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Garmnin G500 Magenta Diamond

Dave Piehler

By Dave Piehler
in Avionics/Panel Discussion

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Dave Piehler Enthusiast

Dave Piehler

Posted
Posted

I did an IPC this week with a much younger, much smarter pilot than am I.  He taught me something awesome about the G500 that isn't exactly well explained (or explained at all) in the Garmin G500 Pilot's Guide (through Rev H, in 2015).  In all the busy-ness of the PFD HSI display there's this magenta diamond that hangs round the top of the HSI, more of less.  It's the Current Track Indicator, according to Garmin's terminology (pp. 2-19 and 2-21 of the Pilot's Guide are the only places it is referenced).  Okay, so it shows your current track.  What a powerful bit of info to have on that HSI,  It allows you to immediately understand wind corrections and course intercepts.  If the diamond is dead nuts on the desired course and stays there, then your wind correction is perfect and you're right on the beam.  If it's off to one side or the other you have a direct indication of your intercept angle if you're approaching the course, or your deviation angle if you're going away from it.  Want to set up an intercept?  Choose a heading and see where the Current Track indicator stabilizes and you know exactly what your intercept angle is.  Integrating this little tidbit of information into your scan makes checking your work oh so easy.

Maybe I'm the last guy in the planet to understand this, or maybe not.  For those of you who were clueless as I was, this is a useful indicator.

Dave Piehler

  • Like 1
carusoam Grand Master

carusoam

Posted
Posted

David,

That is a great explanation for how the technology works, and what is involved...!

I am always amazed by how my KAP150 does the magic behind the scenes without displaying the math that it is going through.

It is better to know what these boxes are actually doing.  Bracketing a course without the associated trial and error over time...:)

You didn't by chance get a pic you can post?

Best regards,

-a-

  • Like 1
ArtVandelay Grand Master

ArtVandelay

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, thinwing said:

Also..when upgraded to synthetic vision,,that magenta diamond becomes a green ball with wings..a velocity vector indicator...very useful on approach in imc

Do you have a picture of this?

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