Menu Sign In Contact FAQ
Banner
Welcome to our forums

Glass cockpit vs steam gauges for low time PPL (and getting into a fast aircraft early on)

Neil wrote:

But Snoopy, this is life, different people have different opinions, whatever floats your boat.

Always eager to learn from opinions. I think I’m usually on the „higher side“ concerning speed. Next flight I’ll try it keeping vs-1,3 during approach, Vs over the threshold and touch down at lower speed.

always learning
LO__, Austria

Snoopy wrote:

Next flight I’ll try it keeping vs-1,3 during approach, Vs over the threshold and touch down at lower speed.

I would advise against that. You should have 1.3*Vs over the threshold and at least that during the approach.

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

Airborne_Again wrote:

I don’t understand why this is bad for the engine. Could you elaborate? And what’s wrong with “Lean Assist”?

The issue with lean assist is that it puts the engine at the worst place in terms of internal combustion pressures. I prefer just to fly with wide open throttle, lean of peak. Here, I set engine rpm of 2500 for altitudes up to 4000 feet, 2600 rpm at altitudes up to FL 65 and then 2700 rpm when higher. The fuel flow is then controlled to give me the performance I want – lean assist is not for use Lean of Peak which is why it’s a waste of space. Flying best power (according to lean assist) in the SR20, we can see around 148knots at just shy of 12 GPH, flying lean of peak I’m flying typically 138knots using 9.4GPH. So, ten litres per hour less fuel or 10 knots per hour faster? Flying lean of peak, the CHTs are lower, the internal combustion pressures are lower, the engine will thank you for that. Lean Assist is no good for Lean of Peak operations.

Oh, as a plus point for a Cirrus. When you buy a Cirrus – new or used – you will get up to 3 days transition training with a CSIP instructor free of charge in order to allow you to feel comfortable with your new steed. Cirrus pays this in order to make their products more attractive to pilots who hear about ‘how difficult the aircraft is’. As you’re new to flying, I’m sure you’d qualify to get 3 full days of instruction.

From my side, I love flying the Cirrus, it’s not hard to fly but some of the things I’ve learnt include:

- the sight picture on landing is different to PA28 or C172 because the dash is lower.
- you fly the aircraft to the runway with power, reduce to idle as you begin your flair.
- it is a dream to land on cross winds. The heavier wing loading means it’s less susceptible to being blown around.

EDL*, Germany

I have also never used the lean assist feature of the EDM700, regarding it as a gimmick. It is so easy to just set the MP, set the RPM, and lean for peak EGT. I always have the EDM set to the cylinder with the highest CHT which nowadays is #6.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Steve6443 wrote:

lean assist is not for use Lean of Peak which is why it’s a waste of space

(genuine question) why is that?

Steve6443 wrote:

The issue with lean assist is that it puts the engine at the worst place in terms of internal combustion pressures.

Lean assist doesn’t “put” the engine anywhere. It is a way of helping you find peak EGT. Where you choose to operate the engine relative to peak EGT is entirely up to the pilot.

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

SR22: Google Gordon Feingold LOP Procedure.

always learning
LO__, Austria

Gosh, what a nail-biting read! So, what did @Valentin actually buy in the end? Is he still flying? And what about the family members, do they enjoy flying (preferably with him), too? Update, @Valentin, pretty please!

Bordeaux

I bought a Cirrus SR22T (2016) with FIKI and everything. I think it was the right choice. With the invaluable help and mentoring of @Snoopy, I got to the point that I felt confident flying VFR alone over Europe in good weather. And this year in June, I passed my IR test (could be faster without Corona!). Now with about 430 hours TT, I’m looking for TBM 940 purchase with the intent of flying mostly with a safety pilot for at least half a year.
I have not done many flights with my family yet. Apart from a few local flights in Cyprus, we only flew Austria-Slovenia and back this summer (and my wife enjoyed it very much). First of all, I wanted to get to the point when performing the planned flight was very easy for me so that my wife felt it’s all safe and smooth. And then there were not many opportunities to fly together in mainland Europe. We could fly Cyprus-Greece, but I feel a bit uneasy about flying long distances over open sea in a single-engine piston with my family. Even with the excellent life-raft we have.

LCPH, Cyprus

What a pleasure it is to read of your amazing progress, and thanks for the update @Valentin. I look forward to hearing more!
I’m not sure if you actually did your initial PPL training in a glass cockpit environment? Perhaps not. I would always tell a student to go for the very best aircraft s/he can afford. Incidentally, and this is something to weigh up carefully, especially in a club context, those are the very aircraft which tend to have far better availability. Unfortunately, students still tell me they are advised not to go for glass cockpits or other “complicated” systems ab initio. I think that’s a pity.

Bordeaux
Sign in to add your message

Back to Top