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Garmin G1000 versus Avidyne Entegra
You're here because you want to know which glass cockpit is better
and/or easier to use: the Garmin G1000 or the Avidyne Entegra. And yes we have
the answer! Both glass
cockpits are MUCH better than traditional cockpits, and both have the potential
to greatly enhance safety and improve the general aviation accident rate. There
are no losers in this analysis; you will love whichever one you chose and you
will greatly benefit from it.
The more you know about glass cockpit technology, the more you're going to
like the technology (according to a FSU
study). To read on line about the benefits of glass cockpit technology and
of the G1000 in particular, read the first 2 chapters of Max
Trescott's G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook online. You can also learn to
operate the G1000 using our new
Max Trescott's Garmin G1000 CD-ROM Course. Or, you order the CD-ROM course
by calling 800-247-6553. The price is $99.95 plus shipping. You can also view a free
5 minute sample of the CD-ROM course online. Then when you're ready to fly one, look up a G1000
rental
location and rent one of these awesome airplanes.
Here's a summary of certified aircraft and the Glass Cockpits that they
offer:
| Manufacturer |
Garmin G1000 |
Avidyne
Entegra |
| Adam Aircraft |
|
X |
| Beechcraft |
X |
|
| Cessna |
X |
|
| Cirrus |
|
X |
| Columbia |
X |
X |
| Diamond |
X |
|
| Eclipse |
|
X |
| Mooney |
X |
|
| Piper |
|
X |
| Symphony (bankrupt) |
|
X |
| Tiger (bankrupt) |
X |
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Which is Easier to Use: Garmin G1000 or Avidyne Entegra
I've had this discussion with dozens if not a hundred people and have read
many analyses of the two systems. Most people feel fairly strongly about which
system is easier to use and have their own particular explanations for why. Surprisingly,
people are fairly evenly split between which is easier to use. In almost every
case, people admit that the easier system for them to use is also the first one
they learned to use. Does this sound the like the high-wing versus low-wing argument?
Transition times for either system require about 3-5 hours of flight time for
VFR competency. Additional time is needed for IFR competency.
Software Simulators
One of the best ways to learn these glass cockpit systems is to use the
manufacturer's software simulators. Avidyne announced in April, 2006 a free
simulator for the Entegra which can be downloaded from their website. Their
simulator doesn't include the PFD, but does include the EX5000 MFD (used in most
Avidyne glass cockpits) and the smaller, aftermarket EX500 FlightMax. The Garmin
G1000 software simulator includes both the PFD and MFD and can be purchased for
a small price from Garmin.
G1000 Advantages
The G1000 allows you to aviate, navigate and communicate all from the
Primary Flight Display (PFD) screen on the pilot's side. Therefore you can enter
flight plans and tune radios with out looking away from the flight instruments,
which is a big advantage when flying IFR. Should the PFD fail, the G1000 system
allows you to transfer the primary flight instruments to the Multifunction
Display (MFD) on the copilot's side of the aircraft. With Avidyne, should the
PFD fail, you'll need to use the round standby gauges.
Avidyne Entegra Advantages
The typical Avidyne system has four pieces of glass: a PFD, MFD and two
Garmin 430 GPS receivers. Thus, there's more redundancy. Lose the PFD and you'll
still have 3 other devices that can display a moving map. This also allows you
to display a dedicated traffic map on one GPS, a Stormscope or terrain page on
another GPS, while viewing a topographical map on the MFD. With the G1000, you
can either combine these features to display simultaneously on the MFD or you
can switch between dedicated page views for each.
Common Features
There are more common features between the systems than there are differences.
Both PFD layouts are based on NASA's SATS research from the early 1990's. Tape
displays are use for airspeed and altitude, which are located along the left and
right sides of the displays respectively. A large attitude indicator is located
in the upper center, and the entire width of the PFD displays a 10-inch long
horizon that tilts as the aircraft banks. An HSI, which combines a Directional
Gyro and a CDI needle, is below the attitude indicator. The vertical speed
indicator is to the right of the altitude indicator.
Both systems use the MFD to display the following features:
-
Topographical Map
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Traffic Display of TIS or TAS derived traffic
TIS data comes from a mode-S transponder
TAS is an active system that interrogates nearby transponders.
-
Stormscope lightning data
-
XM Satellite data link weather
-
Terrain Proximity or TAWS
Other Features
Other features include a wind vector that indicates the direction and
strength of the winds your aircraft is currently experiencing--you'll love this
information as you fly an ILS. Speed bugs on the airspeed tape show you Vr, Vx,
Vy and best glide speeds, making it easy to remember and maintain a given
airspeed. These came out first on the G1000 and recently became available on
Avidyne's Rev. 6 upgrade. Bearing pointers on the HSI (two for the G1000 and one for the Avidyne)
allow you to monitor other nav aids in addition to the one displayed on the
HSI's CDI needle.
Fuel totalizers track fuel consumption and remaining fuel. Engine monitors
display EGT and CHTs for each cylinder and provide assistance for leaning.
Weather data is extensive and includes: NEXRAD radar, satellite imagery, AIRMETs
and SIGMETs, winds aloft, METARs and TAFs. All glass cockpit aircraft have the
option for an autopilot. Most planes are ordered with one, and flight training
emphasizes use of the autopilot.
Differences
Avidyne systems are tightly integrated with the autopilot, and you can use
the PFD to set target altitudes and read autopilot status. However, there are no
tones if you wander off the selected altitude. Some G1000 systems (e.g. Columbia
and Beechcraft) have fully integrated autopilots, while for others you must set
target altitudes and read status information on the autopilot--though you do get
warning tones if you deviate from your target altitude. The Avidyne target
altitude can be set with 10 foot resolution versus 100 foot resolution on the
G1000.
The G1000 includes a graphical fuel range ring which shows you the distance
you can travel in any direction until your reach your reserve fuel or until you
reach fuel exhaustion. This makes it easy to make power and leaning adjustments
if you want to stretch your fuel to avoid an extra stop.
The Avidyne displays instrument procedure charts and taxiway diagrams and you
can actually see the position of your aircraft on the charts. The G1000 is
expected to release this capability very soon.
The G1000 displays flight plans on both the PFD and MFD. The Avidyne display
some information about the active waypoint on the PFD and MFD, but to modify or
view the entire flight plan you need to look down and to the right at one of the
Garmin GNS 430s.
Switching pages on the Avidyne's MFD requires a single knob. Pages on the
G1000 are grouped into page groups, and two concentric knobs are used; one to
select the page group and the other to select the particular page within the
group. The G1000 has a map pointer so you can easily view any portion of a
displayed map. The Avidyne only allows you to change the range on the MFD and
the map always remains centered relative to your airplane position (you can
scroll around the Garmin 430 maps, though these are much lower resolution than
the MFD).
The Avidyne displays engine data directly on the PFD (versus on the MFD for
the G1000) and displays the percent of engine power. For the G1000, you need to
pull out the POH to determine the percentage of power. The Avidyne has a
full screen engine page on the MFD. The G1000 spreads the engine instruments
across three separate screens, except for in the Columbia 350i and 400i, which
have a full screen engine System page on the MFD.
The Garmin G1000 has a clearance recorder built in to the audio panel that
records the prior 2 1/2 minutes of radio transmissions. To hear the most recent
transmission, press the "Play" button once; to hear the next most
recent transmission press it twice.
When loading ILS instrument approaches, the Garmin G1000 sets the HSI's CDI
needle to the inbound course for the localizer. On the Avidyne, you must
remember to set the CDI needle, otherwise the system may think you're flying the
approach as a back course and the autopilot will track the course in the
opposite direction from what you intended.
Weather
Both the Garmin G1000 and the Avidyne use the XM Satellite weather service
and deliver essentially the same services. However, the way the services are
displayed is very different. For example, all of the weather services for the
G1000 can be found on a single weather page, and some of those services (such as
NEXRAD radar) are also available on the main navigation map page. On the Avidyne,
you won't find all of the weather services on one page. For example, for METARs,
go to the Trip page or Nearest page. For NEXRAD radar, go to the Map page.
The Best Glass Cockpit System is......
You cannot go wrong with either of these systems. Both improve situational
awareness and greatly enhance safety because of their traffic and terrain
proximity systems and the reduced workload of using a sophisticated autopilot.
Once you learn to fly one of these systems, you will NOT want to go back and fly
an older aircraft, particularly on longer cross-countries or in IMC. Glass
cockpit systems are truly the superior way to fly an airplane, which is why the
airlines have used them for more than a decade. So the Winner is....
You--if you choose to learn and fly these systems.
Learning to Fly the Garmin G1000
Now, there's finally a comprehensive guide to the popular Garmin G1000 glass
cockpit: Max Trescott's G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook. Written by a Master
CFI, this book makes it easy for you to quickly become an expert on operating
and programming the G1000 system in any aircraft.
$34.95
Order Now:
800-247-6553
Click Here to order
Learn more about Max Trescott's G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook
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