G1000
 

Well I got my first taste in the G1000 today. I have never been in the cockpit of one of these bad boys. Man is it awesome. I thought the screens would be a little bigger... I love these things! I start flying them tomorrow. What do you all think about these? I love the XM WX and the radio... Really nice for those commercial xc's... The new Cessna Mustang looks pretty nice as well speaking of G1000s...

Are you working on your private license? If so, my advice is to stick to the non- G1000 equipped aircraft. All of the whiz bang gadgetry isn't really going to help you out when learning the basics (in fact it can be quite detrimental in the long run). In addition, odds are that the costs will be greater.

I agree that there are some very nice features with the new electronics, however I also think that the aviation community needs to create some giudelines to ensure that the basics are taught and mastered prior to introduction of advanced/glass cockpits.

I've seen some pilots that can't fly without instruments or know basic map reading skills. If you turn off the GPS 5 miles from the airport, they wouldn't be able to find their way home. It's a sad statement about how some people rely too heavily on that "awesome" stuff.

If you are thinking of becoming a professional pilot, I would stay away from glass cockpits until 500+ hours.

There are still a LOT of steam gauge airplanes in charter, corporate, and airline service...if you don't learn that skill intuitively at the entry level your career will probably come to screeching halt when you repeatedly fail your first steam gauge simulator training... :eek:

I am working on my IR now. I am planning on using the conventional cockpit for the majority of my training. I would like to get signed off in this ac for some xc's. I was just commenting on how nice it was. Thanks for the heads up though

OK, as long you develop a good steam gauge scan early on you should be fine.

I like my analog gauges, flight yoke, and maps... :(

However I'd like to get in maybe an hour or two with a glass cockpit.