Glass Cockpit or normal "sixpack"
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Glass Cockpit or normal "sixpack"
Hi guys,
cause I changed my flightschool, I now have the choice between 2 ATO'S and both have nearly the same quality of training but there are some points where I am not sure.
One ATO has quite old a/c with no glasscockpit and they are reading the checklists and ATC in native language during VFR training. The other school has all a/c equipped with glasscockpit and they are reading the checklists and ATC in English.
So does that makes any difference or has some advantages later on ?
Greetings :-)
cause I changed my flightschool, I now have the choice between 2 ATO'S and both have nearly the same quality of training but there are some points where I am not sure.
One ATO has quite old a/c with no glasscockpit and they are reading the checklists and ATC in native language during VFR training. The other school has all a/c equipped with glasscockpit and they are reading the checklists and ATC in English.
So does that makes any difference or has some advantages later on ?
Greetings :-)
Join Date: Mar 2019
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I guess you are native German. Just in case because learning German would be something extra.
IFR will be done in English anyway (I hope) and VFR has so little communication that I do not think that matters. Of course it will depend where are you flying but I do not expect you to learn to fly somewhere in CTR anyway. It has no use.
I see bigger differences in aircraft. I was lucky to fly old machines where instruments were like "this thing is not working" or "there used to be something" then we have classical instruments but working fine and then there were glasscockpits and it was "Look at that. It is so easy. It can do so many things." It was great experience. You could realise how intruments work (or not) how they can help. Glasscockpit is a thing these days but it would be a pitty to miss old school. It is really hard. I just wanted to show you the meaning of that.
In case you would pick glasscockpit is there a chance to try classic thing for at least few hours?
IFR will be done in English anyway (I hope) and VFR has so little communication that I do not think that matters. Of course it will depend where are you flying but I do not expect you to learn to fly somewhere in CTR anyway. It has no use.
I see bigger differences in aircraft. I was lucky to fly old machines where instruments were like "this thing is not working" or "there used to be something" then we have classical instruments but working fine and then there were glasscockpits and it was "Look at that. It is so easy. It can do so many things." It was great experience. You could realise how intruments work (or not) how they can help. Glasscockpit is a thing these days but it would be a pitty to miss old school. It is really hard. I just wanted to show you the meaning of that.
In case you would pick glasscockpit is there a chance to try classic thing for at least few hours?
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Thank you for your answer.
Yes, I am a native German.
I have nearly 30 hours on DA40 old school. So you would say that the old instruments could be an advantage ?
The second ATO has also the possibility to do some hours on old C152 with no glass cockpit.
Yes, I am a native German.
I have nearly 30 hours on DA40 old school. So you would say that the old instruments could be an advantage ?
The second ATO has also the possibility to do some hours on old C152 with no glass cockpit.
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I do not know if I would call that advantage. Glasscockpit is something you will use your whole career. It is great thing but the possibility to compare was great because I realized how vulnerable I can be without that how many things I take as granted or I could compare different styles of flying.
I will try to show you. As you already fly you will see.
Heading.
I began on a/c with heading indicator working perfectly. You set it after start up, checked on runway and did not have to touch it for whole flight. It was working, all good. And yea, it has heading bug. You set the heading bug and you could see that you are turning. You did not have to remember or so. Nice thing.
Then we had older a/c and you had to correct that every few minutes with help of magnetic compass. No heading bug. "Annoying thing."
Even older and smaller a/c. It was there. It was not working. Magnetic compass. Here we go. You know how "nasty" it is. And you suddenly notice it is not that easy.
And sure. Glasscockpit. No correction, works wells, shows your heading as "123", heading bug. "Get of my way, I'm Airbus." style.
Glasscockpit could set target altitude. Easier, comfy. Tells you when you deviate too much. It shows you wind or wind components if you want. Transponder is automatic, another thing you "do not have to care".
On the other hand, flying IFR on some of those older a/c was quite pain. More workload, sure why not it is training but it did not matter how much you try it was messed up. Well it was not that bad, of course but...that one ADF still causes me nightmares.
You will forget, really fast, that flying is not that easy and you can lose all those things.
But I do not say go for older a/c. I just share my feelings about flying different "generations".
I will try to show you. As you already fly you will see.
Heading.
I began on a/c with heading indicator working perfectly. You set it after start up, checked on runway and did not have to touch it for whole flight. It was working, all good. And yea, it has heading bug. You set the heading bug and you could see that you are turning. You did not have to remember or so. Nice thing.
Then we had older a/c and you had to correct that every few minutes with help of magnetic compass. No heading bug. "Annoying thing."
Even older and smaller a/c. It was there. It was not working. Magnetic compass. Here we go. You know how "nasty" it is. And you suddenly notice it is not that easy.
And sure. Glasscockpit. No correction, works wells, shows your heading as "123", heading bug. "Get of my way, I'm Airbus." style.
Glasscockpit could set target altitude. Easier, comfy. Tells you when you deviate too much. It shows you wind or wind components if you want. Transponder is automatic, another thing you "do not have to care".
On the other hand, flying IFR on some of those older a/c was quite pain. More workload, sure why not it is training but it did not matter how much you try it was messed up. Well it was not that bad, of course but...that one ADF still causes me nightmares.
You will forget, really fast, that flying is not that easy and you can lose all those things.
But I do not say go for older a/c. I just share my feelings about flying different "generations".
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Thank you for your point of view and the input. I think the glass cockpit makes more sense for me and Assessments where you have to fly on point and as precise as possible.
Thank you once again :-)
Thank you once again :-)
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The best approach (In my opinion) would be a mixture of both glass and conventional instruments.
It barely takes 2 hours (again from my personal experience) to get back to the conventional instruments after you fly glass cockpit.
Glass cockpit is, of course, the future, hence it's a good thing to get accustomed to as soon as you can and build as much time as you can on it. If you go through recruitment ads, the words "glass cockpit experience" are highlighted in quite a few of them.
I flew a few hundred hours on conventional instruments before I shifted to the glass cockpit. Can easily fly both now. No issues.
It barely takes 2 hours (again from my personal experience) to get back to the conventional instruments after you fly glass cockpit.
Glass cockpit is, of course, the future, hence it's a good thing to get accustomed to as soon as you can and build as much time as you can on it. If you go through recruitment ads, the words "glass cockpit experience" are highlighted in quite a few of them.
I flew a few hundred hours on conventional instruments before I shifted to the glass cockpit. Can easily fly both now. No issues.
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Thank you guys. I decided to go for the school with the digital instruments but I will do my whole VFR Training with an aircraft with analog instruments and my IFR-Training with glass cockpit.
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