IFD 5 Series & IFD 4 Series Touch Screen GPS/NAV/COM

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Show me the way to go home

Printed From: Avidyne
Category: Avidyne General
Forum Name: IFD 5 Series & IFD 4 Series Touch Screen GPS/NAV/COM
Forum Description: Topics on Avidyne's IFD 5 Series and IFD 4 Series Touch Screen GPS/NAV/COM
URL: http://forums.avidyne.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=340
Printed Date: 01 May 2024 at 7:59pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Show me the way to go home

Posted By: Paul
Subject: Show me the way to go home
Date Posted: 31 Dec 2013 at 10:37pm

The most common thing the GPS in our plane is used for is "VFR Direct to home airport".

With our old KLN 89B this is done by tapping the direct to button, then turning and pushing the knob to enter the home airport, and then pressing enter.

On the other hand, with my Car GPS I press Navigate, Home, Done. Or to go to the airport, Navigate, Favorites, the home airport, and Done.

What is the most efficient way to do this with the IFD 540?

There is a restricted area near the home airport. Is there a way to say "Take us home but don't fly through the restricted area?

Replies:

Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2014 at 6:23pm

If home is anywhere in your flight plan, press the Direct To function key then twist the bottom right IFD knob as required to whip up/down the flight plan list. As you whip up/down the list, each waypoint gets immediately populated in the Direct To dialog box. When the desired point is in that box, press Enter. You could also type in the waypoint identifier via the virtual keyboard.

If home is not part of your flight plan, press Direct To function key then touch the Direct To dialog box or push in right IFD knob to start a virtual keyboard.

But those are all Direct-To's so there is no feature in the IFD540 that is Direct-To-Except-Don't-Take-Me-Through-Restricted-Airspace. You will get a CAS alert that restricted airspace is coming up but the system won't auto-navigate you around the restricted area yet. I say yet because that is a deferred feature that is a candidate for future releases.

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Steve Jacobson
sjacobson@avidyne.com

Posted By: FORANE
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2014 at 8:43pm

So do the IFD's have "recently used" or "favorites"?

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Lancair 235/320
RV-9A

Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 02 Jan 2014 at 8:40am

Can you clarify? Recently used or favorite what?

Routes? Yes.

Flight Plans? Yes.

User Waypoints? Yes.

Frequencies? Yes but they get flushed at each power cycle.

Something else?

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Steve Jacobson
sjacobson@avidyne.com

Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 02 Jan 2014 at 2:28pm

The case I'm thinking of is the "$100 hamburger". We fly to an airport, eat lunch, and fly home. The flights are always VFR in good weather.

After eating lunch the pilot programs the GPS to take us home. There is no flight plan at this point.

The home airport is recently used, probably at the end of the previous flight. So that might be the quickest way to set it as the destination.

Posted By: MysticCobra
Date Posted: 02 Jan 2014 at 3:57pm

Per pp. 1-22 - 1-23 of the manual:

Press "Direct-to", touch the waypoint field to get a keyboard, tap in the 4 letter airport ID, and enter. Seven finger taps.

Maybe less, since: "It may not be necessary to fill in all letters of the waypoint name since they will auto-fill."

How many taps would a "recently used" list actually save? Since the system is "smart" about suggesting airports / navaids / waypoints as you are entering them, it might actually take more taps to bring up a list and scroll through it.

Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2014 at 7:52am

You're right - except that the home airport starts with a number so it is only six taps max. That's a whole lot better than twisting the knob on the KLN 89B.

We can probably avoid the restricted area by rubber-banding the magenta line. That's another thing we can't do with the KLN 89B since it doesn't have magenta (or any color except red) and it doesn't have a touch screen.