Opinion on automation/glass cockpit

[JAFI]

It seems ridiculous that pilot with 10,000 hours cannot shoot an ILS but then again once you do something long enough its second nature and he has obviously become accustomed to coupled approaches.

When you do the same thing for 10,000 hours using one way you may find how diffulcult it is to do another way. As you age your brain becomes "hard wired" to specific pathways and "new" ways of doing things become harder. It can be so hard as to make it impossible. My favorate quote from a Captain going from round gauges to a full EFIS aircraft: "I now know what a dog is thinking as he stares at a TV set, I have no Idea what this thing is....." Most can make the transition but some can not. I knew a pilot who had 10,000 hours in a Twin Otter. When his company went to the Beech 1900 he was unable to handle the speed difference. He retired shortly after.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

I get so frustrated teaching the Cirrus because folks just can't take their eyes off those big, fancy displays. It's a problem with low-time and high-time pilots alike, they just spend too much head down time in the airplane.

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Can you put 'post it' notes over the "guages"?

In a faster jet, one HAS to look inside allot. So much is happening so fast, and there is so much information that looking outside too long can be hazardous! Even on VMC approaches.. one has to see the trends...

As far as learning on steam guages or glass... do we teach/learn navigation with sextants!?

 

[woutlaw]

Can you put 'post it' notes over the "guages"?

In a faster jet, one HAS to look inside allot. So much is happening so fast, and there is so much information that looking outside too long can be hazardous! Even on VMC approaches.. one has to see the trends...

As far as learning on steam guages or glass... do we teach/learn navigation with sextants!?

I totally hear you.

Yeah, I usually cover up the PFD with a sheet of paper when we're doing steep turns and my guy is looking inside. I'll do it on landings too if they're having trouble getting the sight picture down. If they're looking inside constantly I fail the PFD and let 'em fly it on the backup gauges and that lovely big window out front.

Running them through the commercial maneuvers is great as well. There's no good way to fly a lazy eight or Chandelle looking inside.

If we're doing instrument stuff, no problem, 2.5 degrees of nose-up pitch and hold on the PFD gets you a level steep turn, but for basic airwork it's easy enough to fly a Cirrus properly looking outside.

I totally get the need to look inside, but unless you're IMC those eyes need to be outside 90-95% of the time. Sadly, they're eyes inside fiddling with something 90-95% of the time.

I had one guy break out his laptop in cruise and start looking at e-mail. WTF?

It's like watching a kid in front of a television, they just can't take their eyes off the display and look outside for what's going to hurt 'em.

In some respects the Cirrus is a little more "jet like" than "piston like" given how we teach it: Standard profiles and procedures, much closer attention to airspeeds, power settings and pitch attitudes along with a large reliance on automation. But in the end, it's still just a piston single and there's no reason to be looking inside 95% of the time.