There are two great reasons to consider using the GoalPageSet Garmin 430 GPS Training Manual, one pragmatic and one idealistic.
On October 1st, 2004 new Practical Test Standards went into effect for the Instrument Rating. Page 8 hits on one of the most important changes If the practical test is conducted in the aircraft, and the aircraft has an operable and properly installed GPS, the applicant must demonstrate GPS approach proficiency when asked.
With more than 30,000 units operable and properly installed in the field, very often that will mean tangling with a Garmin 430. Pragmatically, for Designated Pilot Examiners, prospective Instrument Pilots and CFIIs, this means you'll need to brush up on your Garmin-ese.
On the other hand: Ideally -- with a device as powerful and reliable as the 430 -- you'd be a whiz, popping in new waypoints as you're redirected by ATC, snapping through menus so you've always got the right approach procedures on hand, maybe even jumping into the fuel planning and E6B functions when needed.
Widely quoted statistics, however, say that the average pilot utilizes only 25% of the capabilities of these paradigm-shifting powerhouses. Taking the manual or even an emulator head-on can be intimidating and time-consuming, with little chance of full understanding and even longer odds of retaining what you've learned.
The training team at GoalPageSet, Ltd. has stepped in, creating a new methodology for GPS instruction that is comprehensive without overwhelming, creating the opportunity for motivated users to pass through mere proficiency, to GPS excellence. Their See and Do methodology simplifies each of the GNS 430 functions into three basic questions:
- What goal do you wish to accomplish?
- What page or pages are necessary to accomplish your goal?
- In what order do you set the groups, pages, keys and knobs?
The Training Manual presents these three questions in a Cockpit Checklist format, which is organized into the typical phases of flight.
The 'See and Do' methodology divides each Garmin function into action icons and pictorial cues of the relevant groups, pages, keys and knobs. The action icons and pictorial cues are then followed by the actual textual description of the function.
