Click Here to Return to

I have a question concerning instrument scans. I recently got my instrument rating in a Diamond DA40 with the G1000. I have about 300 hours in the plane and it was one of the first to have SVT, so I have been flying with synthetic vision for over a year. Nothing I have ever read discusses proper scanning technique with SVT. The closest source is the FAA book which does a nice job of covering glass cockpits. My question to Max is this: with SVT, I know if the green flight path marker is inside the rectangles, I am on course and on altitude so my roll, pitch and altitude are right where I want them to be. To me, this is the primary readout. The only other thing I feel like I need to check is airspeed. But this results in a pretty narrow scan. What else should I be looking at in my normal scan? I look at engine info and backup gauges on my extended scan but I am worried about fixation if I just fly through the rectangles.

Also, Jason, ever since your podcast on scanning to the beat of Stayin Alive, I find myself listening to techno on XM for the first few minutes of an IFR flight to get my scan beat down. It works really well since every song has the same beat. Normally, I hate techno but in small doses it seems to have a few benefits.