Good News! Garmin SAR software is on the way!

Started by A.Member, November 28, 2007, 05:29:57 PM

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A.Member

Received the following e-mail and haven't seen this posted yet so I thought I'd share:
QuoteLadies and Gentlemen,

Attached are some very important training materials for the new G1000 aircraft that CAP wings are receiving in the coming weeks. The GFC 700 Automatic Flight Control System PowerPoint briefing reflects training for VFR functions.  The PowerPoint briefing for IFR functions is currently being developed by Lt Col Dominic Strug , Capt Susan Parson and Capt Lynn Jensen from MER and will be forwarded as soon as it is ready.

Also attached is the Garmin SAR software pilots guide. We have heard from one of our wings that picked up their aircraft that this software works extremely well and results in CAP crews being able to fly a much more precise search pattern.  All of the new aircraft have the SAR software installed and HQ CAP is working with Cessna and Garmin to make arrangements to install the software on all the other G1000 aircraft that CAP owns. We will let you know as soon as those details are finalized.

Hope you have a great week!

John A. Salvador
Director of Missions, HQ CAP
This software should've been developed and installed before any of the glass airplanes were delivered but better late than never.  This is good news!  I hope roll-out of the installation is swift.
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

♠SARKID♠

Can I put that software on my Garmin street-pilot?   ;D ;D

  "To drive expanding square search, take a right, take a right, take a right, take a right, take a right..."

RiverAux

QuoteThis software should've been developed and installed before any of the glass airplanes were delivered but better late than never.
We should have refused to take new planes because they didn't have software that isn't really necessary for us to do our jobs -- after all, we've done without SAR software for nearly 70 years and somehow manage to find most of our targets.

Cobra1597

Quote from: RiverAux on November 30, 2007, 07:35:42 PM
QuoteThis software should've been developed and installed before any of the glass airplanes were delivered but better late than never.
We should have refused to take new planes because they didn't have software that isn't really necessary for us to do our jobs -- after all, we've done without SAR software for nearly 70 years and somehow manage to find most of our targets.

That's not entirely accurate. I don't know how long they've been in the aircraft, but certainly at the 60 year mark or earlier, the Apollo GPS units had the software to do our search patterns.

That's one of the things that had some of the pilots I've flown with ticked off. The old Apollo units could do it better than the G1000.
Harrison Ingraham, Capt, CAP
MAWG External Aerospace Education Officer, ADY
Spaatz #1597

RiverAux

True, some CAP aircraft had units with that capability, but they were not mission essential. 

Cobra1597

Quote from: RiverAux on November 30, 2007, 11:15:20 PM
True, some CAP aircraft had units with that capability, but they were not mission essential. 

I suppose that depends on your definition. Sure, it is possible to fly these missions without the software, but if having it makes it easier to concentrate less on flying the pattern and more on mission work like ground observation, allows us to better do the mission, then I'd be mighty upset is we transitioned from an aircraft with that capability to one without it.
Harrison Ingraham, Capt, CAP
MAWG External Aerospace Education Officer, ADY
Spaatz #1597

RiverAux

 I was never impressed with the Apollo software.  Definetely was more trouble than it was worth for straightforward parallel track grid searches.  The only pattern where software would probably be a big help would be an expanding square, which does take a lot of time to plan out by hand. 

ricecakecm

I picked up a new 182 at the Cessna factory on November 20th, it had the SAR software already installed.

On the way home, I played with it a little bit, and I've gotta say, it's slicker than snot on a brass door knob.

Basicly, you tell the GPS where you want the search pattern (parallel search, expanding square, or sector search) to start, how far apart you want the legs, how long the legs should be, and how many you want, and it generates the search pattern on the MFD.  Then you just fly direct to the initial waypoint and you can let the autopilot do the rest.

The new airplanes come with the GFC-700 integrated autopilot, which gives you a much better autopilot over the KAP 140, flight director command bars, and enters/flies published holds.  They also come with WAAS.

SJFedor

Quote from: Cobra1597 on December 01, 2007, 02:17:09 AM
I suppose that depends on your definition. Sure, it is possible to fly these missions without the software, but if having it makes it easier to concentrate less on flying the pattern and more on mission work like ground observation, allows us to better do the mission, then I'd be mighty upset is we transitioned from an aircraft with that capability to one without it.

If you can do search patterns w/o the SARMAP software, doing it with it should be easy. All mission pilot candidates going for their F91 ride in TNWG are required to demonstrate that they can fly grids using both methods, including doing the pre-flight work (drawing out the grids, etc). As well, not all the toys in CAP have the software. Any of the newer 172R and 172S models are equipped with a KLN89B or KLN94 GPS, which does not have any SAR software. I've flown other older model aircraft that have an ARNAV Star 5000, with even less toys then the KLN89B. All you need for SAR is a raw lat/long readout, the ability to hit Direct to another point, and that's it. It might require more skill, but God forbid something require our aircrews to actually have more knowledge then "Turn the key, pull the stick back, and we'll go waste taxpayer dollars for a few hours".

Pilots should be focused on flying the pattern, and nothing else. No excuses. The observer and scanner are there to look at the ground, the pilot is the bus driver. Any pilot who spots a downed aircraft is not doing his job: he should be eyes in the skies, not down on the ground.

On a side note, I got the Search and Rescue Guide for the software on board the G1000, along with the guides and powerpoint for the GFC700 from the SER DOV. That's some hotness there, can't wait to give it a try.

Steven Fedor, NREMT-P
Master Ambulance Driver
Former Capt, MP, MCPE, MO, MS, GTL, and various other 3-and-4 letter combinations
NESA MAS Instructor, 2008-2010 (#479)

michael d

I just got the SB for updating my own 182 with the SAR map and I saw where I could add the CAP search patterns, but does anyone know if it adds the standard grid display as well like on the apollo GPS?

Michael Dachs
J.E. Kramer Comp.Sqn. 10, Palo Alto, CA
PCR-CA-214

Cobra1597

Quote from: SJFedor on December 06, 2007, 08:12:17 AM
Quote from: Cobra1597 on December 01, 2007, 02:17:09 AM
I suppose that depends on your definition. Sure, it is possible to fly these missions without the software, but if having it makes it easier to concentrate less on flying the pattern and more on mission work like ground observation, allows us to better do the mission, then I'd be mighty upset is we transitioned from an aircraft with that capability to one without it.

If you can do search patterns w/o the SARMAP software, doing it with it should be easy. All mission pilot candidates going for their F91 ride in TNWG are required to demonstrate that they can fly grids using both methods, including doing the pre-flight work (drawing out the grids, etc). As well, not all the toys in CAP have the software. Any of the newer 172R and 172S models are equipped with a KLN89B or KLN94 GPS, which does not have any SAR software. I've flown other older model aircraft that have an ARNAV Star 5000, with even less toys then the KLN89B. All you need for SAR is a raw lat/long readout, the ability to hit Direct to another point, and that's it. It might require more skill, but God forbid something require our aircrews to actually have more knowledge then "Turn the key, pull the stick back, and we'll go waste taxpayer dollars for a few hours".

Pilots should be focused on flying the pattern, and nothing else. No excuses. The observer and scanner are there to look at the ground, the pilot is the bus driver. Any pilot who spots a downed aircraft is not doing his job: he should be eyes in the skies, not down on the ground.

On a side note, I got the Search and Rescue Guide for the software on board the G1000, along with the guides and powerpoint for the GFC700 from the SER DOV. That's some hotness there, can't wait to give it a try.

You're stating why CAP pilots are capable of doing it without the Garmin. Great, I never argued that they couldn't do it without the Garmin. I argued that they could do it more easily with the Garmin, and thus make it a possible force multiplier for CAP.

We don't NEED satellite phones and the like to do aerial photography either. Not all the planes have them either. We could just fly with the digital cameras, and fly the memory card back to mission base, as many of us do. That doesn't mean the job of using that photo recon isn't made better by the faster response time SDIS gives us.

SDIS isn't "mission critical", but it makes us better at accomplishing the mission. Same thing with a piece of software that makes it easier to fly the search patterns.
Harrison Ingraham, Capt, CAP
MAWG External Aerospace Education Officer, ADY
Spaatz #1597

SJFedor

Quote from: michael d on December 07, 2007, 05:50:53 AM
I just got the SB for updating my own 182 with the SAR map and I saw where I could add the CAP search patterns, but does anyone know if it adds the standard grid display as well like on the apollo GPS?

It does not. You need to specify the start coordinates in lat/long, and go from there. I can send you the manual for the Garmin SAR Software if you're interested. PM me with your email.

Steven Fedor, NREMT-P
Master Ambulance Driver
Former Capt, MP, MCPE, MO, MS, GTL, and various other 3-and-4 letter combinations
NESA MAS Instructor, 2008-2010 (#479)

Horn229

Heh, when I opened this thread, I wasn't thinking Aircrew. I was hoping they made a way to do triangulation on my 60CSx. While it's nice to project a waypoint and lock in a direction arrow on the handheld, it would be better if I could keep 3 arrows locked in at the same time. ;D
NICHOLAS A. HORN, Senior Member, CAP