G1000 Training

azpilot

azpilot

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Jul 27, 2015
Messages
823
Display Name
Display name:
azpilot
Can anyone recommend a good course or set of materials for learning to use the G1000? I am a private pilot with about 150 hours. All of that time has been in steam gauges. My club has a 182T that I'd like to get checked out in. Before I start paying for instruction, I'd like to spend a few hours on my own to get familiar with the system.
 
I have owned two G1000 equipped aircraft.
The Garmin training material is OK but I like Max Trescott's material much better. I have heard others speak highly of the Sporty's and Kings courses.

The best tool you can have with learning a G1000 is a airplane power supply to keep the battery up while you turn knobs and punch buttons...
http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/24v-power-supply-with-3-pin-plug-6136a-399-00.html
 
The G1000 as a base functionality for VFR flying is easy to use. However it can do a lot more if you want to take the time to learn it and the more you use it the more you’ll learn it. I really think you’ll get the most out of it by going to the plane with an instructor and actually using it

I used to teach G1000 stuff, instructed in G1000 aircraft, went through cessnas G1000 course at the factory and own a G1000 equipped plane

And I’m still learning stuff. Its a great tool and piece of equipment
 
The best and most cost effective way is to get yourself Max Trescott's G1000 book (exceptionally well written) and pair it with the Garmin G1000 PC trainer which Garmin sells for around $30 (someone mentioned it above). And then you learn the best possible way - by actually using it in a simulated flight. But you need a fairly modern PC (mine is circa 2014) with a good video card. I am now going through instrument training and very often instructor would tell me ahead of time what he plans for the next lesson and I can try it first on my simulator, I can shoot specific approaches, absolutely invaluable tool.
 
Last edited:
If you have an iPad (or ideally 2 iPads and a simulator) you can use Simionic's G1000 PFD and MFD apps which are just $10 each. They even sell a hardware bezel and an audio panel with the real knobs and buttons, but that gets much more expensive.

PFD App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simionic-simulator-for-garmin-g1000-pfd/id501990787
MFD App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simionic-simulator-for-garmin-g1000-mfd/id827464105
Hardware Bezel and audio panel: http://www.simionic.net/WordPress/shop/

I tried the Garmin PC trainer but had trouble getting it to work properly with my yoke. The Simionic apps work with real flight simulators like X-Plane which is far more useful IMHO.
 
The problem with products like Simionic, Mindstar is that these are knock-offs which are reversed-engineered replicas of the real G1000. They only implement a subset of G1000 functionality. For a VFR pilot they could be enough but if you are a serious G1000 student specially in IFR world they are grossly inadequate. Max Trescott warns about shortcomings of these products, but again, for basic VFR functions they could be deemed adequate by some.
 
Last edited:
I'm sure you're right, but I didn't get the impression that the question was about that advanced level of usage. For learning the "knobology" and how to get around in the G1000 (read the PFD, tune the radios, setup flight plans, configure various display options, monitor engine parameters, etc.) I would much prefer the Simionic apps (preferably with the hardware bezel) versus using the PC app. You can also bring the Simionic app with you and practice anywhere.
 
Just joined flying club with g1000 172. Took first flight this weekend and it was pretty easy to get familiar with the basic functionality (altimeter, radios, navs, flight planning, loading/activating/flyng approaches). Did about 1.5 with an instructor and within the first 30 minutes was comfortable with it. Flying instrument approaches is almost cheating with the g1000 (compared to steam gauges)!
 
There are a bunch of good YouTubes on it, and Garmin's own stuff is fine. Once you figure out it's a video version of steam gauges, the presentation becomes more logical. The buttonology is a goat-rope; anti-intuitive, and somewhat user-hostile. It's still early days in the application of the tech, and hopefully the user interfaces will become more sophisticated with time.

I found it helped to think up some scenarios, and make sure I knew how to "make it so" on the G1000 when IFR. Think about what you don't know how to do, and then figure it out. Honestly, when I was jumping between steam and G1000, I didn't see a big advantage to the glass, not when the non-steam aircraft had AP's. In fairness, the others had G430/G530 that would couple, so I guess they weren't "pure" steam.
 
To me the knobology/buttonology is the main thing you'd want to practice (I prefer knobology since the buttons are fairly intuitive and the knobs are the tricky part. Knobology also sounds funnier :) ). It's best to practice on something with real knobs and buttons so you can get them into your muscle memory. Otherwise it can be really frustrating trying to navigate through pages, menus, submenus, checklists, entering text, etc.
 
A relatively low time VFR pilot learning the utility of the G1000 is all about muscle memory.
The G1000 offers a lot and the knobs and the information they get to is best learned on the ground. And, practice often.
Watch the YouTube videos.
Get Max Trescott’s book. The version of my G1000 is the earliest (with the KAP-140 autopilot), so I found an early edition of Trescott’s book on eBay.
Learn how to find metars, airport data & ATC frequencies, flight plan input, top of descent, and map and XM weather display operations. Learn how to turn the knobs and find all this stuff and know where and which page they’re on and be able to go right to it.
If you can find a ground power supply like a Start Pac, practice turning knobs and operate your plane’s G1000 while on the ramp or hangar.
While in the air, you concentrate on the flying and will be able to access the myriad of data from the G1000 quickly and directly.
Once you get past the basics, there’s lots more.
Many flights I don’t even turn on my iPad & Foreflight while in the air. It’s all on the panel.
 
Steve Kanefsky said:
If you have an iPad (or ideally 2 iPads and a simulator) you can use Simionic's G1000 PFD and MFD apps which are just $10 each. They even sell a hardware bezel and an audio panel with the real knobs and buttons, but that gets much more expensive.

PFD App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simionic-simulator-for-garmin-g1000-pfd/id501990787
MFD App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simionic-simulator-for-garmin-g1000-mfd/id827464105
Hardware Bezel and audio panel: http://www.simionic.net/WordPress/shop/

I tried the Garmin PC trainer but had trouble getting it to work properly with my yoke. The Simionic apps work with real flight simulators like X-Plane which is far more useful IMHO.
Click to expand...
Steve, I just got a SIMiONIC Garmin 1000 on my iPad to learn but can’t figure out how to enter flight plan .any tips?

Thank you

Mariya
 
It works the same way it does on a real G1000, by pushing the FPL button and then using the large and small FMS knobs to enter the waypoints. Of course it's tricky to manipulate the knobs using the touch screen, maybe intentionally so that you'll buy the expensive hardware bezel :) But other than that it works exactly like a real G1000 as far as I can tell.

Also note that you have to show the bezel on the touch screen to access the knobs and buttons. If you only see the G1000 display itself and not any of the knobs or buttons then you need to tap in the upper left corner to show the bezel. Also you can tap in the upper-right corner to access settings and setup things like your default airport, which will affect which airports you see when you use the NRST function, etc.

Hope that helps. Otherwise if you can provide more specific details maybe I can figure out why it's not working for you.
 
You can use the Garmin Flight deck trainer for free. You don’t even have to have Λ yoke. You can use the GFC700 AutoPilot. Great practice.
 
The Simionic apps are only $10, which is essentially free in AMU terms :) The cool thing is that you can use it in all sorts of different configurations:

1) PFD or MFD standalone on a single iPad
2) PFD and MFD networked across two iPads
3) connected to an X-Plane or FSX simulator
4) dedicated iPad(s) with hardware bezels

Here's a pic of my sim setup with two iPads running Simionic with the hardware bezels:


sim.jpg
 
COOL SETUP!!!

I never knew anybody made hardware bezels that would simulate a G1000. I'm going to have to check into that!!!

How much difference is there in a Cirrus Perspective system vs a G1000? I'm training in an SR20 and I suspect there are differences, but is it anything drastic?
 
I'm training in an SR20 too. I started in a Cessna 172 with G1000 which is why my setup is very Cessna-like, but it's also much harder to find SR20 style simulator hardware.

The main difference with Perspective is the Garmin Control Unit (GCU), which gives you the alphanumeric keypad for entering waypoints, radio frequencies, squawk codes, etc. Since I started in a plane that didn't have that, I'm used to using the standard G1000 controls for frequencies and squawk codes. I do use the keypad for entering waypoints since that's way easier than using the FMS knobs. I think another reason I gravitate to the standard G1000 controls is that they're right in front of me on the PFD. I can enter a frequency on the PFD while still keeping an eye out the window whereas the GCU keypad is in a location where I have to divert more of my attention away from the window to work with it.

Many of the standard MFD controls are also on the GCU (FMS knob, FPL/CLR/Enter buttons, HDG/CRS/Alt knobs, etc.) in a Cirrus, whereas on a regular G1000 the MFD and PFD have the exact same controls. But those are just the same controls in a slightly different location whereas the alphanumeric keypad is something new that takes getting used to (knowing which button to press to enter a comm frequency versus a nav frequency versus a squawk code for example).

The newer Cirrus planes with Perspective+ have a newer version of the GCU with some updates, such as moving from an ABCDEF style keyboard and separate numeric keypad to QWERTY keyboard with numbers in a line across the top.
 
Thanks for the info, Steve!

Steve Kanefsky said:
I prefer knobology since the buttons are fairly intuitive and the knobs are the tricky part.
Click to expand...

I'm still learning to wrap my head around their use of knobs for navigation. After living in world where "Enter" and "Back" (or ESC) are used to move in and out of menus, I'm still getting used to the whole "big knob" then "little knob" then "big knob", etc, to navigate.
 
Steve Kanefsky said:
It works the same way it does on a real G1000, by pushing the FPL button and then using the large and small FMS knobs to enter the waypoints. Of course it's tricky to manipulate the knobs using the touch screen, maybe intentionally so that you'll buy the expensive hardware bezel :) But other than that it works exactly like a real G1000 as far as I can tell.

Also note that you have to show the bezel on the touch screen to access the knobs and buttons. If you only see the G1000 display itself and not any of the knobs or buttons then you need to tap in the upper left corner to show the bezel. Also you can tap in the upper-right corner to access settings and setup things like your default airport, which will affect which airports you see when you use the NRST function, etc.

Hope that helps. Otherwise if you can provide more specific details maybe I can figure out why it's not working for you.[/QUOT


Thank you so much I finally got that going ! But now the default setting is somewhere in China. How can I change my home airport to the US, so I can follow the tutorials offered online?

Thank you in advance
Click to expand...
 
If book learning is your cup of tea, Max Trescott's G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook is the best I've seen. I was self-taught using the 2009 edition and (an earlier edition of) the Garmin simulator @TK211X linked and passed it on to a friend when I was teaching it to him. You might be able to find a used copy on Amazon or other sites. The software and the G100's functionality has, of course, changed through the years but these will have a solid grounding in the basics.
 
Mariya Reum said:
Thank you so much I finally got that going ! But now the default setting is somewhere in China. How can I change my home airport to the US, so I can follow the tutorials offered online?

Thank you in advance
Click to expand...

If you’re in the simonic MFD, tap in the upper right corner and the Options dialog should come up. One of the simulation options is for Airport, put yours in and off you go.
 
I just discovered the SIMiONIC simulators, man these are great! Its sort of incredible that they're so good, let alone for $10. Great button (or Knob) -ology and pretty amazing for simulating holds, intercepts, tracking, approaches.
 
Every flight with the G1000 you will find something new. Do this. Make a list of things you have to do. Change transponder, set course, set idle mixture, set radio. The watch the youtube videos or manuals and write down how to do those things. Objective based training is best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top