But Jean Luc-if Reality Xp ever does the UPS -now Garmin -or the new King Kmd-250-no manual will be needed at all!- ;-) :-jumpy :-)http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/Geofdog2.jpg

You can fly IFR with the Garmin.I still create IFR flightplans using the default planner. Since the plan won't be directly used by the aircraft, it's only purpose is for ATC to recognize that you want an IFR flight.If I plan on using airways, I remove all the enroute waypoints that don't refer to a significant change in heading. All I want are those that will keep me on the desired airways.I then load the aircraft and manually copy the flightplan from the Kneeboard into the 530. Since I've already simplified it this shouldn't be tedious.At this point anything goes. On the ground before taxi, I usually set the AP to FD, and activate the NAV and ALT/VS settings to guide me on departure. Enroute, the 530 provides navigation for the aircraft, while the IFR flightplan loaded from the default planner tells ATC where I plan on going. When cleared for Approach, I look at what Approaches ATC can give me and load my desired one into the 530.While sufficient documentation on the unit itself is available for free, I have to say that Flight1 didn't provide enough instructions on how to fully utilize it within the confines of FS.

The Garmin has a very steep learning curve .. and you must work the meridian tutorial a few times to understand. Purchasing the 530 UG from Garmin is probably cheaper than printing the freely downloadable version (sucks up lots of color !!!). Honestly you need to study all of the features ... menus, screens, and navigating from function to function.When I fly the Meridian or any of my A/C with the Garmin, I do a flight plan using MSFS or FSNav imported to MSFS .. print it out. Setting up the Garmin is easier than preflighting an FMS because you are dealing with routing rather than routing AND performance. Don't let the key sequences get you down ... practice (and a good mouse) makes perfect here.I have never used FS ATC on FS9 but do use RC3 on all my flights. I always file an IFR flight plan for use with RC3. So Like Jean-Luc I will give you my routine .. quick flight from say Burbank to SFO.1. Preflight .. enter the route into the Garmin ... KBUR . VTU ..MQO .. BSR ... KSFO. (you will set up the approach when you find out the active runway 60 miles prior to SFO.) Activate the plan. Review the plan. Set your Nav radio for the first VOR station.2. Set up the autopilot for your 1st cleared altitude, and the heading either for the r/w heading or whatever the clearance is.3. Take off ... fly the heading you are told ... I usually climb out manually until i get a nice climb .... in the Meridian, 125 kts, 12-1500 FPM using the FD for guidance. When stable, I activate the AP, HDG and V/S climb.4. Eventually you are vectored roughly onto your track. Cleared to higher altitudes ... When ATC tells you "resume own navigation" I press the DTO key .. usually my next waypoint is the one I am to fly direct ... so I accept the DTO, change from VLOC to GPS on the Garmin, and change from HDG to NAV on the AP ... voila . On course.5. At 50-60 miles out, you can call ATIS and get the landing RW. Press the PROC key and you will see all the runways for SFO ... choose what you are instructed to choose .. say 28L. Choose vectors. That is the key ... press enter to get through the questions. Make sure you keep your HDG in sych with the AP.6. eventually you will be handed over to approach .. who will vector you to 28L. When told to fly a specific heading, switch to HDG mode, VLOC on the GARMIN. Then press the PROC key and activate the approach ... you will see a nice extended center line to which ATC will direct you. Finish off the flight. RC3 gives me nice, localizer intercepts and plenti of time to slow and prep for the glideslope .. by this time you are done with the Garmin .. other then for an additional visual reference.That's it.Now I admit I struggled mightily with this .. but at this point feel that the Garmin is an incredible tool for GA flying. I have not used the VNAV guidance, since ATC usually directs my climbs and descents .. since my flights are usually IFR.The skills you need to learn from ghe Garmin manual are setting frequencies .. (or finding them in the nav or waypoint pages) entering, saving and retrieving flight plans; setting up and executing an approach ... ILS .. GPS, VOR, NDB are all explained for you with examples ... but it takes time.Once you feel comfortable with the GARMIN ... AND YOU WILL ... you will be very happy your took the time.Now .. just like cooking .. what I suggest is only one of many ways to use the garmin and fly the Meridian ... just my opinion.Best of luck .. again .. you will be most happy is you give the Meridian and Garmin a chance!!!!.

You've gotten a lot of great responses to your query. I'll add my own notes:- the GNS530 is a fully capable navigator even without its GPS section. All low and high enroute airways are based on VORs, not GPS waypoints, so you can always do your flight plan via airways and never touch the GPS part of the unit by using the NAV side of the 530. Just make sure the GPS/VOR switch is set to "VOR", both in the airplane and on the 530XP. If you have IFR enroute charts (highly recommended if you're trying to emulate IFR flight), they can tell you when to switch over from the frequency of the VOR you're moving away from to the one that you're going towards.- In terms of what you plan vs. what you are assigned - I would input the "high points" of my flight plan - VORs and/or intermediate waypoints (the latter if you plan to file "GPS Direct"). I would then expect (not hope 8^) ) ATC to give me something completely different - they may not, but it all depends on where you're flying (in terms of the complexity of the airspace you're in), how busy it is, and what routes are preferred by ATC and/or the computers that pilots input their flight plans on via DUATs or 1-800-WxBrief. (FS2004 is very predictable on this stuff -the real world is far more random!)- Upon takeoff, use HDG mode of the AP to fly your assigned initial vector(s), or fly it(them) manually. - Hopefully at some point ATC will say "resume own nav" at which point you can bring up your flight plan on the 530, select the next WP that you want to fly to based on where you're at, and do a "Direct To" operation (cursor mode on, twist the RH outer knob to select the WP, Enter, D->, Enter, Enter). This will bypass whatever you have in the flight plan prior to that WP, and then resume the flight plan from that point on.- Once you're in radio range (50nm?), listen to ATIS of your destination, and then Load (not Activate) an approach that corresponds to the active runway. (Depending on wx, FS may give you a visual approach but you can always request one of the available instrument approaches.) Loading an approach will append the set of waypoints corresponding to that approach to your flight plan, but the 530 will not switch to the first waypoint of the approach until you Activate it.- Select "Vectors to Final" unless you want (and request) the full procedure. (FS2004 will always vector you - somewhat imperfectly most of the time - to some point outside the FAF.) VTF means that the 530 will (once you activate the approach, which you would typically do when ATC clears you for the approach after vectoring you to some point outside the FAF) start the approach at the Final Approach Fix.Alternatively, if you selected a particular Initial Approach Fix and requested the corresponding "full procedure", Activate the approach when ATC clears you to that IAF. The 530 will vector you to the IAF and then the subsequent waypoints of the approach.If you're in doubt of what ATC is going to give you in terms of the approach (again, I don't think this will ever happen in FS2004), select VTF. As stated above, that will always start you at the FAF rather than at an IAF - this always works whether or not you're being vectored to (outside) the FAF, although of course you'll have to do your own navigation as ATC gives you directions to maneuver you to that point outside the FAF. In many cases, depending on where you're flying from w.r.t. the approach you've selected, ATC will have you fly a very big version of a traffic pattern - downwind, base, final. The "final" part will put you outside of the FAF at a point that will not require you to have to make major direction changes to become aligned with the final approach course.BTW the above description will not work with the default FS9 GPS500. Its approach algorithms are broken in more than one way.Dave Blevins

This would be a good addition to the fleet indeed!

Barry, You might consider buying the Piper Meridian flight movie.. it shows a real world pilot using the GPS and interacting with ATC, including getting amended instructions.. it is really worthwhile, just like going along in the cockpit for a real flight, complete with narrative.. check the RealityXP site for the download instructions (caution.. big file..)