AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 100

RUDDER & WRENCH
number at which the runway environment must be visible, or
the missed approach must begin.
A video game
Now, consider the same ILS approach in the same model airplane
with a modern glass panel that includes primary and multi-function
displays. The first and biggest difference to the pilot is that
the instrument scan is replaced with the instrument stare. All
the relevant information about the airplane's attitude, airspeed,
altitude, power setting, and position relative to the airport are
shown on the primary flight display. GPS-derived synthetic vision
gives a broad, colorful view of the landscape and terrain features
ahead, and the act of flying the airplane is much the same as it is
in visual conditions.
A series of rectangular highway-in-the-sky boxes graphically
depict the path for the airplane to follow during the approach.
Those boxes follow the 3-degree ILS glideslope and localizer all
the way from glideslope intercept down to the runway threshold.
Instead of dividing attention between multiple analog instru100
ments,
the pilot focuses on placing the green dot/flightpath marker
in the center of the boxes and keeping it there.
There's no need to build a mental picture of the airplane's
position, attitude, and energy state because that information is
constantly depicted with high-resolution graphics. The act of
flying the airplane during the approach is no longer an abstract
analytical exercise-it's a video game.
Instead of crunching numbers and comparing them to the ones
found on the approach plate, the glass-panel pilot monitors the
airplane's progress by glancing at the georeferenced approach procedure
on the multifunction display. The airplane is graphically
shown in real time on the approach plate itself, so there's no real
interpretation for the pilot to do. The pilot simply takes note of
the current situation and considers what's going to happen next.
When the GPS-derived synthetic vision image of the landing
runway appears on the primary flight display (usually about four
miles out), the pilot adjusts the flight controls to place the flightpath
marker on the threshold. Using coordinated control inputs,
the pilot smoothly adjusts pitch and power together, just the same
as they would during a visual approach.
Nearing decision height, the glass-panel pilot gets an aural cue
when the airplane is 500 feet above the ground, and another at
decision height when an automated voice calls out " minimums. "
Here, just as with analog gauges, the pilot must either see the runway
environment or begin the missed approach.
A missed approach with an analog panel can be a stressful, confusing,
high-workload event. The pilot must add power, configure
the airplane, climb to a heading and altitude (or series of headings
and altitudes), and tune, identify, and track new navigation
Forget Six-Packs.
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Pro MAX PFD*
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*Displays showing optional Synthetic Vision and Angle of Attack.
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Copyright 2020 Aspen Avionics Inc. " Aspen Avionics, " " Evolution Flight Display System, " and the Aspen Avionics aircraft logo
are trademarks of Aspen Avionics Inc. All rights reserved. U.S. Patent No. 8,085,168, and additional patents pending.
www.aspenavionics.com

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021