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Dynon ?Legacy? (D-Series) EFIS Survival Tips

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
A famously skilled RV pilot has just asked to borrow your airplane. There are no issues with insurance, and you have no reservations whatsoever about giving him the controls. Yet, you are slightly worried because ? alas ? he has never operated the type of Glass Cockpit equipment you have installed. Afraid that he might run in to one of those little ?traps? that all complex software systems exhibit to the uninitiated, you take a few moments to brief him on the top ten ?tricks? you have learned that make flying with your personal EFIS easy and stress-free. We all learn short-cuts and signatures that help us more than the structured manuals ever could - now it is time to share those tips with the rest of the world!

If you have more than a few hours behind the Dynon EFIS, how about listing a few of the items you?d share with the finest pilot you?ve ever met if he (or she) was going to fly your plane.

Paul
 
Just keep pushing buttons

Since there are no labels, just start by pushing any button. Then, look at the option labels at the bottom of the screen.

The outside two buttons change the screens. Keep pushing until you find the screen setup you want.

If you want to go to the previous screen, hit the outside button on the opposite side from the one that brought you there.

Interior buttons lead to sub-menus. Mine down until you find what you want.
 
D-10A

I'd show the pilot how to set the barometer, and that's about it. As Louise stated, he could have figured that out on his own. Everything else needed to complete the flight is already displayed. If he wanted to see the HSI, the simple button push (outside right) to switch between EFIS and HSI could be demonstrated.

These aren't tricks, they are in the manual. The D10-A is a very straightforward device.....probably why it is so popular.
 
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On a D 180

Don't hit any buttons after the master is turned off and the unit will go to back up battery , then power off on its own . If you touch anything during that power down time it will just remain on until the internal battery is depleted. Assuming you have the " excellent " shut down feature activated.
 
I had this same thing happend last weekend. I purchased a D10 for my RV-4 in 2006. I installed it and flew it in that plane for years until I upgraded to G3X. Similar situation, but not the same. Well... I sold the Dynon to my partner, he used it in an RV-6A, then did a simlar upgrade and sold it back to me to upgrade the steam attitude/dg in an RV-6 repair project.

So I'm flying both right now and of course steam in anything else (mostly 172). Showing the plane, I had the buyer asked how to use it.

I gave him an overview of the layout... went around the visible display showing what each section meant. It will help to fly any flight simulator as they all have an airplane with glass. My Dynon also has the AoA so I also had to explain what that is, how it works and how to fly using it safely. And finally I showed him how to set the baro. The rest you can discover with the manual or just clicking around (it's quite simple).

Now the G3X... different story. Two redundant screens that work together to integrated engine monitoring, fuel system, autopilot, transponder, transmitter, navigation as well as basic flight. There's a nautical s-ton, of not always intuitive, menus to learn there. I don't think I'd just let a steam guy lose on a G3X if they weren't at least minimally trained on the ground.

The older D10 is trivial, learn the new symbology and fly the plane.

Did that help?
 
If you have more than a few hours behind the Dynon EFIS, how about listing a few of the items you’d share with the finest pilot you’ve ever met if he (or she) was going to fly your plane. Paul
Appreciate your respect for this pilot and letting them fly your plane. One word "TRAINING". If a pilot is a superior airman, explaining this issue and asking them read manuals and do ground training to learn all the functions, is the least you should do. I would fly with them at least once to make sure they are comfortable.

You are wise to not let anyone fly your glass panel who has no experience with that system.... or glass in general. The old steam gauge days, with a couple of King NAV/COMS was a simple time. As a CFI I flew from a of about 30 planes. They were all similar and yet different. Then GPS started showing up and I had to learn how to use those. Now that glass has shown up in GA if you are not familiar with that system you need training (even if FAR's are not strict about this). Today GA, Business, Airliner... it may take days or weeks of ground school, simulator, line checks in order to master the buttons and displays of new glass.... .

If they are going to fly IFR, if that were in play, a complete proficiency check would be needed IMHO.
 
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