Garmin G1000 Pilot's Training Guide (-05) - Page 51

Appendix CONSIDERATIONS ON USING THE GARMIN INTEGRATED FLIGHT DECK TO ENHANCE THE AERONAUTICAL DECISION MAKING (ADM) PROCESS AND SINGLE-PILOT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (SRM) The Garmin Integrated Flight Deck has brought a number of improvements in cockpit technology to General Aviation (GA) aircraft. These improvements range from longer life and greater reliability of the primary instruments to a simplified pilot interface. With the addition of new technologies, the GIFD System is capable of providing the pilot with a wider variety of information about the flight environment, thereby leading to greater situational awareness and reduced pilot workload. The GIFD System allows the pilot to focus on aeronautical decision making (ADM) and single-pilot resource management (SRM). The majority of GA flight operations are single-pilot operations. The single-pilot, IFR, crosscountry flight is often regarded as one of the most challenging flight operations. The need to communicate and navigate while relying solely on aircraft instruments makes the single-pilot cockpit a busy and stressful environment. Since the inability to manage these demands effectively can prove life threatening, understanding and using all the tools available in the cockpit is key to overcoming the challenges presented by single-pilot IFR flights. AUTOMATIC FLIGHT CONTROL The autopilot is a fundamental tool that is often overlooked in the current aviation training environment. As an SRM tool, no other piece of avionics is as valuable in reducing pilot workload as the autopilot. Pilots should routinely practice using the autopilot and gain a full understanding of their particular system. Using the autopilot allows the pilot to focus on other flight management tasks such as route deviation planning and general aircraft system monitoring without reaching a point of sensory overload. In the case of system failures or emergencies, the autopilot relieves the pilot of the workload of manually flying the aircraft and thus allows the problem to be addressed. It is important to note that many GA aircraft are equipped with a rate-based autopilot that receives roll inputs from an electric turn-coordinator. In aircraft equipped with a vacuum-driven attitude indicator, failure of the vacuum pump should prompt the pilot to immediately change to a partial panel scan and to engage the autopilot in at least a roll and pitch mode. In aircraft equipped with a GPS coupled to the autopilot, the pilot should activate GPS direct-to navigation to the nearest suitable airport, then place the autopilot in navigation mode to fly straight to the airport. In either case, the autopilot reduces pilot workload by helping to ensure that the wings remain level and that standard-rate turns are used. The GIFD System will interface with third-party, rate-based autopilots as well as with the Garmin GFC 700 Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS). Third-party manufactured autopilots are linked to a remote-mounted rate-based gyro independent of the GIFD System; therefore, the above-mentioned methodology still applies if attitude information is lost. Indeed, using the autopilot in roll-control or navigation mode at the point of attitude failure allows the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft while taking appropriate emergency actions. Again, the use of the autopilot reduces pilot workload and should allow the pilot to better manage the 190-00368-05 Rev. B GIFD Pilot's Training Guide 47