AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2011 - 98

Keep VORs tuned. Don’t let the G1000 lull you into becoming lazy in your navigating habits. That VOR can serve as a backup should the GPS fail, and provides additional situational awareness when on vectors or not on airways. Know your crosswinds. Keep the wind vector box active on the primary flight display (PFD). It’s especially useful on instrument approaches and when landing. To use it, select PFD and then Wind, using the soft keys. You’ll see soft keys for Options 1, 2, and 3. Option 1 will give you arrows at 90 degrees to one another,

one showing crosswinds and the other showing headwinds or tailwinds. Option 2 will do the math, providing just one arrow showing where the wind is coming from, and one number showing its speed. Option 3 will show an H for headwind or a T for tailwind followed by a number for the speed, and an X for crosswind followed by a number. Set default screen displays. If you are a renter, make sure the information windows are in the same place on every flight so you don’t hunt for information. There is a Default soft key on the PFD, while the MFD display layout can

Is there no traffic information? It may be that your map range is set too large. Use a range of 50 nm or less, and traffic icons will magically reappear.
G1000 autopilot tips from the Kings
Here are some instrument approach tips taken with permission from the King Schools DVD course, Cleared for Flying the Garmin G1000. Stopping the descent. Your autopilot will follow an approach with vertical guidance all the way to the ground, unless you do something—even if you have a Baro minimum altitude set in the Timer-Reference window. You can push the Altitude button on the autopilot at the minimum descent altitude (MDA) to go into altitude hold mode and stop your descent. Do that just as the trend vector meets the altitude you are going to on the PFD’s altimeter, and you will stop at or just above the MDA. VOR approaches. You probably know you need to have the VOR navigation source selected on the HSI before you press the Approach button on the autopilot for a VOR approach. Here’s a simple way to plan ahead. The G1000 automatically sequences activated GPS and ILS approaches at the proper time, as you know, and on an ILS it even automatically switches your navigation source. However, on a VOR approach, you have to manually switch your navigation source to VOR. When you do that, your autopilot will automatically go into Roll mode, and you will lose navigation guidance until you set up the guidance again. (Choose Approach mode for greater sensitivity, rather than just Navigation mode.) Here’s a trick to smooth the process. While you are in GPS mode on your way to the initial approach fix, get yourself set up in advance for the VOR approach. To do that, make sure the heading bug is on your current heading. Then press the autopilot’s Heading button to go into Heading mode. Now, press the CDI soft key to toggle to your VOR navigation source. Turn your course knob to set your final approach course on the HSI. You’re set up for whenever you need to star t the approach. Until that moment, press the CDI soft key to toggle back to your GPS navigation source and press the Navigation button on the autopilot. When you are cleared for the approach and it’s time to switch to the VOR navigation source, go back into Heading mode. Then press the CDI soft key to toggle to the VOR source, and finally, press the Approach button. If you’re not yet on the final course, you’ll see a white VAPP (VOR Approach) annunciation, telling you that the VOR approach is armed. The autopilot will automatically intercept that course when it gets to it. The VAPP annunciation turns green when the course is captured. Missed approach. Have your first missed-approach altitude set in the Altitude window. If you have your DH or MDA set instead, as most pilots do, the autopilot will think you want to stay at that altitude when the missed approach begins. —AKM
AOPA PILOT •

98 • FEBRUARY

2011

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2011

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