Ever since being back in South Africa to start my commercial pilot’s license, I have done little else aviation wise other than sitting behind a desk studying my butt off. This week all that changes. I decided last week that I had to remind myself why I was here and that is for the sheer love of flying and not for the sheer love of studying! SO I made a plan.
I have previously flown a Cessna 172 many times. It’s a great aircraft and very good for carting a couple of mates around up and down the coast. This time I thought if I were going to be getting back into it that I should be doing it properly. An upgrade. I will very briefly explain with the use of images what this upgrade is all about.
The outside of the aircraft if fundamentally the same. It’s still a Cessna 172 but this time it is a much newer model. Most of the updating has been done on the inside. It is commonly known to have a “glass cockpit” coming from the fact that most of the dash instruments are now built into 2 Garmin GPS glass screens (pic below). Technology baby! Only thing is one needs to learn how to use the kit before one tries to fly with it! That’s what’s happening this week!
This is what it looks like on the outside (pretty standard):
This is what the old standard dash instruments look like
And this is now the new all singing all dancing! Garmin G1000
Included in the G1000 are new accurate zoomable map driven navigation tools, all the radio aids and other instruments including all engine temp and pressure indicators, VHF radios, Transponder, Artificial Horizon (AH), Direction Indicator (DI), VOR, ADF and DME, Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI), Altimeter, Turn and Bank/Slip Indicator and about 100 more that I will start to learn today!
Up, up and away!
Is it a bird? Noooooo
Is it a plane? Ummmm yes!
Doh!
