The Go Around Button

Garmin 530/430 Missed Approaches

ByHank Gibson May 25, 2016May 29, 2016

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 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.

Flight Watch to be Discontinued

ByHank Gibson September 1, 2015September 8, 2015

The FAA has decided to discontinue the dedicated En Route Flight Advisory (EFAS or Flight Watch) frequency 122.0.  The effective date will be September 24th, but Flight Service will continue to monitor the frequency for an additional six months to direct pilots to Flight Service Station frequencies.

EFAS services will still be provided by Flight Service, though, on the published Flight Service Station frequencies (and 122.2).

To me, this makes some sense.  In the past, if I accidentally contacted Flight Service on one of their frequencies to issue a pilot report or get a weather update, they would send me over to Flight Watch on 122.0.  More than likely, the Flight Watch operator was sitting right next to the Flight Service operator, but I had to flip frequencies.  This will help alleviate some confusion for pilots.

The deactivation of Flight Watch had been coming for years since the advent of Foreflight and other iPad and tablet apps giving pilots much easier access to weather, both in flight and on the ground.  With Nexrad and Stratus, there isn’t much need for Flight Watch anymore (though you still can’t file a PIREP over the XM Weather!).

For more information, check out AOPA’s website.

Coflyt Ownership App

ByHank Gibson January 29, 2021February 17, 2021

A new app came out last year that fits a need for many owners. Coflyt, available on the Apple App Store for $14/month for up to two airplanes, helps immensely with staying organized. Those questions of, “When is my oil change due?” or “Has the plane had it’s IFR inspections?” are easily answered by checking the app instead of having to dig through maintenance logs.

Not only does Coflyt help keep track of maintenance, but it also houses squawk lists that owner’s can send to maintenance shops as well as keeping track of Airworthiness Directives. If the pilot remembers at the end of flights to put the amount in, it even shows how much fuel is remaining in the airplane.

For flying clubs and partnerships, it provides easy scheduling without having to share calendars. Payments can also be taken and flights tracked. No more paper flight sheets after flights to track down.

As a pilot, it helps immensely to be organized. For $14 a month ($36/month for partnerships or flying clubs), that’s a small price to pay.

The Importance of Transition Training

ByHank Gibson October 15, 2016October 19, 2016

In September, the FAASTeam at the San Antonio FSDO put a special emphasis on transition training (AOPA put out a free course last year covering general transition training topics).  A lot of pilots don’t understand the need for transition training or what it even entails.

Transition training deals mainly with piston engine aircraft, regardless of whether the airplane is a single or twin.  The FAA doesn’t have any special requirements for changing from one piston engine airplane to another, as long as the pilot has the appropriate endorsements (high performance, complex, high altitude, etc.) and is rated in that category and class.

Transition training is promoted mostly by insurance companies. An insurance company looks at a pilots experience when deciding to insure him or her in a new airplane.  If the pilot has only flown Cherokees and Comanches and is now upgrading to a Malibu, then the insurance company is going to require some transition training with a knowledgable instructor.

What is transition training?  It is when an appropriate rated pilot needs to learn how to fly a different airplane.  These are referred to commonly as checkouts, but with more complicated airplanes, the training is actually very in depth.

Using the example above, Pilot A just sold his Comanche 260 and bought a 1987 Malibu.  Pilot A says, “A Malibu is a complex, high performance, single engine piston, which is what I had in my Comanche.  I can fly that, no problem.”  In reality, a Malibu has a lot of differences.

First, there are more systems in a Malibu.  You have pressurization, air conditioning, emergency oxygen, turbo charging, and possibly radar.  Not to mention you are dealing with a Continental engine instead of a Lycoming.  And, is it a factory TSIO 520 or a converted 550?  2, 3, or 4 blade prop?  Glass panel or steam gauges?  What kind of autopilot?  Plus, it’s a much heavier airplane so it’s going to fly different, have different rotation and landing speeds and handle differently in stalls.  What’s the sight picture supposed to be on final approach?  What are the emergency procedures?

Overwhelmed yet?

An experienced, insurance approved instructor and training program is a necessity when getting into new airplanes.  It makes for safe pilots and safer skies.

Texas Top Aviation offers Cirrus Transition Training as well as Bonanza Transition Training and Columbia/Corvalis Transition Training.  We are working on an insurance approved Piper PA 46 piston transition course as well (Malibu and Mirage) and will have the course approved by the end of 2016.  Contact us today to schedule your transition training.