Why Synthetic vision

Bavafa · #1 10-11-2010, 02:39 PM

I was on a x-country trip last week and thought to share some experience?

As a relatively new and novice IFR pilot, I have taken some [measured] comfort in the tools that I have in my tool box, those are a great A/P by TT and a great EIFS by GRT and of course the Garmin 430W. So, on my trip to GA, after the first leg to stop for fuel, I was held on the tarmac for a good while to get my clearness and as a result the temps were getting high. 10-15 min later, once I got my clearance and took off and getting established on course, with high density of 7500 and the temps already high, I eased up the climb rate to cool off the CHT this is while the condition was getting marginal VFR. So, I went back to the training and focusing on the instrument mostly this is when I saw a big hill on my EIFS that looked I was not going to clear if kept the same climb rate. I increased my climb rate and still did not look good. First I thought of turning and circling to gain the altitude, but my syntactic vision was showing that a slight turn to the left would easily give me the adequate ground clearance to get pass the hill. So, that is what I did and got passed it with no trouble. Once I was near/top of the hill and could have a closer look, it confirmed what I saw on the EIFS.

This is one situation that scares me much in IFR condition, perhaps more then landing, since I think I may tend to put my guards down a bit and thinking that I am climbing so what could go wrong?!!!!!

Thanks to GRT, it functioned flawlessly the entire trip and back.

FresnoR · #2 10-11-2010, 03:02 PM

Cool, you know many many years ago, we would do that same thing with a sectional.

Ahh, technology

jferraro17 · #3 10-11-2010, 03:34 PM

I don't understand, were you on an IFR clearance or VFR? Did you have a SID or other procedure in place to get you to an MEA or MOCA? Published minimum climb gradient? On vectors with ATC?

Synthetic vision is not a substitute for IFR procedure...just wondering.

scard · #4 10-11-2010, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jferraro17

I don't understand, were you on an IFR clearance or VFR? Did you have a SID or other procedure in place to get you to an MEA or MOCA? Published minimum climb gradient? On vectors with ATC?

Synthetic vision is not a substitute for IFR procedure...just wondering.

Yeah, I wasn't following either...

roee · #5 10-11-2010, 03:51 PM

I'm confused. Were you under an IFR clearance at the time? Were you deviating from it? Were you coordinating deviations with ATC?

Charted IFR procedures, if you adhere to them, will keep you clear of terrain. Under VFR, your eyes looking out the window should keep you clear of terrain. Scud running between the hills under less-than-VFR conditions on synthetic vision -- very risky proposition (not to mention illegal).

Bavafa · #6 10-11-2010, 03:55 PM

I was on IFR flight plan but no SID and the condition was VFR on the ground, so really didn't think to review the minimums before take off. Checking the minimums later showed I needed 500 per NM to 8100'.
I was not expecting to get in such poor visibility and can't say it became IFR but could not see the hills till I got much much closer (the EIFS that got my attention). I think if I had slowed down and had higher climb rate from the get go, it would have been OK but the way I was going and trying to cool off the CHT, it would not have cleared the hills.

jferraro17 · #7 10-11-2010, 04:04 PM

Awfully risky "plan" when your pink body was sitting in the airplane closing on that hill. You got lucky.

akschu · #8 10-11-2010, 08:01 PM

If my "pink body" was in the airplane, and my plan wasn't going to work out, then I would also be thankful for a nice display in front of me that makes me aware that a change in plan is warranted.

Sometimes I think people dog on new technology because they think the solution is a perfect pilot. Those people are welcome to nit pick all they want, I'd rather use all tools available to me to confirm what I'm doing isn't putting anyone in danger regardless if those tools are blessed by the FAA or not.

roee · #9 10-11-2010, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akschu

If my "pink body" was in the airplane, and my plan wasn't going to work out, then I would also be thankful for a nice display in front of me that makes me aware that a change in plan is warranted.

Sometimes I think people dog on new technology because they think the solution is a perfect pilot. Those people are welcome to nit pick all they want, I'd rather use all tools available to me to confirm what I'm doing isn't putting anyone in danger regardless if those tools are blessed by the FAA or not.

I think you just hit the nail right on the head. Synthetic vision, and terrain mapping in general, is a great asset to enhance situational awareness and a possible lifeline in some emergency situations. But what it isn't, or at least shouldn't be, is a crutch for inadequate flight planning or deliberate excessive risk-taking. That's the point that I, and I think several of the other posters, were trying to make. Not criticizing the technology, and not trying to beat up the original poster, but it just wasn't so clear which case this was from the original posting.

jferraro17 · #10 10-11-2010, 08:49 PM

Not bagging on the new technology at all.

However, there is NO substitute for proper, thorough planning. Re-read some of the things the original poster said.

"...was VFR on the ground" "checking the minimums later showed..." "...needed 550' per nm" "trying to cool off CHT...would not have cleared the hills"

He was not prepared for what he encountered, through his own faulty planning. This is, if I read it correctly, an IFR rated pilot, not a VFR guy who got lost in the clouds.

Make no mistake about it, controlled flight into terrain is what is being discussed here. The "pink body" comment was made to point out that IMC flight is a serious, possibly deadly, endeavor...it is most definitely NOT a video game with a reset button.

No matter what your panel may contain to "save you", why put yourself in a position like this to begin with?