GNS430 King course comments?

I'm looking to get the King GNS430 course, since N55ZC will have one. Anyone
have comments pro or con? Other recommendations?
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC http://www.conmicro.com
http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
Fairmont, MN (FRM) (Yes, that's me!)
AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC (ordered 17 March, delivery 2 June)

On Mar 23, 10:47 am, Jay Maynard
wrote:
I'm looking to get the King GNS430 course, since N55ZC will have one. Anyone
have comments pro or con? Other recommendations?
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC http://www.conmicro.comhttp://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
Fairmont, MN (FRM) (Yes, that's me!)
AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC (ordered 17 March, delivery 2 June)


I have not tried that course, but you can learn all the features on
the free simulator. If I were to buy a course I would be looking for
information that is not contained in the Garmin manual, such as
piratical insights and gotchas.

BTW, we have a Zodiac in our club. Great airplane. Congratulations!

On 2008-03-23, Andrew Sarangan wrote:
I have not tried that course, but you can learn all the features on
the free simulator. If I were to buy a course I would be looking for
information that is not contained in the Garmin manual, such as
piratical insights and gotchas.

I assume you meant "practical insights"... :-)

Yeah, that's what I'm looking for, too. The King description of the course
claims to do just that...but reports from those who have used it would be
welcome.

BTW, we have a Zodiac in our club. Great airplane. Congratulations!

I'm really looking forward to it.
Which one do you have? Kit, factory, XL, XLi?
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC http://www.conmicro.com
http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
Fairmont, MN (FRM) (Yes, that's me!)
AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC (ordered 17 March, delivery 2 June)

On 2008-03-23, Jay Maynard wrote:
BTW, we have a Zodiac in our club. Great airplane. Congratulations!
I'm really looking forward to it.
Which one do you have? Kit, factory, XL, XLi?

While I'm thinking about it...I got a phone call from someone looking for
opinions about the Zodiac because they were looking to add one to their
club. How is it as a club airplane? My main concern about it would be in
transitioning into it from other aircraft whose controls aren't so light and
responsive; I suggested they have their chief pilot go fly one to see what
he thinks about it.
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC http://www.conmicro.com
http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
Fairmont, MN (FRM) (Yes, that's me!)
AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC (ordered 17 March, delivery 2 June)

On Mar 23, 11:40 am, Jay Maynard
wrote:
On 2008-03-23, Jay Maynard wrote:

BTW, we have a Zodiac in our club. Great airplane. Congratulations!
I'm really looking forward to it.
Which one do you have? Kit, factory, XL, XLi?

While I'm thinking about it...I got a phone call from someone looking for
opinions about the Zodiac because they were looking to add one to their
club. How is it as a club airplane? My main concern about it would be in
transitioning into it from other aircraft whose controls aren't so light and
responsive; I suggested they have their chief pilot go fly one to see what
he thinks about it.

I would not base the decision on its flying characteristics as much as
its utility. It flies just fine. It doesn't handle well in turbulence,
but that should not be surprising given its light weight. The
elevators and trim are extremely sensitive. When disengaging the
autopilot, it is not unusual for the airplane to jump momentarily. But
otherwise it is a joy to fly.

It is very inexpensive to operate - we are charging $53 for tach-hr in
our club. I have taken it on long trips (400 NM) and it came out
about even with what I would have paid for gas in driving. It is great
for single-person trips, but I doubt it would work for two people with
luggage.

However, the LSA weight limit is the biggest consideration that has
prevented many people in our club from flying it. May people can't
even get checked out. If both people weigh less than 175lb, then it
would be fine but very few fit that description any more.

It is very nicely equipped and well laid out. The seats are
comfortable. Compared to Pipers and Cessnas the visibility is
fantastic.

It is not insulated well, and very loud and drafty. The noise will
tire you out on long trips, even with ANR. The cockpit can get very
hot in summer and cold in winter. The heater doesn't do much.

It doesn't do well on rough surfaces. I tried landing it on grass
once, and I thought the wheels broke off. it might be possible to
adjust the bungee tension to fix that problem.

It is a very light construction, and easy to damage the skin or
external parts. When climbing into the cockpit, you must step on the
approx 6" wide strip at the wing root. If you step outside that strip,
you will definitely put a hole through the skin.

It's a great little airplane if you understand these limitations.

Even though it is IFR equipped, it should be flown in IFR with extreme
caution.

On 2008-03-23, Andrew Sarangan wrote:
However, the LSA weight limit is the biggest consideration that has
prevented many people in our club from flying it. May people can't
even get checked out. If both people weigh less than 175lb, then it
would be fine but very few fit that description any more.

You need a small CFI! :-) I expect my two-person trips to be made with some,
but not a lot of luggage; me and my roommate together weigh about 370
pounds, and he's losing weight. (I should, too.)

It is not insulated well, and very loud and drafty. The noise will
tire you out on long trips, even with ANR. The cockpit can get very
hot in summer and cold in winter. The heater doesn't do much.

Mine should have less of this problem: it'll be the first one with the
factory winterization kit, which includes an extensive series of cabin
sealing and heat management mods developed by a guy in Crookston, Minnesota
for his. It doesn't get quite as cold in Fairmont as it does in Crookston,
but it does get cold enough.

I'll get to find out about long trips firsthand: my route home after taking
delivery (over a few days, to be sure) is planned to be EZM-14A-3R9-FRM, so
I can show it to my boss and family and friends.

It is a very light construction, and easy to damage the skin or
external parts. When climbing into the cockpit, you must step on the
approx 6" wide strip at the wing root. If you step outside that strip,
you will definitely put a hole through the skin.

This is true of a lot of other aircraft as well, but I see your point.

It's a great little airplane if you understand these limitations.

Again, true of any aircraft, but well worth remembering.

Even though it is IFR equipped, it should be flown in IFR with extreme
caution.

I would expect an autopilot would help a lot here to manage the workload,
although the factory test pilot and sales manager tells me he's got about
500 hours actual in Zodiacs - he lives an hour's flight away from the
factory, and commutes in whatever they have handy - and he hand-flies it.
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC http://www.conmicro.com
http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
Fairmont, MN (FRM) (Yes, that's me!)
AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC (ordered 17 March, delivery 2 June)