Dials or Glass? Your Preference?

[Heavy Set]

Wow - this thread has returned... I have not flown glass but I have jumpsat in aircraft with it. I'm impressed but I still wonder if it leads to a deterioration in piloting skills - people just seem less atuned to their surroundings - kinda aloof. That's just my impression but I could be wrong.

I am especially impressed with those new microjets (Eclipse, Cessna Mustang, Adam A700). Have you seen the updated glass on those aircraft? And the owners/pilots will have probably 1,000 hours total.... Should be interesting around the pattern.

 

[jimcav]

It drives me nuts flyin with pilots who refuse to click off the magic once in a while and fly it like a real airplane. Clear and a million going in to ROC or GPT and these guys are doing the visual app. on the FCP till about 500 AGL. I thought we got into this game because we like to fly. Anyhow glass is great for situational awareness, and for low vis you can't beat autoland technology in glass airplanes.However when I get the visual on my leg it's autopilot, autothrottles, and flight director off. I still take pride in being a pliot not just a button pusher.

 

[Juvat]

It depends...

...is the glass half empty, or is it half full?

 

[RJP]

If the 777 had steam guages would you hand fly it more often?

Oooh, good point. Glass has nothing to do with using the AP.

 

[Airpiraterob]

wait till you fly glass in good turbulence at night, it gets all blury and the speed/altitude tapes are runnign up and down all the time......id prefer all steam gauges in those conditions, otherwise i likem glass. i dotn find it encouraging complacencey at all. i was complacent to begin with so theres no effect here nah really its still got your basic six, just compacted and in one small screen so youre still scanning if youre hand flying, just not moving your eyes as far.....and youre still getting the same radiation youd get at home from your CRT computer screen.

 

[mach none]

I prefer glass, but which ever one pays the best. I vote for a super cub with no gauges!

 

[AK737FO]

Boiler Room

Steam power baby! I'll take the round dials any day.

By the time I hang up my hat, the 700 will be considered old technology. I'm enjoying the heck out of flying the old stuff now, because it won't be around much longer (2007 supposedly for the 200).

It is alwys fun to have one of our SEA or LAX guy in the jump seat. You hear them say things like, "how do you do an arc without a map?" or "how do you do that without your noodle on the purple line?" Ummmm, I use the RMI and I know where I'm at in my head... Now if i could only figure out a way to fly the 200 and get PV layovers in Feb life would be perfect!

I have flown glass and the 700 rocks for situational awareness, but there is no doubt that after a few years of all glass, a guys basic skills will be hurting. Some of my SEA friends crack me up when they say they fly the 700 without the autopilot. Their idea of "flying it" consists of turning off the flight director for a visual. I have heard from instructors that the #1 maneuver in SEA that needs "extra" training in recurrent is the visual approach. This is sad, but it is a bi-product of glass.

 

[On Your Six]

I heard someone say that glass is like early retirement.... I tend to agree with that but I am sure that flying skills are deteriorating considerably. But you just can't have the same situational awareness without the glass. Pretty soon we will all be outsourced to the robots anyway...

 

[ILStoMinimums]

I'm on round dials now in the Twotter. But, believe it or not, we are getting all glass panels very shortly. Suppossedly the only dials left will be the engine gauges. Wonder how thats going to affect the guys flying it?

 

[StopNTSing]

Some of my SEA friends crack me up when they say they fly the 700 without the autopilot. Their idea of "flying it" consists of turning off the flight director for a visual. I have heard from instructors that the #1 maneuver in SEA that needs "extra" training in recurrent is the visual approach. This is sad, but it is a bi-product of glass.

Wow. That's the most telling evidence I've heard yet that Airmanship is indeed a dying craft.