Lagoon

I currently hold a Private License and would like to continue onward with Instrument Rating. At this point, I'm not sure if I'm going to pursue aviation as a career or not. I may, or I may not.

I had initially started flying with the intention of becoming an airline pilot, but after completing my Private and talking to more people in the industry, I decided that the life of a commercial airline pilot may not be for me as it seems to take a toll on long-term relationships and family life.

For the time being though, I want to pursue my passion for flying and press on with the next rating. I might at some point decide to fly for a living for private outfits. I'm not sure, but I digress.

So, I'm comparing two schools. School A has airplanes that are equipped with KLN 94 GPS receivers and school B has an airplane that is fully glass with a Garmin G1000 system. On days the G1000 might not be available, the school also has an airplane equipped with a G430.

The other consideration is that school A does not rent aircraft, while school B does rent airplanes. In the future, if I want to rent an airplane from school B, I would have to rent one with either a G430 or a G1000.

A third school in the area rents G1000, G430 and KLN94 equipped airplanes should I decide to rent, but I'm not too thrilled about renting from that third school in the future.

My question is this: Is there an advantage to going with one over the other? Which is going to serve me better in the long term?

And what portion of IFR training involves GPS navigation?

r0cknry

Just because you get your instrument rating with a school doesn't mean you need to only rent from that school afterwards. In my opinion, chose the cheaper option and then afterwards you can pursue the g1000. You get to learn on a 6 pack and then fly the g1000 after. Save money and get experience using both. Best of both worlds. Good luck!

IDIOTPILOT

You'll develop as a much better instrument pilot without the G1000. It may be harder initially. You can always learn a G1000 later as an add on.

CFin

Go with the cheapest, most available, best maintained option. Everything else will sort itself out.

Lagoon

I compared the two, and the prices are the same.

CFin

Then pick the most available and best maintained airplane.

Lagoon

If I train on the KLN94 is it going to be a costly process and a big learning curve to later rent an airplane that has a Garmin G430, for example?

Yoda2

I guessing you obtained your Private with a steam gauge panel. If so that is great. Combining a GNS 430 or 530 with that for your instrument rating also makes for an easier transition to a G1000 later. A relatively small, though very important, portion of your instrument rating will involve GPS/GNS. This can and is done with a 430 all the time. Although the 430 is becoming somewhat outdated, it remains a very viable piece of equipment and has been retrofitted in countless steam gauge panels. There are pros and cons to most situations though choice B would probably be my mine. This way you will have a slightly easier time with your instrument training, be able to make cost sharing flights, with your friends to build time and experience cheaper (as you will have already accomplished most of the aircraft checkouts via your training) and can then transition to the G1000 more easily and at your leisure. PS, Now that you will be adding GPS to your repertoire, ALWAYS verify which mode you are operating in!!!

JamesNoBrakes

This. Round-gauges require you to build a better mental map of where the airplane is in space. The skill of developing a scan is very important. I've seen lots of people fall apart transitioning to round-gauges in IFR when they learned on a G1000. Going the opposite way, the results are completely opposite, I've never seen anyone encounter significant difficulty transitioning to a G1000 system, apart from learning the critical switch-ology, but that's system dependent and varies with whatever glass system you have (rockwell, chelton, honeywell, garmin, etc.). It's also relatively easy to learn with exposure. Trying to help someone that is struggling in a round-gauge cockpit means going back to fundamentals of instrument flight.

Yoda2

Agree, I just didn't take the time to explain the logic. In overly simplistic terms, this situation draws some parallels to the automatic vs manual transmission. I always like seeing that news video where a carjacker stole the car from the person at a gas pump, and made it as far as the street due to not having learned a stick shift.

But then... I think everyone should have mandatory spin training, learn to fly a sailplane, seaplane and a tailwheel, Etc. So it is what it is. Someday all us old folks will be gone, along with the steam gauges...