I’m currently reading Garmin’s pilot guide for the g1000. Are there any other good resources or way to go about learning it? I see there are a few YouTube videos and there is a Max Trescott book as well.
I would recommend watching some YouTube videos. I came into this sim at launch knowing absolutely nothing about Garmins. Zero. I watched tutorials of people showing the MSFS Garmins.
There are so many great tutorial videos out there for them. Just don’t expect 5 minute videos. Most will be longer, as even for basic use, there’s a lot to cover. Watch it on one device while following along with the sim yourself. Through that and some trial and error, you quickly figure it out. And if you can use 1 Garmin unit, the rest are really easy to learn from that point forward.
It’s by looking further into it (the manuals) that I started realizing that there’s so much missing functionality in the sim’s implementation of the G1000. I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on them by any means, but I’m pretty sure I could jump into a real plane and be able to navigate and use a Garmin pretty effectively.
Yeah I have to try some videos. The manual is very dry but since I had no knowledge about g1000 or even flight planning or autopilot, it seems helpful. Has anyone read the Max Trescott book? Is it easier to get into than the operator’s guide?
Transitioned from steam gauge to glass and found P Gatcomb’s vids very helpful. Here’s one on the G1000 autopilot.
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I second this. P Gatacomb’s videos were basically the springboard that got me going and learning the G1000. There are a lot of other ones out there. Even older X-Plane tutorials will show you the basics. But P Gatacomb has some good content. I highly recommend it.
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Garmin has free trainer (Apple/PC) software for their navigators. I’m unsure if there’s a free trainer for G1000.
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I’m pretty sure I downloaded a G1000 trainer from their site not that long ago.
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It seems stores are selling the g1000 trainer. I can’t seem to find the download.
Also I see Garmin has a lot of flight deck instruments. If you learn the g1000 controls, are the others a natural progression from that? Like the g3000, etc.?
In my experience - which is limited to computer sims only - they are all very similar in operation.
Something I noticed in the videos. For an ILS approach, do you need to get the frequency from an external app? I noticed most people getting it from something like skyvector and inputting it into NAV1. Selecting a specific ILS approach in your flight plan doesn’t set anything?
Also if you don’t do an ILS landing and do it all by gps, does RNAV provide a glide slope or is that limited to ILS? Thanks.
Best source for navaids like ILS is “Little Navmap”. It’s free (but please donate if you like it).
So you have to look it up it externally? It’s not available in the g1000 database? Also how do RNAV landings differ from ILS landings? Sorry if I repeated myself. Thanks! I’m learning that the autopilot is not as simple as tuning it to GPS mode and allowing it to follow the flight plan. Seems like you have to intervene to do altitude changes and when you want an ILS approach.
Yes, you have to look it up. RNAV-procedures like STAR:s will take you to the approach. It ends where the ILS-approach takes over. Look at approach charts. Search for “ICAO-code charts”, e.g. “EHAM charts” for Schiphol Amsterdam. Study the charts and you will learn a lot.
- Tune the ILS on NAV1
- Follow the RNAV procedure with GPS
- When you have contact with the ILS (name shows at the frequency). Press CDI to “LOC” (localizer).
- At the altitude meter look for a green diamond. That’s the glideslope. You have to be under the glidslope to catch it.
- Press APR on G1000 and it will catch the glideslope.
What is the glideslope altitude height needed to intercept it? Thanks! Also general question about the auto pilot. Can I run the whole flight plan in auto pilot in GPS mode until I reach the destination airport and the LOC signal? Unless I have to make an altitude adjustment and perform a VS or FLC adjustment. Can it be mostly hands off?
You will find the altitude to intercept the glideslope in the charts. I would say about 2000-2500 feet above the airport height is normal. But you can try it out, if you see the green diamond above your current altitude you are OK.
You can use the autopilot all the way. Start with GPS, switch to LOC and then APR. Go to manual around 100 feet from the tarmac (if you like). If the ILS-apporach is programmed in the FPL, G1000 can switch to LOC automatically.
But even if you have the ILS programmed in the FPL, you still need to set the frequency on NAV1 when you get to the approach leg, right?
I have heard that the G1000 can set the frequency for you but I have not tried it. It’s also a lot funnier to do it yourself. You will feel satisfaction when you are on the ground.
All navaids are in Little Navmap. Get it now. It’s an excellent flight planner.
https://albar965.github.io/littlenavmap.html
If you have X-Plane, this comes with a nice manual for the G1000 (and other Garmins). Something I would have expected to be included with MSFS being geared towards beginners and learners.
Of course you may face some functions being (inop.) in MSFS - yet.
This seems to be rather hit or miss. I’ve had times where it’s switched it for me automatically by complete surprise. Other times, it doesn’t seem to work.
I’ve played around with this trying to get it to do it automatically, but it seems like it works randomly. I honestly don’t know if it’s something I’m doing wrong (a procedure I’m not following) or if it’s just buggy. It could completely be user error on my part. I’m definitely not ruling out that possibility.
Although I think that the best practice is that as soon as I get my ILS assigned to me, I crack open the charts in Navigraph, brief the approach plate, and configure my Garmin for approach. I don’t rely on the automatic switching.
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Also on another note, you can scroll through the G1000 and find the frequencies you need. They’re in the unit. I’m not at my home computer atm, so I can’t check out exactly how to find it. It’s in one of the pages under the airport information. You just scroll to the frequency, hit enter, and it gets input into your NAV 1.
It’s even easier to do on the G3000.