Sport EX "must learn first" ?

Keith
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:27 pm

Re: Sport EX "must learn first" ?

Post by Keith »

Ok, here is an update after flight testing. The Sport EX and Garmin 175 seem to play well together. I have flown about 5 hours now and done numerous approaches, holds, etc and it is doing fine. As Bob mentioned, the Garmin unit sends the flight plan over to the Sport EX as an external flight plan and it is displayed on the map page. It does not display the holding pattern on the Sport but it does display it on the Garmin. Flies the holds and course reversals just great. I am still learning how to use the system effectively but so far I am impressed. One thing that I discovered that I really like is the "missed" feature on the Sport EX. The Garmin will fly the missed approach with lateral guidance but not vertical. So when you go missed, if you didn't have the Sport Ex, you would have to establish a climb. When you hit "missed" on the Sport EX, it establishes a 500 fpm climb on runway heading until you hit the right lower button twice to establish your normal climb parameters up the the missed approach height that you loaded in earlier at the same time it is giving you lateral guidance. Lots of things I still need to learn about how to adapt to changes during the approach but it is just practice. I am still making procedural mistakes as I learn before I actually use it in IMC. Occasionally, I am wondering "why is it doing that" but then realize I forgot to do something. Like when I put the Sport in hdng mode while I adjusted the flight plan to a different airport and then wondered why it wasn't turning to my new destination. Duh-- need to put it back in GNAV mode. By the way, roll steering seems to work really well.

Today I was flying and my ADSB showed some traffic in the course reversal area that was not on the radio (or refused to talk) and I had to abandon the approach by turning off the AP and just hand flying to get out of the way. I then was able to just re engage the AP and came onto the approach from a different angle and it picked right up and continued the approach. This was in VFR conditions. If I had been working with center, they may have vectored me for collision avoidance but everything worked as it should.

Anyway for those considering this combination of a GRT unit and the Garmin 175, I think it is a really nice option.

Keith
Bobturner
Posts: 444
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:34 pm

Re: Sport EX "must learn first" ?

Post by Bobturner »

Here’s something else to practice: when you press ‘miss’ the navigation reverts to whatever you were using prior to the box locking onto the approach - often gps. But if there’s something else required for the miss, say, climbing turn to heading 300, climb to 4000’, you can pre-program this once the efis is locked onto the approach. Just go into the menu, select ‘heading’, select 300 as the heading bug setting, 4000’ as the altitude. When you hit ‘missed’ the efis will follow those instructions.
Keith
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:27 pm

Re: Sport EX "must learn first" ?

Post by Keith »

Thanks Bob, I will try that.
Post Reply