Apologies for the quietude of late - I have been running around Kansas, mobilizing the final pieces of the Cessna acquisition.
Yes, Kansas. Here is the mandatory picture of Joe Dirt to go along with that thought.
I have completed the factory familiarity flight with the G1000, and I am proud to announce that it is very easy, natural, and not difficult, as some of us have feared. I will know more over the next few days, but my initial impression is that a 2 hour ground will be more than enough time to get familiar with all of its features, as well as the 2-axis autopilot, and some of the other nifty things featured. I was able to get a "basic VFR mastery" in 15 minutes, with the remaining bells and whistles becoming familiar in another 30. The rest is for me to twiddle with in flight.
And, in case you're wondering, she's a very sweet flier. Traffic Information is going to revolutionize flying in the Los Angeles Basin -- the G1000 "spots" traffic about 10 miles out for you, and alerts you on the intercom to its location, heading, and altitude change (climbing or descending)
My new list of very cool features about the G1000:
Traffic
Terrain Information
Autopilot Coupling
"one place to look" for everything
Shoulder Harnesses w/Airbags
V-speeds on the airspeed tape
Heading and Altitude Bugs
Auto-identifying VOR receivers (the screen will actually put PDZ next to the frequency!)
Crosswind calculator. It actually computes the crosswind direction and speed and displays an arrow on the screen.
XM Radio weather on-screen overlay. This is amazing. Ever get DUATs maps? Imagine overlaying them on your GPS map. Imagine getting in-flight weather depiction (with lightning, cloud ceilings and tops, rain and nexrad -- everything! all at once)
XM Radio. :)
This is definitely the future of aviation. I cannot wait to share it with everyone.
Blue Skies! (be thankful you are humidity free!)
- Mike
