Glass cockpit or steam powered..??
 

Hi there

Just looking towards the future (after my ATPL ground exams) and wondering whether it would be more beneficial in this day and age to look to conduct my training for CPL/ME/IR on some of the new equipment available at some UK outfits? I am talking the DA40/42 Diamond/Twinstars with their all singing all dancing glass cockpits (or equivalent)?

I've always had in mind doing my training on something traditional like an Arrow for the CPL and a Seneca for the MEIR with steam power gauges, but I wonder would prospective employers prefer to see an acquaintance with newer technological aircraft in this day and age??

Or is an IR an IR at the end of the day, and it doesn't matter two hoots how you went about getting it?!! Interested to hear people's opinions.

OMG, this thread will explode the next couple of days. Four pages at least.
The landing light topic and the carb heat discussion made it past 10 pages.
Seems to be one of the pet peeves of the forum community.

Let me stir things up a bit, go for glass.

An IR is an IR. The pass rate seems to be rather higher with glass though, but much of that is skewed by the DA42's ease of operation.

:E

I would choose the 'synthetic vision system' much easier......................

Go for the steam gauges. I not only say that because that's the way i did it ( :} ) but because the glass aquantance will come easy enough for you unless you're a dinosaur. I now fly mixed fleet king airs, some with glass and some with steam, and while the glass was challenging to begin with, going back to steam was a lot more difficult.

You'll learn the glass works soon enough anyway, if I were you I'd spend my money on getting good at flying with the antiques. Maybe your first job will be on one!

You need to train on both as you need to be at home in either.

I did my IR in a Seneca and would again, with "steam powered" instruments.
I fly the airbus now, and haven't had any trouble changing over to Glass. Though, you still need to practice and try hard in the beginning to make sure you're taking everything in.

Out of interest, the FR guys apparently change their displays to a t-scan on assessments, so may be useful for that..

Fly the easiest aircraft you can for your IR gives you the best value for money. When it comes to a job, I don't think anybody really cares what you flew. My experience had been that as long as you have the required amount of twin time, any time on any aircraft less than 5,700 kgs is counted as bug-smasher time.

PM

and which would be the easier aircraft to fly for the IR?

Da42.. http://globaldownlink.com/Diamond%20...%20cockpit.jpg

PA34.. http://cdn-www.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/aviatio.../8/0281867.jpg

The levers speak for themselves, haha!

Go for what you yourself feel like
 

Honestly speaking the whole - whether to train on Glass or Steam Guages - debate like most of the debates on these forums is really much ado about nothing at the end of the day.

There's minor pro's and con's to both when it comes to an IR training course but certainly nothing to write home about. Glass only really shows the edge over steam in real-world single pilot operations after you have actually achieved the rating in my opinion.

I did my PPL on the steam, IR on the glass and CPL back on the steam. It took a few hours to get used to the glass as well as the hours of additional self ground study needed regarding the glass panel's systems and functions etc.

After having got my IR on the glass several 200hr ''experts'' and a few instructors I have come across since - none of whom have actually flown on glass ever - berated me for having done so and told me how hard it would be for me to fly IFR on the steam guages....it took me 2.5 hrs dual to get checked out on the steam.

It's all in the mind.

Go with whichever is cheaper. When you get your IR it is not going to say "glass cockpit". Personally, I believe a glass cockpit in a little SE piston is overkill on a huge scale. Go to Alaska, learn to fly a Piper SuperCub with Tundra tires and skis....do some real flying that is actually enjoyable.