Synthetic Vision, in Two Pictures

Jay Honeck

Jay Honeck

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Jay Honeck
Someone here was questioning the utility of SV in a VFR airplane.

This was the view out the front window today. Conditions were "skies clear, 10 miles visibility":

9efc332cd097f1a4c141f983773ccc71.jpg


This was the view in my GRT Avionics EFIS, with synthetic vision:

af5646911b3f8a7bb388813f55dbda10.jpg


Any questions? ;)

Edit: Check the 46 knot quartering headwind! lol
 
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Stick a few 10,000' mountains out in the haze and it looks even better!
 
Ahhh...flying thru skim milk during the south's summer. I remember those days.
 
What is that small vertical scale to the right of the airspeed with a D and a U ?
 
The first time I used it, I knew there was no turning back, especially since I was doing an IPC. It's eVFR.
 
Meh. Flew in it 2 hours today. No need for it. Its called training and proficiency. I've had SV for 6 years and don't even bother to use it. Maybe if it showed where the other aircraft are on the SV display it might be worth something. But anywhere east of Denver you're just making yourself dumber.

Yes I was VFR, and was over Lake Michigan where there was no reference of anything at all.

Keep your ****ing eyes outside.
 
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See what gadgetry does to people, can't even determine headwinds anymore.
 
eVFR is apparently flown between IFR and VFR altitudes as well.
 
He's in an RV. They aren't bound by the FARs or any other laws - including physics.
 
EdFred said:
See what gadgetry does to people, can't even determine headwinds anymore.
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Re: the altitude. See the little 250? That means I was still climbing.

Re: the wind: Yup, the headwind component is different than the indicated wind.

Re: you being a douchebag. Meh, no explanation. At all. :rolleyes:
 
I'm in a slightly different camp on SV.

My question is: what exact benefit is the SV providing in this situation?

Does it display a pretty picture? yes
Does it show traffic? no
Can the pilot keep the wings level looking out the window? yes
Can the pilot hold heading looking out the window? yes
 
Clark1961 said:
I'm in a slightly different camp on SV.

My question is: what exact benefit is the SV providing in this situation?

Does it display a pretty picture? yes
Does it show traffic? no
Can the pilot keep the wings level looking out the window? yes
Can the pilot hold heading looking out the window? yes
Click to expand...

The pilot doesn't have to search for things, a glance down lets him know his situation exactly allowing greater eyes outside time looking for traffic. I concur on the traffic not being displayed in the 3D matrix as a fault.
 
I stand by my gadgetry comment. Unless of course it wasn't a contributing factor. In which case I apologize for assuming that was the issue.
 
Henning said:
The pilot doesn't have to search for things, a glance down lets him know his situation exactly allowing greater eyes outside time looking for traffic.
Click to expand...

I think that maintaining situational awareness is the pilot's job and that can't be replaced by a pretty picture.
 
Clark1961 said:
I think that maintaining situational awareness is the pilot's job and that can't be replaced by a pretty picture.
Click to expand...

Right, but the less time you need to maintain situational awareness, the more time you can look for traffic, or solve problems. Where it really hit me was dealing with cascading failures while hand flying under the hood during an IPC, maintains control and situational awareness was greatly simplified allowing me to direct the vast majority of my attention to dealing with the failures.
 
I don't see the problem with the top view at all. No boomers nearby, plenty of vis to spot aircraft, a good view of the ground to spot landmarks, and enough horizon to keep the shiny side up. I stand by what I said. Don't see the need for all those gizmos in a VFR airplane. I'll take a basic gyro panel, plus maybe a handheld GPS in case I get lost. Mrs. Steingar says I do that a lot.
 
Henning said:
Right, but the less time you need to maintain situational awareness, the more time you can look for traffic, or solve problems.
Click to expand...

Foreflight running on an iPad mounted on the yoke provides me with all the situational awareness needed to supplement looking out the window no matter how skim milky it is...remember...the conversation here is VFR.
 
Henning said:
Right, but the less time you need to maintain situational awareness, the more time you can look for traffic, or solve problems. Where it really hit me was dealing with cascading failures while hand flying under the hood during an IPC, maintains control and situational awareness was greatly simplified allowing me to direct the vast majority of my attention to dealing with the failures.
Click to expand...

"under the hood" pretty much says it all. For VFR/VMC I see no benefit. Even IFR I see little benefit over just a glass panel. There is some benefit on approach.

Now in an emergency situation while IMC there will be benefit for the pilot, I agreed with that entirely.
 
Clark1961 said:
"under the hood" pretty much says it all. For VFR/VMC I see no benefit. Even IFR I see little benefit over just a glass panel. There is some benefit on approach.

Now in an emergency situation while IMC there will be benefit for the pilot, I agreed with that entirely.
Click to expand...

For Day VFR, I could give a rat's ass about what is in the panel. I don't prepare for the everyday, I prepare for the days that everything goes to hell, because I've been there before and know they happen.
 
Henning said:
The pilot doesn't have to search for things, a glance down lets him know his situation exactly allowing greater eyes outside time looking for traffic. I concur on the traffic not being displayed in the 3D matrix as a fault.
Click to expand...

Yeah but a decent moving map provides better SA in that case. It doesn't have the narrow FOV of SVT either.

I fly SVT (G500H) everyday and have yet to find its benefits significantly important to VFR flight. I fly at low altitude and in mountainous terrain so you'd think its providing invaluable information to my flight. Nope, it just tells me what I'm seeing with my own two eyes. Yes "bitching Betty" I can see that terrain ahead because I'm flying VFR. I know I'm going to clear that ridge by at least 300 ft because I can see it! If I were to go IIMC, I'd have to be a complete moron not to know my surrounds prior to that. It's called preflight planning. Even if I'm flying into a setting sun and it's hazy out, a simple AI backing up what I'm seeing outside will suffice.

Now, do I select SVT every flight? I do but it's more out of habit and I prefer the display over the basic PFD. Guy that flys before me leaves the PFD up because he prefers that. To each his own.

Edit: I will say SVT can be of use flying around mountains at night for the majority (non NVG) of VFR single engine pilots. I'd say it's terrain depiction would help in avoiding peaks in case of engine failure. It's not going to lead you to a perfect unobstructed open field but at least you know where the granite walls are at.
 
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Velocity173 said:
Edit: I will say SVT can be of use flying around mountains at night for the majority (non NVG) of VFR single engine pilots. I'd say it's terrain depiction would help in avoiding peaks in case of engine failure. It's not going to lead you to a perfect unobstructed open field but at least you know where the granite walls are at.
Click to expand...

Of course I can't speak for everyone but I can say that in the Colorado Pilot's Association mountain flying training they teach folks not to go into the mountains at night with single engine aircraft.

Do people do it? yes, pros and amatures both
Could SVT help? maybe, personally I don't believe enough detail is displayed to make much of a difference but the level and quality of the detail likely varies with each different SVT manufacturer's system. The Aspen really isn't that great of an SVT.
 
Clark1961 said:
Of course I can't speak for everyone but I can say that in the Colorado Pilot's Association mountain flying training they teach folks not to go into the mountains at night with single engine aircraft.

Do people do it? yes, pros and amatures both
Could SVT help? maybe, personally I don't believe enough detail is displayed to make much of a difference but the level and quality of the detail likely varies with each different SVT manufacturer's system. The Aspen really isn't that great of an SVT.
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The G-500-600 system is very nice for detail in the mountains.
 
The SV via AFS in the RV-10 shows traffic as well. THAT feature is definitely nice to have. I didn't realize how much traffic is out there until flying the -10 while skirting around the ATL Bravo. Kinda scary how little the 'big sky' really is. Of course, in Iowa, I would probably only see one or two blips on it in a month, so applications vary...
 
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