AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2015 - 85

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Help for learning avionics

Check online to see if the manufacturer has a downloadable simulator
for its avionics products. There may
also be online training, or even classroom training at the manufacturer's
headquarters or at flight schools.
Owner manuals often can be downloaded.
-AKM

choosing a major in college. Choices
include not only moving up, but moving down. Some of the biggest transition
problems in the past decade have occurred
when pilots of heavier aircraft move down
to the Light Sport aircraft category. The
tendency is to overcontrol, especially during landing. Other choices including a
move sideways to a similar aircraft, but
built by a different manufacturer. A final
choice is "avionics."
Quite often the attitude is one of overconfidence when addressing the transition
to avionics. Learn the basics of the new
avionics system first, and add bells and
whistles later. Just turning on an avionics system can result in a checklist twice
as long as that for an analog system. Don't
try to figure out the avionics system while
moving. Stop, enter the information, and
then move the aircraft.
The course tells a frightening tale of
the pilot of a Van's RV-10 aircraft who
asked his friend to be pilot in command
under instrument conditions. The aircraft crashed after several failed attempts
at making an instrument approach. The
aircraft should not be flown under instrument conditions until there has been time
to explore the avionics system in good
weather.
Read the airplane's pilot operating
handbook cover to cover, and then work
out a proficiency schedule so that practice
is periodically performed. When you think
you are ready, consider asking yourself the
ultimate question-and it's not, "Do you
feel lucky, punk?" The course instead suggests you consider whether you are ready
to fly with family members aboard. AOPA
EMAIL alton.marsh@aopa.org

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 85

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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2015