Sport Pilot Talk

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SportPilot wrote:I assume they don't want to spend the money and don't see it as necessary, IDK. It's not a problem for me since I use by tablet as primary, but it would be good if they would keep it up. I've never asked them about it.

Same here - not a primary. I'll ask BB next time I see him. I wonder, do they keep the G1000s current?

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VL Roberts wrote:The Skycatcher has a magnetometer located in the tail cone, and is fully compliant with FAA regs for a VFR airplane even though it does not have the standard compass.

Like Sport Pilot I wouldn't go to the expense of adding a compass to a Sport plane if I didn't have to.

That's kind of what I was looking for. Due to our extreme variation here in Washington, a traditional mag compass is problematic. I have a floating mag compass on my sea kayak, and it can to be adjusted for variation (yakkers call it declination, like the Army) to provide a true heading. But in swells or rolls (turbulence?) it can swing so badly as to be nearly useless. So far I like the compass/heading indicator or whatever it is showing in the flat panel on the Garmin 300, because it appears to be very stable and accurate. I guess what I originally meant to ask is, is it aligned with true north or magnetic north, and does it need to be adjusted periodically?

It is, in fact, a flux gate magnetometer. As the name suggests, it responds to magnetic north. It is a specific type of compass, thus still prone to the magnetic dip anomalies that affect all magnetic compasses. It is, however, far more stable than a wet compass, in that it does not slosh around.

HAPPYDAN wrote:

VL Roberts wrote:The Skycatcher has a magnetometer located in the tail cone, and is fully compliant with FAA regs for a VFR airplane even though it does not have the standard compass.

Like Sport Pilot I wouldn't go to the expense of adding a compass to a Sport plane if I didn't have to.

That's kind of what I was looking for. Due to our extreme variation here in Washington, a traditional mag compass is problematic. I have a floating mag compass on my sea kayak, and it can to be adjusted for variation (yakkers call it declination, like the Army) to provide a true heading. But in swells or rolls (turbulence?) it can swing so badly as to be nearly useless. So far I like the compass/heading indicator or whatever it is showing in the flat panel on the Garmin 300, because it appears to be very stable and accurate. I guess what I originally meant to ask is, is it aligned with true north or magnetic north, and does it need to be adjusted periodically?

There was one SB that Cessna issued for the G300 in 2011 . That SB updated the magnetic variance values. Other than that I know of no other adjustments or calibrations that can or should be done.

VL Roberts wrote:

HAPPYDAN wrote:

VL Roberts wrote:The Skycatcher has a magnetometer located in the tail cone, and is fully compliant with FAA regs for a VFR airplane even though it does not have the standard compass.

Like Sport Pilot I wouldn't go to the expense of adding a compass to a Sport plane if I didn't have to.

That's kind of what I was looking for. Due to our extreme variation here in Washington, a traditional mag compass is problematic. I have a floating mag compass on my sea kayak, and it can to be adjusted for variation (yakkers call it declination, like the Army) to provide a true heading. But in swells or rolls (turbulence?) it can swing so badly as to be nearly useless. So far I like the compass/heading indicator or whatever it is showing in the flat panel on the Garmin 300, because it appears to be very stable and accurate. I guess what I originally meant to ask is, is it aligned with true north or magnetic north, and does it need to be adjusted periodically?

There was one SB that Cessna issued for the G300 in 2011 . That SB updated the magnetic variance values. Other than that I know of no other adjustments or calibrations that can or should be done.

Well, the local Cessna dealer laid it all out - the "Heading Indicator" on the G300 is actually a magnetic compass, electronically stabilized, but still aligned with magnetic north. So no "ANDS" or any of that, but I still have to consider WCA and variation when following a heading. OK. BTW, amazing how airplane dealers know their product, but car dealers are still pretty clueless

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HAPPYDAN wrote:...but I still have to consider WCA and variation when following a heading.

Not to nitpick, but..

...when given a heading to fly, none of that matters.

I'll assume you meant "...when following a course" or "...when choosing a heading".

Right?

SportPilot wrote:Flying today is so much easier than when we were drawing lines on sectionals and using pilotage, dead reckoning, and VOR's.

Except, according to the PTS, to pass your Sport Pilot practical test you still have to demonstrate drawing lines on sectionals and using pilotage and ded (not dead) reckoning. And, intercepting and tracking of VOR radials in both directions is still in the Private Pilot PTS.

SportPilot wrote:Really, all you have to do is input a direct to airport and follow the line on the screen by flying the heading plus or minus wind correction.

Pilots who do so are affectionately known as Children of the Magenta. (Check youtube for a great lecture of that title by an air carrier check pilot). If you look at the buttons on an older GPS, you will see that the white paint is worn completely off the "Direct To" button, while the others are pristine. Nothing wrong with flying Direct To, but if you have a GPS, go the extra mile, and learn all its other functions (including programming in a multi-leg flight plan, and following a whole sequence of magenta lines).

Edit: Here's the link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN41LvuSz10

drseti wrote:ded (not dead) reckoning.

I have never heard this before. Please explain.

Ded is an abbreviation for deduced. Dead is just .... well, dead.

drseti wrote:

SportPilot wrote:Really, all you have to do is input a direct to airport and follow the line on the screen by flying the heading plus or minus wind correction.

Pilots who do so are affectionately known as Children of the Magenta. (Check youtube for a great lecture of that title by an air carrier check pilot). If you look at the buttons on an older GPS, you will see that the white paint is worn completely off the "Direct To" button, while the others are pristine. Nothing wrong with flying Direct To, but if you have a GPS, go the extra mile, and learn all its other functions (including programming in a multi-leg flight plan, and following a whole sequence of magenta lines).

Edit: Here's the link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN41LvuSz10

At the airline when they began to introduce planes with EFIS, flight management systems etc they hammered home 'where's the raw data?" and we had to do intricate briefings before each approach. Doing NDB and VOR approaches with all this new stuff seemed like a big increase in workload. There was a full set of flight instruments as well in case the magic failed.
When I left the level of automation and information was formidable. It was all modern with no old style back-up and the complex long briefings we had ingrained was now deemed 'death by briefing' and frowned upon. No more charts but each pilot has a tablet EFB.
All along we were labelled 'children of the magenta highway'. (They don't have pink or blue, no…it's called magenta and cyan).

At some point you have to trust the new technology. Hence you don't NEED charts because it's all on the screen. Why do an NDB or VOR approach when you can do a GPS circling approach using GPS generated flight paths? So of course once the trust is there then using the technology to it's full potential is fully encouraged.
'Direct to' can be modified to intercepting extended legs 'to', and some approaches will have a direct to circling path to the final approach course.

My Dynon SkyView has as much or more capability as some modern airliners in terms of navigation and pictorial presentation. On the ground they're catching up and modernizing the system in response. NDBs and VORs are on their way out. Heck, even radar is on it's way out to be replaced with ADS-B.

At one time 'children of the magenta highway' was a chiding criticism against pilots who began to rely on the technology. You still had to know how to return to 'proper flying' using 'steam gauges' as they say. Now there is enough reliability to use EFIS, GPS, digital technology as the back-up systems.
These days if you don't know how to use the technology then you're a dinosaur who needs to retire!

Even mechanics now have to talk about modules, downloads, uploads, reboots, EMS, PFD, MFD….more and more the work is done on a bench than ,is done with a wrench

Light Sport has fully embraced this new technology. New and younger pilots aren't at all fazed by the technology. Some of us oldies still find it hard to contemplate a Legend Cub with a touch screen EFIS and an autopilot though!

drseti wrote:Ded is an abbreviation for deduced. Dead is just .... well, dead.

Got it. I have never seen it spelled any way except *dead*. Thanks for the correction, it makes sense!