cleve_thompson
Well Known Member
For months, I have been struggling to do coupled approaches with my Garmin 430W, GRT Hor I, and TT with GPSS and GPSVS and have had a time learning which buttons to push. I have flown with an instructor several times and was never able to prove my IFR proficiency until yesterday. He turned off my AP before leaving the ground and left it off the whole flight. He made me shoot a VOR A approach using a ARC for transition and it went well flying it by hand. Then he made me fly vectors to final on an ILS approach and didn't let me load the approach in the 430W but let me dial in the ILS frequency. I hand flew the approach almost flawlessly down to minimums using VLOC . The instructor said that I flew the approach smoother than the EFIS and A/P had done in the past.
For the last approach, he made me fly a full GPS approach with simulated full electrical failure, leaving me my backup ADI and my Garmin 396, both on battery and backup A/S and altimeter. This went well also. I liked flying the ADI. This was the first time I had really used it. I also like flying the 396 with the full approach loaded. Of course, I could not do the LPV minimums but down to LNAV minimums things went well.
Since now I finally have an IRF proficiency endorsement, I will continue to try to learn more about my system and continue to work on my coupled approaches . I am planning a 2 plus hour cross country to Oak Island, NC and the Bald Head beach this weekend. I will file but, if necessary,will probably hand fly an approach after letting the A/P and EFIS get me established.
Here is a picture of the panel. I think that it is well balanced and gives me excellent backup.
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For the last approach, he made me fly a full GPS approach with simulated full electrical failure, leaving me my backup ADI and my Garmin 396, both on battery and backup A/S and altimeter. This went well also. I liked flying the ADI. This was the first time I had really used it. I also like flying the 396 with the full approach loaded. Of course, I could not do the LPV minimums but down to LNAV minimums things went well.
Since now I finally have an IRF proficiency endorsement, I will continue to try to learn more about my system and continue to work on my coupled approaches . I am planning a 2 plus hour cross country to Oak Island, NC and the Bald Head beach this weekend. I will file but, if necessary,will probably hand fly an approach after letting the A/P and EFIS get me established.
Here is a picture of the panel. I think that it is well balanced and gives me excellent backup.
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