The Garmin G1000 was one of the first glass-cockpit systems available for light aircraft and became so popular that it even has a wikipedia page full of links and resources. The G1000 offers more than a replacement of the basic six instruments. It includes a GPS with flight-plan and moving map, VOR and ILS receivers, VHF radios, intercom and possibly an auto-pilot.

This blog’s ancestor started when I documented my own experience learning to fly the G1000 as part of my instrument rating renewal. Back in April 2007, flying a G1000 equipped aircraft was exotic and exceptional, at least in Europe… Most of my training was self-organized, using Max Trescott’s book CDs and I had to fly out to Cannes to find a flight school offering G1000 training. I spent something like 10 hours in the simulator and DA40 to get well used to fly with the G1000 and comfortable enough to pass my instrument renewal checkride on a G1000 DA40.

I wrote three posts about my G1000 training. The first one “get rid of the six-pack” deals with getting used to read the flight information on the G1000, find the correct buttons, and contains tips to easily maintain altitude. The second one “G1000 vs. GNS430 / 530” addresses the similarities and differences between the popular Garmin navigators and the G1000. Being proficient with the older models is an advantages but it also has some drawbacks… The third one contains more general “G1000 Transition Tips“.

After coming back from my G1000 training I wrote about “Gauges, Glass and Ergonomy“. This post is about the G1000’s benefits in terms of ergonomy: finding the correct knob is not always easy, but at least they are the same in all cockpits. This was confirmed during my first flight in a DA42: I was immediately G1000 fit. This post also illustrates some ergonomy problems in classical cockpits. One of the less good things with the G1000 is how the DME and ADF are integrated. It is also impossible to display two ILS CDIs simultaneously, as some pilots are used to. The details of these issues are discussed in “G1000, ADF, DME and dual ILS display“.

Learning to use the G1000 is also about knowing where each information comes from. GPS ? ADC ? Magnetometer ? AHRS ? One particular case is altitude, as there are two sources: barometric altitude and GPS altitude. “G1000, terrain and altimeter setting” deals with this question. Because the G1000 complexity must be addressed properly during training (click here to read more from askacfi.com on this topic) I wrote a post wondering “Is the G1000 really a step forward ?“.

Many new features got implemented and certified since 2007. The most impressive one is the “G1000 Synthetic Vision” which offers 3D terrain, flight plan, runway and obstacles display. The G100 also continued to conquer new market segments and can now be found everywhere. “G1000 glasss-cockpit is everywhere” contains a list of aircraft classes (from single engine piston to jet) which are G1000 equipped. Even Cirrus aircraft can now be purchased with a G1000, under the “Cirrus Perspective” designation. I never flew one yet, but had the chance to visit the factory in Bembridge and to compare the Avidyne Entega system and the G1000.

When I underwent Multi Engine training using a DA42 Twinstar, which is also equipped with the G1000, I saw the benefits of integrated avionics. It was the first time I flew an other G1000 aircraft than the DA40, but I instantly felt home in this cockpit. The instruments are not similar, they are exactly the same, except the engine instruments which are doubled. As I wrote in this older post, having the G1000 everywhere is a great simplification when it comes to training for a new aircraft type.

All the photos used to illustrate this page come from the G1000 photo gallery.