Flying the Garmin G1000

Ed Williams CFII/ATP SMX-XX April 2008
Primary Flight Display (PFD)
Multi-Function Display (MFD)

An intro to glass panels

Garmins G1000 panel dominates the new airplane market
Cessna 172, 182, T206 Beech G36 Columbia 400 Diamond DA40, DA42 Mooney Ovation 20R Tiger AG-5B VLJs etc

Diamond DA42 twinstar

The promise is greater functionality at lower cost. Better maintainability and reliability than analog instrumentation? Not just data, but information.

Its modular

The G1000 is a integrated system of communicating modules. Service is primarily swapping LRUs and repairing them inhouse or back at Garmin. The various LRUs are common to many different airframes from the C172 to VLJs. Im familiar with the C172S configuration, so Ill concentrate on that.
In the G1000 flight data are measured by remote sensors and displayed on the PFD.

GDC74A air data computer

Altitude
Solid state electronic pressure sensors replace mechanical instruments. Sensor and display are separate.
In addition we have an altitude bug and a 6-second trend vector.
The altitude bug is not integrated with the KAP140 autopilot. It has to be set independently.

Altitude bug

In the C172S/G1000/KAP140, there are three altimeters to set!
6 second trend Altitude bug Altimeter setting
Garmin has recently introduced its own integrated autopilot.
The altimeter is set with the outer knob of the OBS course selector on the RH bezel.

Garmin GFC700 A/P

The airspeed indicator is also replaced with a tape.
TAS is computed automatically. Vr, Vx, Vy bugs can be adjusted from the defaults.
Attitude and heading data comes from the AHRS
AHRS has MEMS accelerometers rate-of-turn and tilt sensors in all three axes to provide an inertial reference system (IRS). Magnetometer, GPS and air data input are used for initial initialization and to assist in attitude determination.
GRS77 attitude and heading reference system
Unlike a traditional gyro-based IRS, the AHRS can re-erect while in motion and even in flight. (Even in a 20 degree bank!)

3-axis magnetometer

The AHRS will degrade into a reversionary mode if external inputs are lost. It has some redundancy

The ball.

Standard rate mark.
Rate of turn (6 sec trend)

Normal AHRS

AHRS w/o magnetometer
The heading display incorporates an HSI for the primary navaid (GPS, VOR or ILS).
NAV1 active is 111.4 (RIS) Standby is 117.95.
Inner knob sets the OBS course pointer. Pressing gives direct-to.
Primary nav on the HSI toggled with the CDI soft-key
We are intercepting the 071 bearing to RIS VOR on a 042 heading.
To simultaneously display secondary nav info you can display RMI pointers
Waypoint annunciator strip
CRS line to GPS Waypoint 072

Bearing to BQS 160

Our primary nav, on the HSI, is the 072 GPS course to KTRX. RMI pointers show bearings to NAV1&2 VORs.

Bearing to RIS 203

Here we show the whole Primary Flight Display
Its all electrical except for three standby instruments

Cessna 182

Airspeed, Attitude & Altimeter
If a panel fails, the remaining panel can operate in reversionary mode. (Automatic or the red button.)
In reversionary mode, the PFD display adds engine instrumentation.
Normally, engine data only shows on the MFD.
In the C172/Garmin 1000 a standby battery can power the essential bus.

Essential bus powers PFD, AHRS, engine/airframe sensors, #1 Nav-Com and 1 GPS. If the alternator fails, turning off the master switch and leaving the stand-by battery switch armed will allow you to preserve main battery capacity for later in the flight. The standby battery has little or no power remaining once the essential bus voltage drops to 20V.
(excerpted from the C172S manual) From the starting checklist: 4. STBY BATT Switch TEST (hold for 20 sec, verify the green test lamp does not go out), then ARM (verify PFD comes on) checks the condition of the standby battery.
The GPS interface will be familiar to Garmin 430/530 users.

FPL on the PFD

More extensive planning options on the MFD page.
Curiously, the direct/direct shortcut for activating a flight plan leg is absent on the G1000.

ECA-KSMX leg active

You can still use activate leg via the menu key, or on the MFD only, use the act-leg softkey.

Soft key.

The MAP page on the MFD shows the flight plan and position.
The MFD map can display terrain, traffic, nexrad, lightning
with the necessary optional equipment installed
The MFD is showing XM NEXRAD data.
Traffic advisories are shown on the MFD and on the PFD map inset

PFD map inset

I highly recommend this book
The King School is a good overview -- but is $249
The Garmin simulators are faithful and essential
Harder to fly than the 430/530 simulators IMO Dual screens add realism. FS X supposedly has a partial simulation.
If youve not flown a glass panel, give it a try.
I found the instrument display intuitive easy to transition to. Practice with the simulator was greatly rewarded. The GPS is easy if you know the 430/530. Keep looking out the window!!