Garmin G3X EFIS Survival Tips

[Ironflight]

A famously skilled RV pilot has just asked to borrow your airplane. There are no issues with insurance, and you have no reservations whatsoever about giving him the controls. Yet, you are slightly worried because ? alas ? he has never operated the type of Glass Cockpit equipment you have installed. Afraid that he might run in to one of those little ?traps? that all complex software systems exhibit to the uninitiated, you take a few moments to brief him on the top ten ?tricks? you have learned that make flying with your personal EFIS easy and stress-free. We all learn short-cuts and signatures that help us more than the structured manuals ever could - now it is time to share those tips with the rest of the world!

If you have more than a few hours behind the G3X EFIS, how about listing a few of the items you?d share with the finest pilot you?ve ever met if he (or she) was going to fly your plane.

Paul

[SmilingJack]

I was flying a friend last week and he couldn't see my main EFIS screen from the back seat.

I have a G3X mounted on my -8 panel on the right side so I selected the "panel" view on the G3X so my GIB could fly from the backseat and hold altitude by looking over my right shoulder and viewing the G3X.

[mburch]

Originally Posted by SmilingJack

I have a G3X mounted on my -8 panel on the right side so I selected the "panel" view on the G3X so my GIB could fly from the backseat and hold altitude by looking over my right shoulder and viewing the G3X.

Actually John has a GDU 375, which technically is only the display component of the G3X system, not the whole thing. When configured as a standalone MFD like John's got, the map/panel view is indeed available... however, the panel view is currently not available in the full G3X system when you have a PFD display. This might change in the future, but for now it is this way so you don't end up with GPS-derived pseudo-instruments displayed next to (and possibly disagreeing with) the more accurate sensor-based PFD instruments.

I'll post some other G3X tips later, but here's a simple one: If you get lost in a menu somewhere, pressing and holding the CLR key for two seconds will always return to the default page, which will be either the map or the PFD depending on your system.

mcb

[SmilingJack]

Thanks Matt! I didn't know the GDU375 was the only one to have the "panel" option.

And I should have been clear, yes, it shows GPS data, so is a good backup if my main EFIS goes down or my GIB wants to see a "GPS" altitude and airspeed.

[Longez]

Matt talked about the press-and-hold function of the G3X CLR button to quickly get you to the default page. The ENT button has a press-and-hold function called MARK.



When you press-and-hold the ENT key, a popup window allows you to quickly define a user waypoint to MARK your present position. So, for example, if your flying buddy just dead-stick'd his plane into a cow pasture beneath you, you can use this single key to quickly define a user waypoint to MARK the location.

But wait - there is more! Each time you press-and-hold the ENT key, G3X automatically places a "1" in the Event marker column in the current flight data log entry stored each second to the SD card. So, whether you want to go back and see the lat/lon stored when you pressed the MARK button or just look at the stored engine data when you MARK'd the time when your engine ran rough, the MARK function is very useful. If you are just using it to MARK the flight data log entry, just cancel the pop-up window which offers to create the user waypoint.

OK, one more use for the MARK button. You shouldn't be pressing buttons during takeoff, but if you DID press-and-hold the ENT button just as your airplane lifted off the runway, it will MARK the 1 second log entry created as you lifted off. You can later go back into your log file and see the exact lat/lon on the runway where you became airborne.

Why, you say, would I want to MARK my liftoff point. Well, if you retrieve the lat/lon of this point from your flight data log file and find the start of the runway by noting in the log file when your logged heading aligned with the runway, you can use one of those online lat/lon to lat/lon distance calculators to see how much runway you used to get airborne.

Steve

[alcladrv]

Thanks for sharing these tips. They'll be really useful.

One item that I can't figure out is how to export or download the logbook of flights. I've exported the track files, but exporting the logbook is a mystery if, in fact, it's possible. Any hints?

Thanks,

Mike

[alcladrv]

One thing I do when flying close to restricted or prohibited airspace, especially in the DC area, is to take a screenshot including the map page to show that I was clear of the airspace if anyone ever asks. Sometimes I cut it as close as one mile from the boundary to minimize the detour required on my route.

Mike

[Longez]

Originally Posted by alcladrv

One thing I do when flying close to restricted or prohibited airspace, especially in the DC area, is to take a screenshot including the map page to show that I was clear of the airspace if anyone ever asks. Sometimes I cut it as close as one mile from the boundary to minimize the detour required on my route.

Mike

Yes, I hope I never have to use it as evidence, but I like to document trips like this one to Oshkosh 2011 which took me close to class B (and some rain). I just stay autopilot coupled to the flight plan and sit back and watch for jumbo jet traffic.



One more tip. The screenshot capture control is being moved from pressing and holding the joystick to pressing and holding the MENU key in the next G3X software update. The joystick has lots of uses, so it is a nice improvement to move this to the MENU key which makes this feature even easier to use.

Steve

[alcladrv]

I learned from Garmin support that there is no provision to be able to download the logbook information in a format that another program can use. Apparently, it was based on old software that is not scheduled to be upgraded.

Taking screenshots of the pages worked for me. The only other opton is to write it down manually.

Mike

[alcladrv]

I learned from SteinAir and confirmed with Garmin support that the audio alerts can be wired to an 1/8" plug for an Aux Input to a portable intercom. No audio panel or amplifier required.

Mike