Learning Garmin

I?m in the process of having a panel upgrade done from VFR steam gauges to Garmin G3X touch with G5 backup and GNX375 GPS Navigator IFR panel. What are the best options beyond reading the Pilot?s Guides for these systems to getting up to speed and becoming proficient? Are there good webinars/videos? Any practice applications? Other resources?

I made videos on some of those avionics and how I use them:
Https://YouTube.com/buildflygo

FlyingBanker said:

I?m in the process of having a panel upgrade done from VFR steam gauges to Garmin G3X touch with G5 backup and GNX375 GPS Navigator IFR panel. What are the best options beyond reading the Pilot?s Guides for these systems to getting up to speed and becoming proficient? Are there good webinars/videos? Any practice applications? Other resources?

Click to expand...

Hello Jim,

Congratulations on your upgrade! You have a very nice system with a great IFR navigator! I have the same setup in my homebuilt and absolutely love the GNX 375. It is so easy to fly coupled approaches, procedure turns, missed approaches with holding patterns, and visual approaches that it feels like cheating.

There are some good G3X Touch Tutorial Videos that you will probably want to watch.

Additionally, you can power up your PFD by holding down on the Direct-To button and put it into simulator mode for on-ground training. It doesn't work very well with the IFR navigator in this mode, but you can use the internal flight planning to train for using everything else, including the autopilot, by doing the following (as an example):

1. Enter a flight plan with departure and destination airports
2. Position the aircraft at the departure airport (Menu, Menu, Drive Simulator, Select Waypoint)
3. Give it a starting altitude (touch altitude tape)
4. Give it airspeed to take off (touch airspeed tape)
5. Engage the autopilot in NAV/VS (or other vertical mode)
6. Climb to cruise altitude
7. Arm for VNAV descent capture
8. Capture the VNAV profile and descend to pattern altitude 3 nm from Destination airport

You should be proficient in using your new system in no time.

Another nice thing about your all Garmin system is the high degree of integration with the Garmin IFR navigator. The GDU 4XX will share flight plans entered on the GDU with the GNX 375. I always power-up in internal flight planning mode where I enter my flight plan on the big GDU display. I will often be re-loading a stored flight plan. With "External FPL Crossfill" enabled on the GNX 375, any flight plan entered on the GDU will automatically transfer to the GNX 375. You can also just start out in External flight planning and do all flight plan editing on the GNX 375, but I generally prefer to use the GDU for basic flight plan entry and then switch to External flight planning to allow me to load/activate approaches on the GNX 375.

Let us know if you have additional questions.

Thanks,
Steve

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=74305

Real world experience here.

and, assuming you have an iPad, there?s an Garmin app called GPS trainer which covers the GNX375

And, as far as I know (I will install my 375 etc next month), one can also transfer flight plans from many navigation apps from the iPad to the 375 via Bluetooth...

There is a Garmin GPS trainer app available for the New Garmin 175/355/375 navigators for use on IPads. Actual size touch screen, a must if you are upgrading to one of these navigators.

Thanks, guys! Looks like I?ve got some learning to do.

The GNX 375 operates very much like a GTN 650. Garmin has several videos about using a GTN. If you?re not familiar with basic Garmin GPS operation, the original GNS 430 video is on the Garmin website.

I have several scenarios devised that include approaches, misses and changes from ATC. You can devise some yourself and ?fly them? in the GNX 375 simulator. There are also some good scenarios on PilotWorkshops.

Jim Butcher

As a FYI, I am familiar with and have a fair amount of experience with a Garmin 430W GPS, so hoping the 375 won?t be a steep learning curve.

The buildflygo videos have been useful and fun. The G3X and Autopilot use in an RV is quite instructional! Hope to see more regarding both.

descro said:

The buildflygo videos have been useful and fun. The G3X and Autopilot use in an RV is quite instructional! Hope to see more regarding both.

Click to expand...

Let me know what you'd like to see and I'll record it. Plane is at Evoke right now for paint but should be back in January for more videos.

Do all the above. If you can hook aux power up, practice while sitting in the airplane. Punch in flight plans, change them, etc. Do everything you can think of and develop a flow pattern with your new equipment.

Gfb, Jonathan at Evoke, his work is awesome. We get complements on the paint job he did all the time.

togaflyer said:

Do all the above. If you can hook aux power up, practice while sitting in the airplane. Punch in flight plans, change them, etc. Do everything you can think of and develop a flow pattern with your new equipment.

Click to expand...

This is an excellent strategy.

The G3X is dead simple, very intuitive, doesn't take long to be proficient for VFR. The navigators, IFR, are more rigid in their operation. You can learn it, but there are some gotchas if you aren't proficient. An example: When you load an approach, the GTN will fly you to the airport first and then out to the IAF. It didn't used to be this way, but changed in a software update just over a year ago.

Spirko said:

When you load an approach, the GTN will fly you to the airport first and then out to the IAF. It didn't used to be this way, but changed in a software update just over a year ago.

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Hello Craig,

Are you seeing this behavior when you load and activate an approach (not just load)?

Thanks,
Steve

g3xpert said:

Hello Craig,

Are you seeing this behavior when you load and activate an approach (not just load)?

Thanks,
Steve

Click to expand...

Steve,
This is when you load but don't activate the approach, since activating an approach is a poor option on a GTN. For example: last week, in IMC, I made the mistake of activating "Vectors to Final" since Approach had said, "Vectors to Final." But then Approach gave me a turn to an Intermediate Fix which had, of course, been erased from the flight plan because I'd activated the approach.

I'm a huge Garmin fan and have installed GTX/GTN panels in my last two planes, not sure why Garmin went back to the old way of v5.13 when the new way is much better/easier.

If there's a better way to fly an approach on a GTN please let me know.

best,
-Craig

Spirko said:

Steve,
This is when you load but don't activate the approach, since activating an approach is a poor option on a GTN. For example: last week, in IMC, I made the mistake of activating "Vectors to Final" since Approach had said, "Vectors to Final." But then Approach gave me a turn to an Intermediate Fix which had, of course, been erased from the flight plan because I'd activated the approach.

I'm a huge Garmin fan and have installed GTX/GTN panels in my last two planes, not sure why Garmin went back to the old way of v5.13 when the new way is much better/easier.

If there's a better way to fly an approach on a GTN please let me know.

best,
-Craig

Click to expand...

Hello Craig,

While we don't agree that activating the approach is a poor option on the GTN and don't understand some of what you are saying (if you have current GTN V6.62 software), we fully understand the challenges of the real-life scenario you present, and the need to be prepared and able to easily comply with ATC instructions of this type.

Here is an example of a Vectors To Final (VTF) transition loaded and activated for the KOWI LPV 35 approach. This approach has 4 transition options of Vectors, AVIGE, UDCOS, and ERXOL.



You will notice that even though the approach is active with a Vectors transition, and an active leg to the EGVOW FAF, the AVIGE waypoint outside the FAF is loaded, visible, and in the flight plan should you need to activate a direct-to this waypoint.

Here is another way to handle this. Let's say you are approaching this airport from the East. Load and activate the full approach from the ERXOL transition (while still being heading vectored to the final approach course). Next, go to the flight plan page, touch the FAF (EGVOW), and then touch the Activate Leg button. With just a couple of quick pilot actions, you have the equivalent of loading/activating the VTF with automatic NAV capture to the inbound course, but will also have the added flexibility and visibility to the full approach from the ERXOL transition should ATC want to send you there or to AVIGE.

There are several other quick and easy ways to deal with changing ATC instructions, and one is to just re-load/activate the full approach with a different transition after they cancel the Vectors transition on you.

Fortunately, that great G3X Touch autopilot you have gives you a break from flying the plane should you need to spend a few seconds to re-configure the navigator before switching from HDG/TRK mode to NAV mode to fly something besides VTF.

Let us know if you have additional questions.

Thanks,
Steve

g3xpert said:

Here is another way to handle this. Let's say you are approaching this airport from the East. Load and activate the full approach from the ERXOL transition (while still being heading vectored to the final approach course). Next, go to the flight plan page, touch the FAF (EGVOW), and then touch the Activate Leg button. With just a couple of quick pilot actions, you have the equivalent of loading/activating the VTF with automatic NAV capture to the inbound course, but will also have the added flexibility and visibility to the full approach from the ERXOL transition should ATC want to send you there or to AVIGE.

There are several other quick and easy ways to deal with changing ATC instructions, and one is to just re-load/activate the full approach with a different transition after they cancel the Vectors transition on you.

Fortunately, that great G3X Touch autopilot you have gives you a break from flying the plane should you need to spend a few seconds to re-configure the navigator before switching from HDG/TRK mode to NAV mode to fly something besides VTF.

Let us know if you have additional questions.

Thanks,
Steve

Click to expand...

Sorry for the delay,

Thanks Steve, this is how I?ve been handling approaches lately, loading the full approach from the IAF closest to my position (even if I?ve been told to expect Vectors) and it?s been working for me.

As always, I appreciate the help,
-Craig