by Michael J. (Mick) Kaufman
Published in Midwest Flyer – October/November 2019 Issue
It has now been several months and some 15-plus hours since I got my budget-driven, avionics update in my Bonanza, and I have still not taken the airplane into hard Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). It is not that I am unfamiliar with my navigator, but there is a lot of interfacing I am still trying to learn.
After a recent fatal accident, the “Monday Morning Aviation Quarterback Club” has reconvened to express some of their thoughts on what might have happened. In several of my previous columns in Midwest Flyer Magazine, I have commented on this accident, trying not to speculate as to what might have happened. One known fact about this accident, however, was that the aircraft had new avionics, and the pilot launched into low IMC on takeoff.
I remember my first IMC flight with a then state-of-the-art Apollo 618 Loran navigator. After a reroute from air traffic control (ATC), I turned the unit completely off and started tuning the VORs.
Since the days of VORs and ADFs are coming to an end, we have seen new state-of-the-art navigators arriving on the market at a rapid pace, and all of them have their own unique features. Along with this comes the need for professional instruction and the bewildered instructor needs training as well. I can’t imagine any instructor knowing every box and how it should interface with all the other systems in an airplane.
My recently installed navigator was the first Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) to hit the aviation market, and was first labeled as the Apollo CNX80. After Apollo was purchased by Garmin, the CNX80 became known as the Garmin 480.
Both the Garmin 480 and 430/530 navigators are considered end-of-life units as they are not fully supported by available repairs or full databases. The Garmin 480 has some unique features and was way ahead of its time for capability.
I have a remote transponder and ADS-B control, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather channels, dual frequency monitoring on the com channels, fuel monitor and the ability to share flight plans with my Garmin Area 660. This might not seem to be so unique for today’s avionics, but this is a decade old unit with some features still not available in all navigators. These units do so many things for us; they have so many menus and menus inside of menus that this could become the demise of a pilot becoming so involved in a unit that he/she forgets the number one task – TO FLY THE AIRPLANE! The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) data still shows more fatalities with glass panels and sophisticated navigators than with conventional steam gauges.
Think about the following clearance and how you would use your navigator:
ATC: Piper N2898D, we have a holding clearance. Advise when ready to copy.
Pilot: Ready to copy clearance.
ATC: Piper N2898D, you are cleared to hold 20 DME miles southwest of the Dells VOR on the 240-degree radial, left turns, 4-mile legs. Expect further clearance at 18:45 Zulu.
You may be overwhelmed by this and say to yourself, “when would I ever get such a clearance, other than when flying in the northeast part of the country? Consider it a challenge from me on your next IFR training flight in VFR conditions. Draw this on paper first, and then go to your navigator. Good luck! (See FIG 1.)
Because the quarterback club has discussed new avionics and a low IMC departure as probable cause in this accident, let’s look at a few tips on low IMC departures, assuming the pilot is somewhat of a Jedi on his avionics.
There is the human factor of seeing the outside visual references disappear as you fly into IMC. I had brought this to the attention of pilots in a previous article. We can, and many of us have, gotten our instrument rating and had never flown in IMC. When I am training a pilot for his instrument rating, I welcome the opportunity to fly in IMC conditions once the pilot has the basic skills to do so. If they have not had the opportunity to experience real IMC, especially launching into low IMC, I recommend contacting me or any other qualified instrument instructor for that first-time experience.
It is imperative to go immediately to the instruments on rotation, and not try to maintain visual reference as long as possible. If you have a “flight director,” this is a fantastic tool for the low IMC takeoff if you know how to use it and set it up properly. Align the airplane with the runway, set your heading bug, and push the go-around button on your yoke or throttle. This will set your pitch for climb out and keep your wings level.
The flight director is a function of your autopilot, and I recommend you hand-fly the flight director until such time as you can devote enough brainpower to monitor the situation after engaging the autopilot servos. Anything can malfunction, but I have seen too many circumstances where the high-pilot workload during departure allowed an autopilot to do unexpected things, and going unmonitored for just a few seconds could be your demise. If you cannot hand-fly the airplane on departure, you have no business taking off in such conditions.
Another area – besides the human factor – is not being familiar with the equipment in your airplane. There could be an avionics failure, an interface problem or an interface that is different from what you have seen with similar installations.
For example, the Garmin G5 electronic attitude indicator has been known to have shielding problems inherent with its design. The G5 is a fantastic piece of equipment and I wish I could have afforded to include it as part of my avionics upgrade.
If your aircraft has stray radio frequency interference from other devices or noise from strobe lights, there have been cases where this has caused issues for the G5. I noticed on the installation instructions from the devices that were being installed in my aircraft, that certain distances needed to be maintained between antennas and certain wiring needed a minimum separation.
Recently, I had my biennial flight review (BFR) and instrument proficiency check (IPC), and with another instructor/safety pilot onboard, I could experiment with devices and interfaces without jeopardizing flight safety. There is no better way to find out how different boxes will work together.
I was surprised to find when I loaded the approach on my Garmin 480 navigator that the approach chart was auto loaded on my Garmin Area 660, but only if I had a certain menu selected. There are many times avionics technicians have to use their own past experiences when interfacing the many different units from different manufacturers to get them to work together.
When Beechcraft started producing the G36 Bonanza and the G58 Baron, you could feel assured that all of the equipment played well together. If you flew different N-numbered G36 airplanes, you would not see any differences. The airlines always make sure that a pilot flying a Boeing 737-300 can go from one airplane to another with exactly the same equipment and no surprises.
Learn the airplane you fly, its equipment and interfaces, and use an instructor or safety pilot, and remember the same equipment in one airplane may be different in another airplane, unless it comes as a factory package.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael J. “Mick” Kaufman is a Certified Instrument Flight Instructor (CFII) and the program manager of flight operations with the “Bonanza/Baron Pilot Training” organization. Kaufman conducts pilot clinics and specialized instruction throughout the U.S. in a variety of aircraft, which are equipped with a variety of avionics, although he is based in Lone Rock (KLNR) and Eagle River (KEGV), Wisconsin. Kaufman was named “FAA’s Safety Team Representative of the Year” for Wisconsin in 2008. Email questions to captmick@me.com or call 817-988-0174.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this column is the expressed opinion of the author only, and readers are advised to seek the advice of their personal flight instructor and others, and refer to the Federal Aviation Regulations, FAA Aeronautical Information Manual and instructional materials before attempting any procedures discussed herein.
