Avidyne IFD training resources

[NJMac]

My instructor has basically said his biggest holdup now to signing me off for my IFR checkride is my IFD 440 proficiency for manipulating the flightplan enroute.

 

I watched this one twice

And played along on the simulator. It definitely helped a ton.

 

Any other good resources to learn the box better? Doing a mock checkride on Friday and would really like to earn his endorsement then.

 

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[carusoam]

What do you need to be proficient with to fly the box in IFR...

Everything in the panel is open for discussion and use... but realistically, the most important parts come first... the IR is more focused on safety of flight, not trying to wash out the student... 

1) loading and flying a flight plan...

2) scrubbed flight... load a completely different flight plan...

3) Changed flight... remove and add new waypoints...

4) Selecting an approach... add the IAP or a departure procedure...

5) Simulate the conditions going down for your first airport, and set up your alternate with its instrument approach...

5.1) Go missed... fly the missed procedure...

5.2) Set up to fly the whole procedure again...

5.3) Set up the next series of alternate and IAP...

6) Select a heading to fly... and fly it...

7) pick a way point and fly direct to it... enter a hold when you get there...

8) know what resources are being used... is it using VOR, ILS, or WAAS GPS

9) be familiar with RAIM and how it is being automatically detected, and how it alerts you when it doesn’t have the required RAIM...

10) Put a list together of all the failure types the CFII can put you through to develop all the plans B...

• VOR stopped broadcasting...
• ILS is out...
• GPS lost its RAIM
• Magically, the IFD lost its power supply.
• You are in the soup, you want to get on the ground safely before you run out of fuel... what are you going to use?

11) How much time do you have for the check ride?

12) distraction 101 (multi tasking)... connect some power to the plane, randomly pick waypoints and airports from your iPad... have CNBC playing on your iPhone... pay attention to the news broadcast while loading and unloading waypoints and flight plans...

13) distraction 102 (deep multi tasking)... select a stock symbol on the ticker... call it out each time it goes by...  while completing your tasks...

14) radio frequency selection... ground, tower, approach, departure, ASOS...

15) Expect an engine out emergency... Direct to the nearest... or get a list of the top ten nearest... the one you want may not be the top one listed... or the one ATC directs you to may not be closest, including the wind...

16) Complete all the steps that Tripp is describing, but do it in 15minutes...  

Let me know what I missed...

This is a completely unqualified list, from a PP that is not IFR current... not a CFII...

Best regards,

-a-

[EricJ]

Just playing with the simulator helped me a lot.   Carusoam's list is good stuff to practice.   Changing an approach in the middle of it, e.g., skipping a mandatory hold or skipping a waypoint, is good to know.   There can be some tricks to re-activating an approach after a change or after a missed approach, stuff like that.    Also get good at quickly setting a random hold, skipping waypoints in a route, changing a route on the fly, etc.

I have an IFD540 and love it, and most things are really easy to do if you remember how, but there's a lot to remember.

 

[Mooney in Oz]

Your best resource is your iPad simulator. Practice as much as you can by creating different flight plan and enroute scenarios over and over. It is a an invaluable training tool.

Good luck with your mock ride and assessment. Don’t forget to let us know how you go.

[NJMac]

1 hour ago, carusoam said:

What do you need to be proficient with to fly the box in IFR...

Everything in the panel is open for discussion and use... but realistically, the most important parts come first... the IR is more focused on safety of flight, not trying to wash out the student... 

 1) loading and flying a flight plan...

Proficient

2) scrubbed flight... load a completely different flight plan...

Proficient

3) Changed flight... remove and add new waypoints...

I think that is one of my main issues.  Example, flying a heads up IAP yesterday, I loaded the full ILS 24L into KDAY starting at the IAF.  The controller vectored me to the FAF and I didnt know what to do to make the box advance to that portion of the plan. 

4) Selecting an approach... add the IAP or a departure procedure...

proficient

5) Simulate the conditions going down for your first airport, and set up your alternate with its instrument approach...

Do you routinely load your alternate as part of your initial flight plan?  I figured that would be done on the spot if necessary. 

5.1) Go missed... fly the missed procedure...

I assumed that the missed was loaded once I activate the IAP... guess I should know more than just assuming. 

5.2) Set up to fly the whole procedure again...

Assuming from the hold I would reload the approach?

5.3) Set up the next series of alternate and IAP...

6) Select a heading to fly... and fly it...

proficient 

7) pick a way point and fly direct to it... enter a hold when you get there...

learned that last night, seems pretty easy

8) know what resources are being used... is it using VOR, ILS, or WAAS GPS

proficient

9) be familiar with RAIM and how it is being automatically detected, and how it alerts you when it doesn’t have the required RAIM...

probably could user a refresher

10) Put a list together of all the failure types the CFII can put you through to develop all the plans B...

• VOR stopped broadcasting...
• ILS is out...
• GPS lost its RAIM
• Magically, the IFD lost its power supply.
• You are in the soup, you want to get on the ground safely before you run out of fuel... what are you going to use?

good points to know

11) How much time do you have for the check ride?

I scheduled the DPE on July 15th at 10am.  Work is slow now, I could theoritcally fly every day if needed. 

12) distraction 101 (multi tasking)... connect some power to the plane, randomly pick waypoints and airports from your iPad... have CNBC playing on your iPhone... pay attention to the news broadcast while loading and unloading waypoints and flight plans...

13) distraction 102 (deep multi tasking)... select a stock symbol on the ticker... call it out each time it goes by...  while completing your tasks...

14) radio frequency selection... ground, tower, approach, departure, ASOS...

15) Complete all the steps that Tripp is describing, but do it in 15minutes...  

Let me know what I missed...

This is a completely unqualified list, from a PP that is not IFR current... not a CFII...

Best regards,

-a-

Love your feedback, thank you for helping with that list

[NJMac]

53 minutes ago, EricJ said:

Just playing with the simulator helped me a lot.   Carusoam's list is good stuff to practice.   Changing an approach in the middle of it, e.g., skipping a mandatory hold or skipping a waypoint, is good to know.   There can be some tricks to re-activating an approach after a change or after a missed approach, stuff like that.    Also get good at quickly setting a random hold, skipping waypoints in a route, changing a route on the fly, etc.

I have an IFD540 and love it, and most things are really easy to do if you remember how, but there's a lot to remember.

 

Skipping waypoints seems to be an issue for me.  Looks like I just need to click on the waypoint in the flight plan listing?   I almost never spent any time on the FMS, can tell that needs to change yesterday. 

[NJMac]

Just found this video. Pretty slick.

https://pilotsupport.avidyne.com/kb/article/316-connecting-avidyne-ifd-trainer-ifd100-on-ipads/

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[carusoam]

NJ,

I updated the list above and added one...

Based sort of on recent events...

15) Expect an engine out emergency... Direct to the nearest... or get a list of the top ten nearest... the one you want may not be the top one listed... or the one ATC directs you to may not be closest, including the wind...

XX) for ultimate knowledge of your WAAS box... be able to program a waypoint in... There will be a couple of examples of holding on a radial, X nm from the VOR, Southeast or something like that...

I have an aged KLN90B... the challenges are amazingly the same... the button pushing and knob twisting is all different... 

Best regards,

-a-

[kortopates]

The list is a good start but know how to not just load an IAP, but select a transition other than VTF and then go direct to an IF between the transition fix and the FAF.
Know how activate the missed apprch or not if circling.
Know how to use OBS mode in GPS mode to fly a hold manually.
Know what the different scales of full scale CDI deflection are for Terminal, Enroute and Approach and when they change.
....
There is lot more to it than following the magenta line after you have your flight plan entered. Lol's


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[carusoam]

@NJMac

If you stop in, Paul K. Gave some additional details that are important to not become a child of the magenta line....  ^^^^

Best regards,

-a-

[NJMac]

Good stuff y'all. I see many hours of ifd simulator in my future. Appreciate this list.

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[Oldguy]

You might try pilotsafety.org. They have videos on Avidyne IFD training and I believe I recall him being an Avidyne trainer for the company itself.  

[kortopates]

You might try pilotsafety.org. They have videos on Avidyne IFD training and I believe I recall him being an Avidyne trainer for the company itself.  

You mean Garey Reeves.



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[Oldguy]

1 minute ago, kortopates said:

You mean Garey Reeves.

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Yes! Thanks. The name escaped me. 

[NJMac]

You might try pilotsafety.org. They have videos on Avidyne IFD training and I believe I recall him being an Avidyne trainer for the company itself.  

I checked out his site now and it jogged my memory from when I first got this GPS.

 

Maybe it's me or my generation at large (sorry, I'm a millennial) but I can't stand people selling these $xxx videos. Either he wants people to become safer so he'll put the content out there free or he's wanting paid, in which case I believe avidyne should be the one who pays / sponsors his content. It's 2019. Any MFG still supplying paper instructions for their interactive product has missed the boat.

 

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[gsxrpilot]

Everyone's entitled to start and run a business. For Gary, this is one of the ways he makes his living. He's not an Avidyne employee. This is no different than a CFI charging for his services as I see it. I didn't have any problem using the UserGuides Avidyne includes with the product. I thought they were very clear, easy to use, and comprehensive. But then as an old guy, I'm familiar with reading books. If you need it in video format, then Gary has built a nice business, providing that. But you're gonna pay for it.

Of course lots of content if offered "free" on Youtube. But without a sufficiently large audience for IFD training videos, they wouldn't generate the ad revenue that other content providers earn. 

Personally I'd rather pay for content I can really use, rather than deal with ads, and all the scraping of personal data that goes along with "free" content. 

If you're paying for something, you're a customer. If you're getting something for free, you're the product. I'd rather not be the product for Google to sell to other companies.

[Oldguy]

You might try looking at his site and trying his "Getting Started......" video, which is free. Unlike some of the other free videos on the 'net, it is an hour of instruction. The "mastery" videos, which are not free, are about 3 1/2 hours long.

He also puts out videos on newly released features for the IFD series for free. His latest is on 10.2.3.

[DualRatedFlyer]

I hate paying for stuff. Wouldn't pay for 100LL if I didn't have to. I heard Gary speak at osh and I think he is well worth the money. He is a wealth of knowledge

[NJMac]

Guess this may be a situation where being cheap doesnt pay

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[Oldguy]

3 minutes ago, NJMac said:

Guess this may be a situation where being cheap doesnt pay

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Cost of equipment vs. cost of training to be able to use it properly.

There is a good ROI in training.

[NJMac]

Passed my IFR checkride on Monday and I REALLY like the FMS portion of the IFD box.  Knowing how to use it well now, not sure I could ever go to something else.  Thanks for all the pointers here y'alls. 

[Mooney in Oz]

1 hour ago, NJMac said:

Passed my IFR checkride on Monday and I REALLY like the FMS portion of the IFD box.  Knowing how to use it well now, not sure I could ever go to something else.  Thanks for all the pointers here y'alls. 

Congrats and well done!

The IFD's are such a great box. The intuitive features makes IFR flying and approaches so easy to conduct.

[Supercop0184]

So here’s my issue - VOR / DME RWY 17 approach into F00 airport using ATTER as my IAF. Coming from the SW. use ATTER, do HILPT - come back inbound - 440 automatically switches to VLOC DURING inbound turn. Fly the approach to missed - MAN SEQ Reqd - I’m assuming due to the “climb 2400 then right turn to ATTER via BYP 022 radial and hold” make it into the hold — THIS is where it gets sketchy. Once in the hold - there is no way it seems to re activate the approach without it wanting to do a weird re entry and then another HILPT - there has to be a way to re activate the approach once in the hold - also - what about, while holding - you want to activate a flight plan and approach to your alternate? How would these things best be done?

 

instrument check ride in a month and a half. Wanna be confident in these areas!

 

thanks!

!

[gsxrpilot]

1 hour ago, Supercop0184 said:

So here’s my issue - VOR / DME RWY 17 approach into F00 airport using ATTER as my IAF. Coming from the SW. use ATTER, do HILPT - come back inbound - 440 automatically switches to VLOC DURING inbound turn. Fly the approach to missed - MAN SEQ Reqd - I’m assuming due to the “climb 2400 then right turn to ATTER via BYP 022 radial and hold” make it into the hold — THIS is where it gets sketchy. Once in the hold - there is no way it seems to re activate the approach without it wanting to do a weird re entry and then another HILPT - there has to be a way to re activate the approach once in the hold - also - what about, while holding - you want to activate a flight plan and approach to your alternate? How would these things best be done?

I assume you're established in the Hold and now want to go back and attempt the Approach a second time? I would scroll up through the flight plan and select the Fix you'd like to start the approach from. Hit Direct to that Fix. You should be able to then activate the approach and have it fly the approach from that fix.

[Supercop0184]

4 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

I assume you're established in the Hold and now want to go back and attempt the Approach a second time? I would scroll up through the flight plan and select the Fix you'd like to start the approach from. Hit Direct to that Fix. You should be able to then activate the approach and have it fly the approach from that fix.

Yes, you’re exactly right. We actually figured that out, but what I found was by doing that, it would not automatically switch over from GPS to VLOC like it did the first time while making the inbound turn on the procedure turn. However, once you select exit to hold an approach that fix, go in and activate the final leg, it flew correctly down and even went into the missed - Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing a better way of doing itJust wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing a better way of doing it