June 2012
If you think synthetic vision is a gimmick, or one of those nice-to-have features that’s not worth the money, you don’t understand the technology.
To be honest, I too was skeptical about the value of syn vision at first. But I get to fly a lot of different aircraft and have had the opportunity to use several different synthetic vision systems.
My initial reaction was yes, it’s nice, but is it better?
That answer came to me while giving instruction to a long-time student who had upgraded his aircraft to glass with synthetic vision. I already knew from personal experience that glass panel students were getting their instrument ratings in less time than steam gauge students; I attributed this to vastly superior information interface that the glass displays provide. Instead of having to look at six instruments, you could find everything you need on one.
Since we were going out to shoot approaches as part of recurrent training, I decided to run a test. We flew the same approaches with and without the syn vision turned on. To my surprise, my student was observably more precise while using the syn vision than without it. It became clear to me that the synthetic vision yielded a quantum improvement in his situational awareness.
My opinion has now evolved to the point where I view synthetic vision in the same way you might look at WAAS. WAAS adds a significant capability and delivers improved safety to a non-WAAS equipped GPS. Synthetic vision is simply the next evolution of the glass display.
So, despite the fact that my mind said it shouldn’t make a difference, I installed the synthetic vision option (Evolution Synthetic Vision, or ESV) on my new-to-me Aspen PFD and went flying.
I decided to go with Aspen for many reasons. Now, I could probably write an entire article about the installation of the Aspen PFD, but suffice it to say that limited panel space, ease of installation, and the ability to “play nice” with a wide range of other brand equipment—plus the fact that it is modular—all played significant roles in my decision process.
Aspen’s company philosophy includes the ability to upgrade the units after they are installed with the latest and greatest features. And that led me to Aspen’s synthetic vision product. It is a software upgrade, and the database is updateable using a microSD card, just like the one in your cell phone. The data is downloaded from Jeppesen on a subscription basis.
After a few minutes you become used to the ESV sight picture and then the magic really begins.
Aspen has designed its ESV system to be customizable to the pilot. You have the option of three basic views: a full screen display and two split screen displays; and you can change the field of view from wide to narrow in any of them. You can choose to declutter the screen to your liking.
The Aspen system utilizes a flight path marker that clearly shows you where the aircraft is going. It changes color from green, to white, to yellow, to red as terrain and obstacle warning alerts are issued. You are also cued by a text message warning of impending obstacle or terrain conflicts. The system displays airports as flags with their identifiers as well as traffic in three dimensions.
As you get closer to the ground, the terrain and obstacles on the synthetic vision change color: yellow when within 500 feet, and red when within 100 feet. It’s pretty hard to get it wrong. Like all the features, you can turn these features on or off individually.
When you get within two miles of the airport of intended landing, the system scales down and only shows obstacles more than 200 feet AGL and terrain 100 feet above the runway. The flight path marker also changes color to let you know what mode you are in, and in a short amount of time, it all becomes intuitive. Put the flight path marker on the runway, it’s that simple.
Obstructions are similarly depicted. My home airport is surrounded by some fairly tall towers, and they too are clearly identified on the synthetic vision screen. This type of terrain warning system is not required on small aircraft, but larger aircraft must have a certified Terrain Avoidance Warning System.
Another great feature is a distance marker. It is a line you can superimpose on the terrain presentation and set it at any distance you like, which makes it easy to know where you are in relation to an airport, waypoint or fix.
Probably the most interesting view is the split screen topo map view. This setup gives you a forward looking view on the top half of the PFD, and a straight down “God’s eye” view of the same terrain on the bottom half of the PFD—very useful when shooting an approach into an airport in mountainous terrain. As far as I know, Aspen’s ESV is the only synthetic vision system that offers this feature.
The computer-generated graphics have a sort of video game quality to them that I don’t find objectionable. What the unit does best is create an entirely new layer of situational awareness for the pilot. In the dark, at an unfamiliar airport, in poor visibility or at an airport with multiple runways that are closely aligned, Aspen’s ESV removes all doubt about the aircraft’s position.
With a safety pilot in tow, I went off to shoot some approaches on my own and get comfortable with the synthetic vision visuals. I hand-flew three approaches: one with the flight director on, one with it off, and one with the flight path marker turned off.
My biggest problem was that I found myself looking for the vertical speed indicator, which no longer resided on my panel. I had to retrain myself to look on the PFD for that information. I have been told by Aspen that it has received that feedback before.
Other than having to adjust to changing my gaze a bit, I had no trouble transitioning to flying approaches with Apsen’s ESV switched on. You can “see” the runway depicted on the PFD, along with prominent land features like lakes, canals and towers. The flight path marker is easy to use and gives you a lot of information. The nav display is superimposed over the synthetic terrain and is easy to see. The screen is bright and easy to read, even in direct South Florida sun.
Things I didn’t like about the Aspen’s product were few but relevant. The manual is adequate but not great, and the lack of a computer-based simulator training device is a mystery. In my opinion this product could definitely use a quick reference handbook to be easily stored in the plane instead of the current 250-page manual. Aspen has had other users request this, and they are working on it.
Aspen’s customer service is old school—in the best sense of that term. When you call them for help, you actually get a person on the phone, not an automated phone menu that encourages you to visit the company website.
I could not be more pleased with my choice of Aspen’s PFD with synthetic vision. It gives me the same capabilities of some more expensive systems in a compact, easy-to-upgrade platform, at what I consider to be a reasonable price point. Clearly, Aspen is the value play in the aftermarket glass panel upgrade market.
Michael Leighton is a 7,000-plus hour, two time and current Master CFII MEI-ATP, as well as an A&P. He operates an aircraft management, maintenance and insurance-accepted flight training services company as well as a Part 135 aircraft charter company in South Florida. You can find him on the web at https://web.mac.com/mkleighton. Send questions or comments to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
RESOURCES
Aspen Avionics, Inc.
5001 Indian School Rd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
(888) 992-7736
aspenavionics.com
Evolution Synthetic Vision (ESV)
aspenavionics.com/index.php/
products/esv
