participate in a fractional aircraft ownership program. Once you experience flying on your own terms and on your own schedule, you’ll never want to go back to commercial airlines again!

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Never Too Young to Study Aviation History

Monday, January 28th, 2008

When I was 13 years old, I enrolled in the Civil Air Patrol program and began my study of aviation history. Most people think that aviation history begins with the Wright Brothers’ historic flight at Kitty Hawk, NC. My studies of aviation history took me all the way back to the 1700s and the Montgolfier’s first hot air balloon flight. Much is made of the fact that the first passengers were animals and not man. However, when Orville Wright made his first historic powered flight on December 17, 1903, which lasted 12 seconds and travelled all of 120 feet, there were no animals on board. The famous Wright Flyer would make three trips into aviation history that day flying further and further each time. Towards the end of the day, a gust of wind caught the Flyer and destroyed it as it sat on the ground. For many of us, it was that day when aviation history began for real.

The records came one after the other for a long time. Solo flights across the English Channel, solo flights across the Atlantic, solo flights around the world. Every day, aviation history was being rewritten. Once General Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound, speed records were made and broken routinely. With the advent of jet technology, the world of aviation history would never be the same.

I was seven years old when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. I remember watching it live on tv with all the neighbors talking about it and later that night trying to get my low powered telescope to focus on the moon so that I could see the lunar lander. The space program is very much a part of our aviation history. We’ve seen the space shuttle have its own success and disasters, and we can soon look forward to the next chapter of aviation history when the space program enters its next phase. One day, we could have a space station in orbit around the Earth with reuseable spacecraft shuttleing normal humans from Earth to Space, just because we can.

One of my favorite episodes of aviation history was the Concorde Jet that British Airways and Air France flew. This was a futuristic design that did tasks that sounded impossible as they were being performed. It was sad when the Concorde crashed, and even sadder when they were permanently retired from service and took their place in aviation history. The Concorde was about as far away from an ultralight airplane that you could get.

I’ll never forget the time when I got to meet a couple of living legends in aviation history. When I attended the EAA Air Adventure in Oshkosh, WI back in 1988, I was shocked to find Gregory “Pappy” Boyington sitting at a table signing autographs and having his picture taken. Pappy Boyington was in charge of the famous Marine F-4U Corsair Fighter Group in the South Pacific during World War II. His antics were so legendary, they made a television show about his time in the war called Baa Baa Black Sheep. I bought Pappy’s book, had him sign it, got a picture taken with him and two years later he passed away.

There was this other time at an airshow that I got to meet Robert “Bob” Hoover. Mr. Hoover was the backup pilot to Chuck Yeager on the speed of sound flight and was an incredible test pilot all on his own. He had a very colorful career and ended up flying for Rockwell at airshows demonstrating his skills with a P-51 Mustang and doing his famous air show with the Rockwell Aero Commander, an airplane that I was proud and thrilled to eventually fly when I was a freight pilot flying the United States Mail. Make it a point to attend some of these events and meet these living legends of aviation history before it’s too late.

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What is a Glass Cockpit or Glass Panel Airplane?

Fractional Aircraft Ownership - Is It For You?

Never Too Young to Study Aviation History

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