PROFILECLIMB

I think Glass makes you a lazy pilot and knowing the six pack will be important for another 20 years, as most first jobs are all steam gauges.

rickair7777

I would say at this point, steam gauges are not critical if you fully expect to build your 1500 hours in a glass plane, and then fly a glass RJ.

So if your school uses glass ASEL and you expect to work there as a CFI and then go to a regional, you probably don't need steam gauges.

But if there's any real chance that you'll fly steam while time building, or do 91/135 instead of regionals, you had probably better learn steam from the start.

A glass trained pilot can get in real trouble if things go wrong with steam gauges. It's easier to go from steam to glass.

PROFILECLIMB

I guess times are changing and glass is slowly taking over,

kevbo

Not so slowly since the part 23 revision. People are installing cheap, previously "experimental only" glass in everything now.

PROFILECLIMB

so as time goes on. steam is less relevant.

rickair7777

Just don't ever get into an irrelevant steam airplane and go fly IFR if you don't have a solid training background doing that. It's much harder, and that's even before one or more of them fails.

badflaps

Needle, ball, airspeed, needle, ball, airspeed, needle, speedle, airbubble.....

deftone

I would agree with you if you are talking about career flying. There are less and less steam gauge aircraft out there commercial flying (obviously with exceptions such as AK). This is why schools are moving over to all glass in their trainers. Its a much easier transition.

Now if you are only looking to fly for fun in the usual 50 year old Cessnas then sure, steam gauge all the way! Its how I learned!

bozobigtop

Maybe so, but while you’re busy with those round dials make sure you can operate the FMS as well.

TyWebb

Hopefully, the flight school has both and you are able to utilize both. Till steam is totally gone from the commercial side, not saying GA, then regular familiarity would be beneficial to a lower hour gal/guy.

And I can't totally agree on glass making your lazy. I've been training in a G1000 as well as few a/c with steam gauges and Garmin 430's and 650's. Yeah, the HSI/CDI isn't slaved but doesn't make it anything more or less than glass at that point... IMO of course. Hell, the school I am at currently is upgrading to Garmin G5's which is half steam/half glass. Embrace both.. if you want harder flying go buy a straight VFR aircraft with basic gauges and do your E6B time distance heading routine with wind correction. An hour flight takes you just the same amount of time to plan, and that's assuming the forecast was half correct when you are in the planning phase. I'm not bashing that type of flying, and actually totally respect it as someone who started with steam, an VOR receiver, and a half operational ADF.