Sport Pilot Talk

WDD wrote:. . . . . why not just have an "Airport" call up where you would just select an airport, and all the frequencies associated with that pop up on the display -- ground, tower, approach, ATTIS, etc. - and you simply touch / pick what you wanted?

All of that is already available and has been for quite a long time.

Here's a relevant short story I wrote 30 years ago, long before the advent of GPS, LCD displays, PFDs, MFDs, touch screens, and the rest:

http://avsport.org/publicat/nonfict/navigate.htm

I never really expected it all to come to fruition in my lifetime!

Wm.Ince wrote:

WDD wrote:. . . . . why not just have an "Airport" call up where you would just select an airport, and all the frequencies associated with that pop up on the display -- ground, tower, approach, ATTIS, etc. - and you simply touch / pick what you wanted?

All of that is already available and has been for quite a long time.

And you don't need fancy 30K EFIS installations for that ... Garmin 796 can do that if you are connected to Garmin comms ...

Warmi wrote:And you don't need fancy 30K EFIS installations for that ... Garmin 796 can do that if you are connected to Garmin comms ...

Heck, the Aera 660 at $749 I have which is half the price of the 796 does all that also. I still have the legacy Dynon D-100 and D-120 and not the luxury of the Skyview system and I still have these features.

These simple features really lessen the workload on the pilot. Gotta love technology! Or hate, take your pic.

ShawnM wrote:

Warmi wrote:And you don't need fancy 30K EFIS installations for that ... Garmin 796 can do that if you are connected to Garmin comms ...

Heck, the Aera 660 at $749 I have which is half the price of the 796 does all that also. I still have the legacy Dynon D-100 and D-120 and not the luxury of the Skyview system and I still have these features. These simple features really lessen the workload on the pilot. Gotta love technology!

What are the top 3 things you like about the Aera 660?

Wm.Ince wrote:

ShawnM wrote:

Warmi wrote:And you don't need fancy 30K EFIS installations for that ... Garmin 796 can do that if you are connected to Garmin comms ...

Heck, the Aera 660 at $749 I have which is half the price of the 796 does all that also. I still have the legacy Dynon D-100 and D-120 and not the luxury of the Skyview system and I still have these features. These simple features really lessen the workload on the pilot. Gotta love technology!

What are the top 3 things you like about the Aera 660?

Wow, you only want 3?

I upgraded from a Garmin 396 so it's one extreme to another and there are literally dozens of things I LOVE about the Aera 660. I'll have to think about what the TOP 3 are.

Is there anything in Area 660 functionality-wise that makes it a better choice than its larger brother 796 or is it more of an upgrade path for 496 users who don't want/can get the 796 ?

For me, the 660 was the logical choice because the panel space/form factor is the same as the 396; I didn't bother to compare it to the 796 because the 796 was just too big for my available panel space.

The big 660 features for me were the bright sunlight readable display, two finger zoom, ADS-B traffic from the GDL 39R receiver and terrain on the display, choice of sectional or Garmin map display, traffic only display page, and lots of goodies I haven't explored yet. The display is much larger than the 396 display thanks to soft keys.

Yeah, I have been quite happy with my Garmin 796 as well ... altought , I am still trying to figure out why , at the same airport and on pretty much the same base leg with very similar altitude etc , it will occasionally start barking warnings about terrain and obstacles - most of the time it is fine, I just get the usual 500 hundred alt warning but now and then it will startle me with all sorts of terrain/obstacle related nastiness ...seems very odd , like some kind of software bug ...

Scooper wrote:For me, the 660 was the logical choice because the panel space/form factor is the same as the 396; I didn't bother to compare it to the 796 because the 796 was just too big for my available panel space.

The big 660 features for me were the bright sunlight readable display, two finger zoom, ADS-B traffic from the GDL 39R receiver and terrain on the display, choice of sectional or Garmin map display, traffic only display page, and lots of goodies I haven't explored yet. The display is much larger than the 396 display thanks to soft keys.

I agree with Stan. These are many of the great features of the 660. My 396 wasn’t coupled to my old King radio so I didn’t have the frequency transfer. With my new Garmin GTR-200 COM it’s an awesome feature. Quick airport lookup with the touchscreen. Simply touch the airport on the sectional and you have every bit of info at your fingertips. Having a georeferenced sectional chart is awesome, I don’t use the Garmin map. The Smart Airspace feature is awesome. Coupled to my GDL-39 3D gives me inflight weather and true 3D synthetic vision. And now coupled with my GDL-82 I have ALL traffic. Built in WiFi to talk to other devices and updates are a snap. Same panel space as the 396 but yet it has a 1.38” larger display. It’s a big difference. It’s a full EFB in your panel. I’m sure I missed something.

With all these features I don’t use my iPad with Foreflight anymore. It rests in the side pocket or on the passenger seat only as a backup like my iPhone. Having all these features “in your panel” saves on cockpit clutter. And the info is right in front of you, not off on a tablet stuck to the windscreen somewhere.

Sorry Bill, I couldn’t think of 3.

As far as comparing in to the 796, it pretty much does the same thing in a smaller package at half the price.

Thanks guys . . . I got more than I bargained for!

Wm.Ince wrote:Thanks guys . . . I got more than I bargained for!

You should have at least expected that from me.

ShawnM wrote:Coupled to my GDL-39 3D gives me inflight weather and true 3D synthetic vision. And now coupled with my GDL-82 I have ALL traffic.

Not to be nitpicky, but I think it's worth stating: you *might* have all traffic that has a transponder. There are lots of Cubs, Luscombes, etc out there that don't have transponders, and will continue to not have them after 2020. Also, I have several friends with ADS-B in/out installs, including full Garmin suites. When we all fly together, they often get different traffic views with different targets showing up. Almost never will they all see the exact same traffic matching up in the same area. My point being the Nexrad system itself may not be perfect in what traffic it presents to a given ADS-B receiver.

I don't think pilots should be lulled into the "I see all traffic on my fishfinder scope" mentality...there's no replacement for the Mk I eyeball.

Again, not being argumentative or pedantic, and I know you know this already. Just pointing out for the whole viewing audience that the ADS-B system has some "quirks" that mean we can't rely on it 100% no matter our installation setup.

If one mostly hangs around D class airports or within mode C veil ( as I often do ) then , theoretically , after 2020 all traffic should be ADSB equipped - of course nothing is definitive but at least one can reasonably assume that ADSB will flag great majority of traffic in these situations.

MrMorden wrote:

ShawnM wrote:Coupled to my GDL-39 3D gives me inflight weather and true 3D synthetic vision. And now coupled with my GDL-82 I have ALL traffic.

Not to be nitpicky, but I think it's worth stating: you *might* have all traffic that has a transponder. There are lots of Cubs, Luscombes, etc out there that don't have transponders, and will continue to not have them after 2020. Also, I have several friends with ADS-B in/out installs, including full Garmin suites. When we all fly together, they often get different traffic views with different targets showing up. Almost never will they all see the exact same traffic matching up in the same area. My point being the Nexrad system itself may not be perfect in what traffic it presents to a given ADS-B receiver.

I don't think pilots should be lulled into the "I see all traffic on my fishfinder scope" mentality...there's no replacement for the Mk I eyeball.

Again, not being argumentative or pedantic, and I know you know this already. Just pointing out for the whole viewing audience that the ADS-B system has some "quirks" that mean we can't rely on it 100% no matter our installation setup.

I agree Andy, nothing can replace looking out the window. We must never forget that and only rely on electronics. When I see traffic on my Aera 660 I try to find that traffic with my own eyes. Doesn't always happen though. There are many planes on my display that I physically never see. That "hockey puck" is rather large so I do miss some traffic while trying to actually "look" for them. While I'm not alarmed by the guy 15 miles out I am curious of his altitude and direction.

With that being said, traffic with no transponder will show up on my ADS-B IF they are flying within ground radar coverage. Any aircraft that can be picked up by the ground based radar will be rebroadcast to ADS-B towers and sent up to me. Transponder or not. That is ONLY if they are within radar coverage.

Your point is well taken and yes I understand that nothing is 100% accurate. Having OUT is still new to me and I'm getting used to it slowly. A lot more traffic shows up on my display now.

As for your group seeing different traffic views, do they all have the same setup? Do some only have single band receivers? Some can be receiving air to air only and ignoring the ground stations. Just an example.

Shawn