Garmin 530/430 Missed Approaches

ByHank Gibson

Flying a missed approach can be stressful enough.  When you haven’t done one in a while and your GPS isn’t showing you how to get to the missed approach point and you can’t remember which button to press, that adds a lot more stress.  Recipe for disaster?  Quite possibly!

No need to fear, we are here to help.  The procedure for getting a Garmin 530 or 430 to give you missed approach guidance is actually simple and straightforward, if you know what to do!

Note: Because of the variety of different autopilot configurations in different airplanes, this article will focus solely on the GPS.

What the GPS is Thinking

The way Garmin designed the Garmin 530 and Garmin 430 is to be as helpful to pilots as possible.  Their thinking was, 95% of the time, a pilot will make a landing on an instrument approach.  This is pretty accurate as most of the time, this is what happens.  Most general aviation pilots don’t fly approaches to minimums all that often, thus negating the need for a missed approach.

Garmin Missed ApproachGarmin designed their software with this in mind.  When an airplane crosses the missed approach point, the GPS will go into what’s called suspend mode (a SUSP annunciation appears above the OBS key).  It will keep the missed approach point as the active waypoint because it assumes the pilot is going to land.

This can be confusing to pilots.  This is what happens when software engineers and pilots come together. Engineers often believe they are smarter than pilots! (See the Airbus fly by wire roll out)

The Procedure

In the case of a missed approach, the button pushing on the GPS is actually relatively simple.  There is no SUSP key to take the GPS out of SUSP mode (thanks Garmin!).  Instead, you press the OBS key.  This will take the GPS out of SUSP mode, making the first waypoint on the missed approach procedure the active waypoint.  Your GPS will now give you guidance on the missed approach procedure.

If you are going missed off an ILS, LOC, or VOR approach, then there is one more key you’ll have to press. Your CDI needle (whether it is digital or analog, an HSI or just a CDI gauge) will be reading off the NAV radio and your CDI indication on the GPS will be VLOC.  After you press the OBS key, press the CDI key on the GPS so you will start getting course guidance from the GPS again.

That’s it.  Button pressing on the different autopilots will vary, but if you are familiar with yours, you’ll be able to tell it to follow the GPS and climb to the proper altitude.

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  • Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates

    ByHank Gibson

    Columbia 400 Avidyne Entegra

    There are a number of airplanes out there equipped with the Avidyne Entegra PFD and MFD system, most notably the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 models from the early 2000s and the Columbia 350 and 400 from the same era.  The Entegra is pretty simple and easy to learn, but doesn’t have the capability that it’s Garmin glass panel counterparts do (I have not, however, tried the R9, which could prove much more capable than it’s predecessor).  I have found that pilots master the Entegra a lot quicker because of the reduced functionality.

    One of the nice features of the Avidyne Entegra is the CMAX Chartview option.  With a yearly subscription, you can get all the Jeppesen approach plates and airport diagrams for the entire US on your MFD.  Just like your GPS, though, you have to update the charts monthly to keep them legal.  After a period of time when you don’t keep up with the updates (I believe it is 90 days), then the charts disappear.

    The update process is a little tricky if you don’t have someone to explain it to you.  Once you go through it a few times, you’ll have it down pat.  Here’s the process for the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates.

    Jeppesen Subscription

    The first step in performing your Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates is to create an account with Jeppesen, who handles all the GPS NavData and MFD Chart updates for both Garmin and Avidyne.  If you already have a Jeppesen subscription, you can skip down to the next section.  To do that, simply go to jeppdirect.jeppesen.com, and then do the following:

    • Click on Avionics Data on the upper left hand side
    • Click “Purchase Avionics Subscription”
    • Then, click on “Create Account” in the new users section
    • Once you’ve created an account, login, then put in your aircraft information and select 1 update for the Avidyne Entegra EX500 EX 5000
    • Click Continue at the bottom and you can put in your payment information

    Software Needed

    There are two different programs depending on if you have a PC or a Mac.  If you have a PC, you need the Jeppesen Services Update Manager (JSUM).  If you have a Mac, you need the Jeppesen Distribution Manager (JDM).  Download whichever one you need, then login, and your updates will show up.

    Downloading the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates

    First, we’ll go through the process of performing the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates process for a Windows computer, using JSUM.    You’ll need two 2 GB USB drives formatted to FAT 16.  Here’s how to format to FAT 16.

    • Go to My Computer after inserting the USB drive
    • Right click on the drive
    • Click on Format, then select FAT and press OK

    Once the USB drive is formatted to FAT16, open up the JSUM program.  Login and your updates will be displayed on the screen

    • You’ll need to set the Avidyne CMAX Key Code
      • Right click the Avidyne Electronic Charts Service and click Set Avidyne Key
      • To get the key code, visit MyAvidyne.com and create an account using your JeppView subscription number and your serial number for your Avidyne MFD (found on the AUX page) and your PFD serial number (displayed on startup when the PFD is warming up)
      • Once you get the Key Code, copy and paste it in the window and click OK
    • Click on the service and click Start
    • The program should automatically detect the drive (if it doesn’t, click browse and select the drive)
    • Click Continue and the charts will start downloading and automatically programmed to the USB drive
    • If you are updating NavData on the MFD as well, follow the same steps as listed above in order to update the NavData

    Next, we’ll go through the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates process on a Mac, using the JDM program.  You’ll need two 2 GB USB flash drives formatted to FAT 16 (the easiest way to format to FAT 16 is on a Windows computer, using the process above).

    • Open the JDM program and login
    • Insert the first USB drive
    • You’ll need to set your Avidyne CMAX Key Code
      • Click Service Details under the Electronic Charts Service
      • Click Set Avidyne CMAX Key Code
      • Program automatically detects the USB drive
    • Click and drag the Electronic Charts service over to the USB and release
    • The service is downloaded and copied to the USB drive automatically
    • Eject the USB drive
    • Insert the second USB drive (or plug the USB drive in to your MFD, do the update, then reformat the drive) and follow the same steps for the NavData

    Updated the MFD with the Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates

    Avidyne Cirrus

    Once everything is programmed the your USB drives, the rest of the process is simple.  Just go out to your airplane, plug in the first USB drive with the Electronic Charts on it, turn your battery on and the avionics master, and the system will upload the information automatically.  Once it’s finished, turn everything off, pull the USB drive out, then insert the second USB drive and do the same thing.

    Now, you’re all updated!

    If you’d like to see a video on the process, Jeppesen has some very good videos on the updating procedure.  The links are below.  If you have questions, please contact Texas Top Aviation and an expert will help you through the process.

    JSUM USB Programming Procedure

    JDM USB Programming Procedure

    Avidyne Entegra Chart Updates Upload

  • Cirrus G2 Vision Jet

    ByHank Gibson

    Well, that was fast.

    In January, Cirrus announced the Generation 2 SF50 Vision Jet.  After getting the Generation 1 Vision Jet certified in late 2016, Cirrus didn’t waste any time in starting in on improvements.

    The improvements are pretty sweet, making the G2 Vision Jet even easier to fly and step into for Cirrus’ target market, SR22 owners.

    Here are the improvements on the G2 Vision Jet.

    RVSM Approval

    The G2 Vision Jet has received RVSM approval, allowing the airplane to fly at 31,000 feet.  RVSM stands for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (read more about RVSM here).  RVSM airspace starts at 28,000 feet, the G1 Vision Jet’s ceiling.  Now that the G2 Vision Jet is RVSM certified, it can fly at 31,000 feet.

    For piston pilots, you are left scratching your head as to the advantage of this.  In a jet, the higher you go, the thinner the air, so the faster you go, and the less fuel you burn since the thin air needs less fuel to mix with.  This caps out at a certain altitude and the speed begins dropping and you start losing efficiency (even though the fuel burn is quite low).

    According to Cirrus, at 31,000 feet, the G2 Vision Jet cruises over 300 KTAS and gets a range boost to almost 1,200 nm.

    Garmin Perspective Touch+

    Cirrus & Garmin have taken the new NXi interface and paired it with the Garmin Perspective Touch to create the Touch+.  You can read about the improvements on the NXi here, all of which are included in the Touch+ in the G2 Vision Jet.

    The big improvement that is included in the Touch+ is Autothrottle capability.  An Autothrottle is integrated with the autopilot.  It automatically adjusts power settings and speeds based on the phase of flight without the pilot having to touch the throttle.  Pretty cool.

    New Cabin

    The G2 Vision Jet has a redesigned cabin as well, making it an extremely passenger friendly airplane.  The second row has been redesigned and equipped with a center console.  There is also a drop down TV screen that allows passengers to connect their mobile devices to it to watch movies or videos while traveling (no internet on board, yet.  That’ll probably be the G3 Vision Jet!).

    Cirrus also put in more noise reduction in the cabin, creating a quieter ride for passengers.  Cirrus also allows for multiple different seating configurations, depending on the needs of the owner.

    As always, Cirrus is on the leading edge of airplane technology, creating airplanes that are easy as well as fun to fly.  I’m excited to see how they continue to improve the design to both the SR22 and the Vision Jet.

  • Texas Air Travelers Mandated to Self-Quarantine

    ByHank Gibson

    Texas Air Travelers From Designated Areas Only

    On March 30th, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an Executive Order mandating that all travelers (including Texas air travelers operating or traveling in private aircraft) from the following designated areas were to self-quarantine for 14 days (or the extent of their stay in Texas, whichever was shorter) upon entering the State:

    • California
    • Louisiana
    • Washington State
    • Atlanta, Georgia
    • Chicago, Illinois
    • Detroit, Michigan
    • Miami, Florida

    If you traveled to Texas by air from any of the above designated areas, you are required to fill out the Arrivals from Areas Designated for Mandatory Self-Quarantine Form. Failure to do so could lead to a $1,000 fine or 180 days in jail, or both. For private aircraft owners/operators, put your Tail Number in for Flight Number and “Private” for Airline.

    Aircraft owners, stay away from the designated areas listed above and you won’t have any worries. A lot of you reading this are from Texas, so make Louisiana a fly over state for now and don’t make any landings in Cajun country.

  • Have You Got Your FAA WINGS?

    ByHank Gibson

    The FAA started their Pilot Proficiency Award Program (commonly known as FAA WINGS) in 1996.  It is run by the FAA Safety Team, or the FAASTeam.  The intent of the program was, and is, to “improve the nation’s accident rate by conveying safety principles and practices through training, outreach, and education” (taken from faasafety.gov).  The FAA WINGS program, free of charge, encourages pilots to pursue recurrent training to enhance their overall knowledge of all the aspects of aviation.

    FAASTeam Logo FAA WINGS

    The FAA WINGS program has evolved over the years, but with the current structure, pilot’s accomplish tasks, both knowledge and flying, for credit that adds up to the equivalent of a flight review.  Pilot’s must accrue three knowledge credits and three flight credits to complete a phase, and each phase acts as a flight review.

    FAA WINGS has three levels, the basic, advanced, and master level.  Under each level, you accomplish different phases.  The basic level is “designed for pilot’s [desiring] a higher level of proficiency than … a normal flight review” (faasafety.gov).  The flying tasks in the basic phase are based on the private or commercial pilot PTS, depending on the airman’s certificate level.  The knowledge courses revolve around many different areas, all of which can be viewed on the FAASafety Team’s website.    Most are free, but there are some courses that have a cost associated with them.  In the advanced and master phases of the FAA WINGS program, the tasks have higher standards, challenging pilots to hold themselves to those higher standards.

    One unique aspect of the FAA WINGS program is the opportunity to attend a safety seminar for credit. Throughout the year, there are many different safety seminars that take place in the different FSDO areas. The FAA WINGS seminars range from a study of accidents, to GPS usage and anything in between.  You can even get FAA WINGS credit for attending the Bonanza BPPP or the Cirrus CPPP programs.

    As an instructor, I highly recommend to all my customers to enroll in the FAA WINGS program and use it. This keeps pilot proficiency at a high level, which in turn keeps safety at a high level as well.  Plus, you get to learn a lot too!

    If you’d like to enroll in the FAA WINGS program, visit faasafety.gov to create an account.  Then, find a good instructor and start working on those phases!

  • Flying WAAS GPS Approaches

    ByHank Gibson

    When flying a WAAS GPS approach, there are several different levels of WAAS signal that a GPS receiver can get. The most precise is an LPV signal. LPV stands for Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance. An LPV approach has the lowest minimums of all the WAAS GPS approaches, typically in the range of 200-300 feet AGL. A GPS glide path (GP) is guaranteed with an LPV approach and the minimum altitude is a decision altitude (DA).

    Just like a localizer, an LPV course width get’s tighter and the CDI becomes more sensitive the closer the plane get’s to the runway. Even though the LPV approach minimums are so low and the approach is down to a DA, they still aren’t considered precision approaches by the FAA (which leads to some extra planning when selecting an airport as an alternate that only has GPS approaches, since the AIM specifies only the LNAV minimum are to be considered if an alternate airport only has GPS approaches, bringing the 800 foot ceiling requirement to bear)

    An LNAV/VNAV approach is still a WAAS approach that has a GPS glidepath, but is slightly different than an LPV approach. An LNAV/VNAV final approach course does not get more sensitive the closer the plane gets to the runway. The smallest course width on an LNAV/VNAV approach is 0.3 miles either side of center. LNAV/VNAV approaches will, most of the time, have higher minimums than LPV approaches and can have minimums no lower than 250′ AGL.

    The third type of WAAS approach is strictly a non-precision approach with a Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA). These are designated LP approaches, which stands for Localizer Performance. These are like old school Localizer only approaches that, similar to the lateral portion of an LPV approach, the course width tightens the closer to the runway that a pilot is. There is no glide path by definition of an LP approach, though there is a caveat.

    Now, by looking at an approach plate that is a WAAS approach, but only has LP minimums listed, a pilot would assume there would be no glide path. Depending on what type of GPS unit the airplane has, that pilot could be wrong. Garmin Perspective units (Cirrus G1000), all GTN 750s and GTN 650s, All G1000 NXi units, most Garmin 430W and 530W, and all Avidyne IFD 550/540 and 440 units will display an advisory glide path on an LP approach, designated LP+V.

    What does LP+V indicate? An advisory glide path is just advisory, but it is totally legal to follow down on a non-precision LP approach. The kicker is obstacle clearance is not guaranteed and the pilot needs to keep an eye on minimum altitudes at the different waypoints on the approach. The big thing I tell people is, when you arrive at the MDA and the runway is in sight, following the advisory glide path below the MDA could get you in trouble with obstacles. Don’t just hone in on your instruments when you break out of the clouds. Look out the windscreen and make sure you won’t hit anything.

    If you arrive at the MDA on the advisory glide path and the runway isn’t in sight, DON’T GO BELOW THE MDA! Most autopilots won’t level off at the MDA, even if that altitude is set in the altitude pre-select, so this will involve turning off the autopilot before the MDA and manually leveling off, or engaging the altitude mode of your autopilot at the MDA.

    One other type of GPS approach that you will encounter is an LNAV approach. This is a non-WAAS approach down to an MDA, but your GPS unit may still give you a +V. Most modern ones will.

16 Comments

  1. Thank you! For this in depth answer to a problem I have been perplexed with… Just press the OBS button for the missed on an RNAV or the OBS and then the CDI for a VLOC approach. Simple as that… Thanx

    Reply

  2. I blew my IFR check ride because I hadn’t seen this article!! Now I know and am much better prepared for my retest….now if only my wallet was as prepared!

    Reply

  3. Good article, thanks. I know it’s several years later, but here are my two cents. The GNS480 (Apollo CNX-80) did it better by assuming the pilot would do a missed approach and having everything set for a missed. If the pilot lands, then so be it… nothing is lost.
    But why force the pilot to push more buttons on their GPS when they have a bunch of more important stuff to do with the plane to go missed (power, flaps, gear, pitch, etc). Garmin got it wrong, imho. I’ve been flying the 480 for years and am using a simulator that has a 430. I much prefer the 480 for every aspect of flight.

    Reply

  4. What if you don’t want to do the published miss but are getting vectors for another “try” – same ILS approach?

    Reply

    1. Martha, you have a couple different options. If it is the exact same approach you just flew and you are getting vectors to final, all you have to do is press the PROC key, then highlight Activate Vectors to Final and press Enter. Then everything resets and the final approach course will be your active leg with your FAF as your active waypoint.
      If you are flying another approach to the same airport, use PROC and Select Approach to select the new approach.
      If you are flying an approach at another airport, the quickest way to set things up is press the Direct To key, dial in the new airport, then use PROC from there.
      All of these options will take the GPS out of SUSP mode.

      Reply

    2. Hi Martha, it’s very simple. If you go missed on one approach and want to try the same approach again, just press the PROC key, then activate the approach again to go to the same IAF that you just flew the approach with. If you are going to get vectors, then use Activate Vectors to Final.

      Reply

  5. So on the 430/530waas can you just do the 1st 2 steps for the missed? Say climb 2000 then climbing right turn to 180 degrees. Then the gps will depict the radial or the other part to the hold and then give you the heading to fly?

    Reply

  6. One of my aircraft with a dual 430/530 setup actually won’t go in to suspend mode on a missed approach. Instead it just over fly’s the waypoint and then starts counting up whilst it then directs you to the next nearest waypoint… I assume it must be a setting issue but as yet I have been unable to work it out. Any ideas?

    Reply

    1. Hi Grant, I haven’t heard of that one before. The Flight Plan doesn’t go to the next leg (or the first fix on the missed approach)? That would be an avionics shop question.

      Reply

  7. On an LPV aprch when removing the hold, the Garmin 530 goes into suspend mode, also.Should the suspend mode be removed to fly the aprch? I know you could activate vectors to final but I am curious as to what happens if you leave it in suspend mode. Thanks all.

    Reply

    1. Hi Tony, I’m assuming this happens when you are on the wrong side of the IAF that the hold was drawn on? Meaning, the FAC is 180, but you are headed 360 and you haven’t passed abeam the IAF yet. IF that is the case, then once you go direct to the IAF that you deleted the hold from, the 530 will go out of suspend. If you are getting vectors, you are correct and can activate vectors to final, or could press OBS to unsuspend manually.

      Reply

  8. When flying a GPS approach and navigating directly to a way point on the approach ,How do I configure my Garmin 400 to hold at fix that say center wants me to hold At . For example, I’m flying into Sun Valley on The GPS 31 and center says “ fly direct to Presn” hold as published make one circuit then cleared for approach.

    Reply

    1. Hi Scott, I’m assuming a Garmin 400 is a Garmin 430 without the Nav/Com. I looked at the approach plate and PRESN is the Missed Approach point as well as one of the IAFs. If Center gives you the above instruction, you have to jump through a few hoops to get this to work. First, load the approach into the Garmin with PRESN as the transition. Then, when Center tells you to go direct to it, since the published hold is part of the Missed Approach, on your Flight Plan page, go down to the PRESN missed approach waypoint, press Direct To, and enter twice. This will cause the GPS to go into the hold. Then, on your inbound leg back to PRESN, go back up to the PRESN IAF in your GPS flight plan, highlight it, press Direct To, enter twice, and then it will cycle over to the approach.

      Reply

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