Doing it With Glass

When most of us first sat down in the cockpit of an airplane we were most likely overcome by the myriad instruments and gauges we saw looking back at us. And if the airplane had more than one engine, it was that much more complicated. Today, if a kid sits in the pilot's seat of a newer airplane, they will probably feel right at home with the video display in front of them. They call it a, “Glass cockpit” and it looks not unlike a video game.

“There are about 70,000 flight instructors registered in the United States,” according to Bridgette Doremire, PVPA's February speaker, who teaches out of Silver Wings, based at Van Nuys airport. She said, “About 30,000 are actively teaching and a small fraction of those are proficient on the glass cockpit.” Right now that might not be such a big thing since most of the GA fleet is equipped with steam gauges. But as these airplanes are retired and replaced, the glass cockpit is the wave of the future.

The secret of a smooth transition into the glass cockpit is a good instructor, who is comfortable in the environment. Some of the training issues Bridgette discussed were instructor competency, and tendency for many pilots to fly with their head in the cockpit during early transition flights. “Uh, fellows, there's an airplane out there and it's getting bigger. Isn't that class bravo airspace we just entered?” The place to learn where the buttons and knobs are located is on the ground, not flying in the busy Los Angles airspace.

Once you are familiar with the equipment such as GPS, the new look instrumentation and the like, then it's time to go flying. The first few times you will make mistakes but that's why you have the instructor along. Keystroke errors are not uncommon. After all the buttons are small and still not all that familiar to you. If the box doesn't do what you are expecting, don't try to troubleshoot. Fly the airplane and try again. The most important thing is, fly the airplane. The airframe doesn't know it has a video game for a panel.

Not “If,” but “When you are overloaded with work, let George do the flying.” That is if George is aboard. George is Bridgette's autopilot and she isn't a bit shy about letting the autopilot take over during heavy workload situations in cruise. Of course, George shouldn't or can't be used in some situations like GPS-generated glide slopes, moderate to heavy turbulence, takeoff, and landing and in many cases when the flaps are extended. And if you don't have a George, fly the airplane and take your time with the rest of the workload or let the guy in the right seat do something. Remember Crew Resource Management.

What happens if your glass panel fails? First of all this is highly unlikely since the system has several built-in redundancies, which helps to explain the price tag. But would we have it any other way? But if it does fail, you still have basic flight instruments, required by the FAA and hopefully you have basic flying skills and the good sense to get on the ground and find a high-priced technician to make things work again.