NAVIGATION ◄
PilotsDigest Ë Summer 2017 1
FROM THE EDITOR ◄
It was a warm day in Southern California when I first took the yoke of a small aircraft. My instructor said jokingly, “if you let go of the grip a bit, we won’t fall out of the sky”. I took his advice, the white knuckles went away and I have been enjoying flying ever since. That first experience soaring over the crowded streets below has stayed with me even more than my first solo or the day I obtained my Pilots License. Through the years, I have had another passion, that of publishing. I have founded six City Magazines, five community newspapers and a variety of published books and digests. In the summer of 2016, I decided to combine two of my passions into one, thus producing aviations first PilotsDigest ®, a publication written exclusively by Pilots for Pilots. I have always enjoyed pilot magazines and I will not be discontinuing my subscriptions to them any time soon. However, I have felt that there has been an un-addressed niche that has gone on for a long-long time when it comes to addressing just the pilots, those that fly on a regular and part-time basis. I liken this group to the comrodery you find in certain other professions and organizations. In my earlier days, I served as a Deputy Sheriff for the County of Los Angeles. The bond I made with those whom I served cannot easily be expressed. Such is my passion and respect for my fellow pilots which make up less than .0015% of the adult population of the United States. I look forward to your feedback and not to take away anything from a popular beer commerical, I want to simply say, “This Digest is for you... my fellow pilots.”
Robert A. Schlosser Private Pilot / Publisher / Editor in Chief
PilotsDigest Ë Summer 2017 5
CONTENTS ◄
Publisher
Digest Publications Editor in Chief
Robert Schlosser
Published by Pilots
for Pilots
Featured in this Issue: Featured Aircraft Cirrus Vision Jet & SR22 ............................
Associatae Editor
Gil Lambert
24
Production
Rogue Valley Marketing Director of Advertsing
EXPERIMENTAL
Michael Deacon Circulation
Amanda Talbert
............................
Photography
Allen Tumea
29
Enhanced Vision
Politcal Editor
Haans Yought
12
Avionics Editor
............................
Weather Editor
Keep Funny Side Up
Joseph Deason Milt Bradford
............................ PilotsDigest is published by Digest Publishing, Medford, Oregon. All rights reserved. No portion or part of this publication can be copied or reprinted without the express written permission of Digest Publishing. Make all requests to the below address. PilotsDigest® is a registered trademark of Digest Publishing. For inquiries about advertising, contact our Ad Director at 541-326-1499.
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®
Rogue Valley International Airport Jet Center Building 5000 Cirrus Dr, Ste. 150 Medford, Oregon 97504 541-326-1499 www.pilotsdigest.com info@pilotsdigest.com
Departments:
22 Avionics ......................................................... 34 Pilot Supplies ............................................. 56 Arcraft For Sale ........................................... 47 Weather -or- Not? ......................................... 14 Keep the Funny Side Up! ..........................
PilotsDigest Ë Summer 2017 7
► NEW PRODUCTS
Garmin introduces G1000 NXi Garmin has introduced the successor to the G1000 integrated flight deck, the G1000 NXi. The G1000 NXi incorporates features such as wireless cockpit connectivity, including wireless aviation database updates using Garmin Flight Stream, enhanced situational awareness with SurfaceWatch, visual approaches, map overlay on the HSI and more, according to company officials. Deliveries are expected to begin in February as the FAA has granted Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval for the G1000 NXi integrated flight deck in the King Air 200. Approval for the King Air 300/350 aircraft models are expected within the coming weeks, Garmin officials said. “Garmin’s co-founders Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao had a vision to develop an intuitive and highly advanced integrated avionics system for general aviation aircraft, which became the G1000 integrated flight deck and today, over 16,000 of these 8 PilotsDigest Ë Summer 2017
systems are flying worldwide,” said Carl Wolf, vice president of aviation marketing and sales. “Building on its success, we’re excited to introduce the G1000 NXi, a faster, modernized and lighter avionics suite with a superior feature set that will carry on the lineage and achieved level of distinction that pilots and aircraft owners have come to associate with a Garmin integrated flight deck.” G1000 NXi on the surface The G1000 NXi system incorporates modern processing power that supports faster map rendering and smoother panning throughout the displays, company of-
ficials note. Saving time in the cockpit, the displays initialize within seconds after start-up, providing immediate access to frequencies, flight plan data and more. The G1000 NXi system also incorporates contemporary animations, modernized design for improved readability and new LED back-lighting, offering increased dis-
NAVIGATION â—„
play brightness and clarity, reduced power consumption, as well as improved dimming performance, company officials note. Next generation Connext wireless cockpit connectivity unlocks more capabilities from within the G1000 NXi integrated flight deck. Available as an option, Flight Stream 510 enables Database Concierge, the wireless transfer of aviation databases from the Garmin Pilot app on a mobile device to the G1000 NXi system.
can select the runway for which they have been cleared to land, set customized minimums, select vectors or straight-in for the final approach intercept and fly a visual approach coupled with the autopilot. Geographical map overlay within the HSI is available on the primary flight display (PFD), which also supports the display of NEXRAD, FIS-B weather, weather radar, SafeTaxi airport diagrams, traffic, terrain and more. For example, pilots can display SafeTaxi on the HSI map while preparing flight
Flight Stream 510 also supports two-way flight plan transfer, the sharing of traffic, weather, GPS information, back-up attitude information and more, between the G1000 NXi and compatible mobile devices running Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight mobile. The D2 Bravo and D2 Bravo Titanium aviator watches also sync with the Garmin Pilot app to ensure flight plan data matches throughout the cockpit. Visual approaches integrated within the G1000 NXi system offer pilots safetyenhancing guidance in visual flight conditions based on a three-degree glideslope from the threshold of the runway. Pilots
plan information on the multi-function display (MFD) or simultaneously display NEXRAD radar and traffic on the HSI map and view a variety of other SiriusXM aviation weather products on the MFD such as lightning, storm cells and more. Aiding in situational awareness, optional SurfaceWatch runway monitoring technology provides visual and aural cues to help prevent pilots from taking off and landing on a taxiway, on a runway that is too short or on the wrong runway based on performance data entered during preflight. Visual and audible runway distance remaining annunciations are also available, which provides aural callouts beginning at 5,000 feet PilotsDigest Ă‹ Summer 2017 9
► NAVIGATION
through 500 feet. G1000 NXi equipped-aircraft are rulecompliant to meet FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADSB) requirements. The G1000 NXi also supports the display of various ADS-B In benefits, including traffic and subscriptionfree weather. FIS-B weather products include: NEXRAD, METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, winds and temperatures aloft, NOTAMs, AIRMETs and SIGMETs. Exclusive traffic features such as Garmin’s patented TargetTrend and TerminalTraffic further enhance the traffic picture, company officials said.
TargetTrend provides pilots with a more intuitive method of judging target trajectories and closure rates, while TerminalTraffic displays a comprehensive picture of ADS-B-equipped aircraft and ground vehicles throughout the airport environment. The G1000 NXi integrated flight deck also supports additional features: Advanced Doppler weather radar capabilities, including ground clutter suppression and turbulence detection as options. COMM frequency identification displays the station ID, as well as frequency type. Display of sectional charts, as well as IFR low/high enroute charts on the MFD. NEXRAD weather radar imagery can be
NEXRAD weather radar imagery can be overlaid on the moving map and animated on the MFD, as well as the HSI map.
10 PilotsDigest Ë Summer 2017
NAVIGATION ◄
overlaid on the moving map and animated on the MFD, as well as the HSI map. Vertical Situation Display (VSD) incorporates terrain profile view on the MFD, taking into consideration the active flight plan, altitude constraints and winds aloft. Pilots can preview departure and arrival procedures on the MFD prior to loading and activating the procedures. Pilots can optionally overlay European Visual Reporting Points (VRPs) on the moving map, as VRPs are standard within the navigation database. Three-color terrain shading incorporates green, yellow and red contouring, which depicts the aircraft is 2,000, 1,000 and 100 feet above ground level (AGL). Aircraft maintenance personnel experience faster system software upgrades and streamlined equipment replacement. King Air For new installations, the G1000 NXi in-
tegrated flight deck is estimated to provide a weight savings of 250 pounds or more in King Air aircraft, allowing additional baggage, passenger and/or fuel load flexibility. New G1000 NXi installations also use a new, fully integrated and lightweight air data and attitude heading reference system (ADAHRS), streamlining the upgrade process. King Air owners and operators with an existing G1000 integrated flight deck can upgrade to the G1000 NXi with minimal aircraft down time and disruption of the panel as the displays preserve the same footprint and connector so panel modifications are not required. The FAA has granted STC approval for the G1000 NXi integrated flight deck in the King Air 200 and approval for the King Air 300/350 is expected within the coming weeks, which will be available in February from select Garmin Authorized Dealers. EASA approval is expected later in 2017. ■ PilotsDigest Ë Summer 2017 11
â–ş ENHANCED VISION
Max-Viz Enhanced Vision systems EVS turns night into day and help pilots see through smog, smoke, haze and light fog Without EVS
With EVS
Turning Night Into Day Max-Viz Certified 2300 EVS Astronics Corporation, through its subsidiary Astronics Max-Viz, has certified its 2300 Enhanced Vision System (EVS) to the DO-160G standard. Company officials report that the 2300 blends infrared and visible light sensors. The Max-Viz 2300 EVS displays real-time heat sources along with LED airport lighting. With the airport lighting environment converting over to low-heat LEDs,
many thermal imagers can no longer detect the runway lights, officials say, noting the Max-Viz 2300 does see the lights. It also provides detailed informa12 PilotsDigest Ă‹ Summer 2017
tion about the terrain. The Max-Viz 2300, according to company officials, enables pilots to see more in adverse weather conditions. Pilots can view the runway and terrain clearly to avoid wildlife and unlit obstructions, they note. Company officials report that this EVS blends the separate signal from a long wave infrared sensor with a visible light sensor. The 2300 EVS standard image format allows for future integration with Synthetic Vision System (SVS) images to create a Combined Vision System (CVS), according to company officials. Compatible with leading multi-functional displays and electronic flight bags, the sensor image works on any display that accepts composite video (RS-170) NTSC or PAL signals.
ENHANCED VISION ◄
Hi Resolution Multi Spectral Imager 640x480 ♦ Individual pins allows maximum flexibility for placement of control switches ♦ Digital Zoom field of view from 45⁰ x 33.75⁰ to 30⁰ x 22.5⁰ ♦ RS-170 Signal Format (NTSC or PAL)Compatible with all leading MFDs & EFBs that have RS-170 video input ♦ Integral window heaters for operation in all conditions ♦ Temperature Operating Environment; -55⁰ C to +70⁰ C ♦ Pixel non-uniformity correction ♦ Manufactured in AS9100 Certified facility ♦ Solid State technology - no routine maintenance require ♦ Flexible installation options - Minimal Down Time ♦ US Department of Commerce Export Controlled (Not TAR)
♦ Visible Light sensor for “seeing” LEDs blended with Long Wave allows for a Dual Video Output; Blended B&W for cockpit (patented) and separate color HD-compatible visible camera feed (720 x 480) for CES or Video Recorder ♦Patented Blending and Dynamic Range Management Image Processing ♦Combined Vision System (CVS) compatible – software design provides for existing and future EVS integration with SVS ♦Generation Three - same form factor for easy legacy product upgrade PilotsDigest Ë Summer 2017 13