Modern avionics in bush planes : Overkill?

[LHookins 3,104]

2 hours ago, AirWayMan said:

Ok... I have a problem.  Is that a screen shot from MSFS or a photo from real life? 😄 

I think if the MSFS XCub had that cockpit I'd be flying it more.

Hook

[EzRyder 35]

its a RL photo straight form the rl aircraft manufacturers website, yea i wish they had used those as well but the xCub does also have the exact setup they use in msfs as an upgrade (also shown on the website) so its still 'true to life'

Edited August 4, 2020 by AirWayMan

[LHookins 3,104]

6 minutes ago, AirWayMan said:

its a RL photo straight form the rl aircraft manufacturers website,

Thanks.  Seriously, on first glance I thought it was a screen shot from the sim, with the ultra clean cockpit and the grass on the left and the general ambiance.  It was only after I noticed it was an XCub but didn't have a glass cockpit that I realized it wasn't MSFS.

After studying the pic closely, I think the only thing that would give it away is the water, which looks slightly different from MSFS.

Hook

[Andreas Stangenes 1,628]

2 hours ago, AirWayMan said:

for commercial flight that is true, it gives more data and is cheaper/lighter to produce so for certain coperate entities will push them as great
if you go to real bush country Most pilots use analog because you can read them much better at first glance - i doubt that will change any time soon

sure some bush pilots use and like them, but most still want at least a secondary thats analog

light sport aircraft are struck by accidents most often. Maybe moving on to glass cockpits that helps them with terrain and traffic awareness would be helpful. 

[Chock 17,769]

14 minutes ago, LHookins said:

 

After studying the pic closely, I think the only thing that would give it away is the water, which looks slightly different from MSFS.

Hook

It's a composite of two pics for illustative purposes of the product, so it's easy to think it could be a sim screenshot, but then again that's quite a compliment to MS that we might be fooled even for a moment.

If you look at the lighting on the distant trees, it doesn't match the lighting direction or the lighting levels in the cockpit. Then there's the fact that the GPS screen map would most likely be displaying the fact that there's a lake in front of the aeroplane too if it was really there...

[EzRyder 35]

9 minutes ago, Andreas Stangenes said:

light sport aircraft are struck by accidents most often. Maybe moving on to glass cockpits that helps them with terrain and traffic awareness would be helpful. 

where do you get that information? we here about a lot of them but moslty thats because of mass communication abilites - the number of accidents have actually gone down the last few years and there is afaik no evidence to suggest it was an instrument issue one way or the other - but hey i will admit its possible, although for me (extremely used to analog) it would likely be the glass panel that causes an issue, i simply cant read it as fast
https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/the-light-sport-safety-record/

Edited August 4, 2020 by AirWayMan

[Andreas Stangenes 1,628]

I've seen it on avweb and also on some air safety institute films on youtube. It's not a topic i know a lot about, I must admit. I would just guess that combating cfit, fatigue related accidents etc, that there is only so much you can do to improve the general safety with old gagues. If pilot errors is constant risk, then it makes sense to improve the other parts of the cockpit to help allieviate the risks ie by displaying the terrain on the glass cockpit. 

[EzRyder 35]

gotcha, and i agree, thats why most bush pilots do have a glass panel as second if they can
in addition as i stated more ppl use bush aircraft for more than 'just' bush flying so then the panels can certainly be usefull there as well
for me however i will always want main analog guages, just my preference because im so used to them - newer pilots dont have that pre determined "familiarty" so they might be better off starting with the panels i can presume

Edited August 4, 2020 by AirWayMan

[odourboy 1,290]

40 minutes ago, LHookins said:

Thanks.  Seriously, on first glance I thought it was a screen shot from the sim, with the ultra clean cockpit and the grass on the left and the general ambiance.  It was only after I noticed it was an XCub but didn't have a glass cockpit that I realized it wasn't MSFS.

After studying the pic closely, I think the only thing that would give it away is the water, which looks slightly different from MSFS.

Hook

Friggin' awesome that you had to ask!!

[snglecoil 1,828]

I learned on a traditional six pack before the proliferation of GPS in the general aviation cockpit. After 3 vacuum driven instrument failures and one complete vacuum pump failure in the past 12 months (thankfully in VMC) I'm about done with my love affair with steam gauges. 

[bonchie 2,305]

2 hours ago, AirWayMan said:

its also the default guages for the xCub, sure you can add upgrade options as with any aircraft, but thats what they sell as default, that pic is straight form CubCrafters
basic is usually what bush pilots want and go for, there are many that do like and use panels - nothing wrong with that - now a days people tend to 'bush fly' more for sport than in the past
bush flying by nature is "basic VFR"

It's also cheaper for your average working bush pilot in Alaska to keep a six or four pack going than to install a G3X or similar. But your average guy who's bush flying for sport these days (i.e. most of the guys you see on Youtube) are going more and more glass as time passes. It's easier to maintain and more functional in the long haul. 

A tricked out xCub is going to have glass and what everyone needs to understand about MSFS is that all these planes come via partnerships. Those partners want to show off the latest, greatest, top of the line stuff. That's why all the Beechcrafts are all glass. The Diamonds are all glass, etc. 

Their involvement is all about advertising. Cessna allowing the 152 analog is the exception, but they still have their all glass offerings as well. 

People want to know why we didn't get a 737 Max? Because Boeing doesn't want the bad PR right now. 

Edited August 4, 2020 by bonchie

[bonchie 2,305]

1 hour ago, AirWayMan said:

where do you get that information? we here about a lot of them but moslty thats because of mass communication abilites - the number of accidents have actually gone down the last few years and there is afaik no evidence to suggest it was an instrument issue one way or the other - but hey i will admit its possible, although for me (extremely used to analog) it would likely be the glass panel that causes an issue, i simply cant read it as fast
https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/the-light-sport-safety-record/

Alaska has a fatality rate 7x higher for GA than the rest of the US. 

There's definitely a lot of unsafe flying going on up there in bush country. Technology that can help with terrain and weather avoidance can only help those numbers. I don't know anyone who can't control their plane with glass just as effectively as analog.

I've heard all the excuses though and some will die hard. 

Edited August 4, 2020 by bonchie

[bonchie 2,305]

43 minutes ago, snglecoil said:

I learned on a traditional six pack before the proliferation of GPS in the general aviation cockpit. After 3 vacuum driven instrument failures and one complete vacuum pump failure in the past 12 months (thankfully in VMC) I'm about done with my love affair with steam gauges. 

This. I've never had it happen in IMC, but I have had three vacuum failures as well in three different aircraft and give me glass all day long for IFR. 

VFR? Meh, whatever. 

[ThomseN_inc 1,128]

2 hours ago, aleex said:

As @Chock has said, a screen fault and you are scr*wed.  

Not to mention all the other types of faults that can occur using steam gauges...but hey!

[EzRyder 35]

uhh ok i would certainly believe that in Alaska ga flight is MUCH HARDER with bad weather and cold temps and even more magnetic anomaly for being so close to the pole, literally the worst flight conditions you can imagine so of course they get more crashes for petes sake
w/e mate, im not trying to 'convince' you or argue which is better - use w/e you want and i will do the same
have a great day

Edited August 4, 2020 by AirWayMan