Bendix/King KLN94 GPS ..any simulator? any sim add-on available?

Hi all, We have several club aircraft with the KLN 94 GPS. Is there
still no one making a sim for this GPS? Seems like *SOMEONE* would
fill this gap by now. Like Microsoft, the huge MS sim aftermarket
world, Bendix/King themselves, Elite, anyone? The KLN 94 is in a ton
of Cessna aircraft. First and foremost shame on Bendix/King for not
getting a sim together. I emailed them several times over a year or
two, but they finally dropped the project. I consider it a safety
issue.

Personally, I find any kind of PC sim, is the best way to get up to
speed quickly in prep for the real thing. It's going through the
motion of finding the buttons and pressing them in the correct order.
Reading the manual doesn't do this for you. (though reading the
manual is an essential) Garmin has done a great job with the G1000 and
it's now in FSX deluxe version. I read the KLN 94 manual and went up
and flew the real thing yesterday. I had my head down poking at that
thing when I should have been spending more time scanning for traffic.
I knew it pretty well, but if you fly several rental aircraft, you
fumble for the position of the buttons and all the little gotcha's.

Am I missing anything that's come out recently? Thanks for letting me
rant. ... aKiley

akiley wrote:
Hi all, We have several club aircraft with the KLN 94 GPS. Is there
still no one making a sim for this GPS? Seems like *SOMEONE* would
fill this gap by now. Like Microsoft, the huge MS sim aftermarket
world, Bendix/King themselves, Elite, anyone? The KLN 94 is in a ton
of Cessna aircraft. First and foremost shame on Bendix/King for not
getting a sim together. I emailed them several times over a year or
two, but they finally dropped the project. I consider it a safety
issue.

I think your best bet is to form an ad-hoc committee to design a
special exercise to use whatever GPS simulator software you have at
hand. I have Jeppesen Flite Pro (now ancient and out-of-print) that uses
a GPS that is unlike my Garmin, so I have suffered what you describe.

Imagine if a few of us got together and figured out how to operate the
Jepp GPS. Then we could mint owr own usage paradigm, based on a few good
local airport approaches, and have a fine club tool to "keep sharp on
the gages".

Personally, I find any kind of PC sim, is the best way to get up to
speed quickly in prep for the real thing. It's going through the
motion of finding the buttons and pressing them in the correct order.
Reading the manual doesn't do this for you. (though reading the
manual is an essential) Garmin has done a great job with the G1000 and
it's now in FSX deluxe version. I read the KLN 94 manual and went up
and flew the real thing yesterday. I had my head down poking at that
thing when I should have been spending more time scanning for traffic.
I knew it pretty well, but if you fly several rental aircraft, you
fumble for the position of the buttons and all the little gotcha's.

De ja vu all over again. You described the problem nicely.

It's probably best to team up in pairs with one always acting as a
saety pilot until you all get familiarized with the KLN94. I have been
waiting for a decade for the FAA to come out with a sylabus on
teaching/training the GPS method, but so far, no-go. In a way, it's
shameful...

Anyway, the "committee" should spend a few hours in the air to develop
the essentials of GPS, especially approaches... There has got to be some
nice pneumonics like "turn, twist, and time" (for holding patterns and
procedure turns).

Angelo Campanella

Thanks for the reply,

I actually just found a KLN 94 GPS for FS2004 (FS9) ! I searched the
sim sites and found a review at avsim.com.
http://www.friendlypanels.arrakis.es/htm/products.htm is the place that
sells several options. I just bought the Cessna 172/182 panels pack
which was 12.95 Euro. Maybe 20 dollars US. I think it's a fairly new
product. No affiliation. It installed quickly and automatically.
Loaded FS9 and had several new panels.

I've just flew the 182 panel a little, it's not bad. It's a redesigned
182 panel but it's got a KLN 94 and the KAP 140 autopilot just like the
real 182 I fly. Also new radios and audio panel. Seems the KLN 94
isn't perfect, but not too-too bad either. The autopilot is fairly
realistic too. I have to spend more time and also compare it to the
real manual from Bendix/King. The panel mounted GPS switch doesn't
seem to remote the KLN 94 out to the VOR1. Didn't do this with the
excelent RealityXP Garmin 5 series either. Not sure if that's my
problem or what.

I know what you mean. GPS is a different kind of think that we're no
used to. Direct To, desired track, nearest food, exit, Starbucks,
along route, near destination. No toys I have use these kinds of
concepts. ... aKiley



Angelo Campanella wrote:
akiley wrote:
Hi all, We have several club aircraft with the KLN 94 GPS. Is there
still no one making a sim for this GPS? Seems like *SOMEONE* would
fill this gap by now. Like Microsoft, the huge MS sim aftermarket
world, Bendix/King themselves, Elite, anyone? The KLN 94 is in a ton
of Cessna aircraft. First and foremost shame on Bendix/King for not
getting a sim together. I emailed them several times over a year or
two, but they finally dropped the project. I consider it a safety
issue.

I think your best bet is to form an ad-hoc committee to design a
special exercise to use whatever GPS simulator software you have at
hand. I have Jeppesen Flite Pro (now ancient and out-of-print) that uses
a GPS that is unlike my Garmin, so I have suffered what you describe.

Imagine if a few of us got together and figured out how to operate the
Jepp GPS. Then we could mint owr own usage paradigm, based on a few good
local airport approaches, and have a fine club tool to "keep sharp on
the gages".

Personally, I find any kind of PC sim, is the best way to get up to
speed quickly in prep for the real thing. It's going through the
motion of finding the buttons and pressing them in the correct order.
Reading the manual doesn't do this for you. (though reading the
manual is an essential) Garmin has done a great job with the G1000 and
it's now in FSX deluxe version. I read the KLN 94 manual and went up
and flew the real thing yesterday. I had my head down poking at that
thing when I should have been spending more time scanning for traffic.
I knew it pretty well, but if you fly several rental aircraft, you
fumble for the position of the buttons and all the little gotcha's.

De ja vu all over again. You described the problem nicely.

It's probably best to team up in pairs with one always acting as a
saety pilot until you all get familiarized with the KLN94. I have been
waiting for a decade for the FAA to come out with a sylabus on
teaching/training the GPS method, but so far, no-go. In a way, it's
shameful...

Anyway, the "committee" should spend a few hours in the air to develop
the essentials of GPS, especially approaches... There has got to be some
nice pneumonics like "turn, twist, and time" (for holding patterns and
procedure turns).

Angelo Campanella

Using these FriendlyPanels a bit more, I think the autopilot is ok, but
the KLN 94 is lacking in some serious ways. I don't see an obvious way
of getting a flight plan in it. also, it seems the programing is a
Garmin GPS with a KLN 94 skin. Oh well. I bought the panels, maybe
the guages package that has the KLN 94 is more accurate. ... Aaron


Angelo Campanella wrote:
akiley wrote:
Hi all, We have several club aircraft with the KLN 94 GPS. Is there
still no one making a sim for this GPS? Seems like *SOMEONE* would
fill this gap by now. Like Microsoft, the huge MS sim aftermarket
world, Bendix/King themselves, Elite, anyone? The KLN 94 is in a ton
of Cessna aircraft. First and foremost shame on Bendix/King for not
getting a sim together. I emailed them several times over a year or
two, but they finally dropped the project. I consider it a safety
issue.

I think your best bet is to form an ad-hoc committee to design a
special exercise to use whatever GPS simulator software you have at
hand. I have Jeppesen Flite Pro (now ancient and out-of-print) that uses
a GPS that is unlike my Garmin, so I have suffered what you describe.

Imagine if a few of us got together and figured out how to operate the
Jepp GPS. Then we could mint owr own usage paradigm, based on a few good
local airport approaches, and have a fine club tool to "keep sharp on
the gages".

Personally, I find any kind of PC sim, is the best way to get up to
speed quickly in prep for the real thing. It's going through the
motion of finding the buttons and pressing them in the correct order.
Reading the manual doesn't do this for you. (though reading the
manual is an essential) Garmin has done a great job with the G1000 and
it's now in FSX deluxe version. I read the KLN 94 manual and went up
and flew the real thing yesterday. I had my head down poking at that
thing when I should have been spending more time scanning for traffic.
I knew it pretty well, but if you fly several rental aircraft, you
fumble for the position of the buttons and all the little gotcha's.

De ja vu all over again. You described the problem nicely.

It's probably best to team up in pairs with one always acting as a
saety pilot until you all get familiarized with the KLN94. I have been
waiting for a decade for the FAA to come out with a sylabus on
teaching/training the GPS method, but so far, no-go. In a way, it's
shameful...

Anyway, the "committee" should spend a few hours in the air to develop
the essentials of GPS, especially approaches... There has got to be some
nice pneumonics like "turn, twist, and time" (for holding patterns and
procedure turns).

Angelo Campanella