397 APR Key Explained: GPS Approach & Autopilot Errors to Avoid with DPE Jim Pitman
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Release Date: 08/15/2025
418 New Zealand Flying: Aero Clubs, Milford Sound, and Glowworm Caves + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Russell Ladbrook about a chance meeting in New Zealand that turned into one of the most delightful episodes of Aviation News Talk. Max was taking a glowworm cave tour when Russell noticed his Cirrus jacket, struck up a conversation, and soon realized he was talking to the host of a podcast he had followed for years. By the end of the day, the two were sitting down at the Fjordland Aero Club near Manapouri Airport for a conversation about flying in one of the most scenic and demanding parts of the world. How aero clubs keep flying affordable Russell explains that aero...
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417 Cirrus SR22, Vision Jet and SR20 Design with Mike VanStaagen
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Mike VanStaagen about the design philosophy behind the Cirrus SR20, SR22, and SF50 Vision Jet, and how Cirrus rethought what pilots and passengers should experience inside an airplane. Mike explains how his architectural mindset helped him bring together competing ideas at Cirrus and turn them into aircraft that felt modern, spacious, intuitive, and comfortable. They discuss why Cirrus focused so heavily on easier entry and exit, better visibility on the ground and in flight, and a roomier cabin than traditional GA airplanes. Mike describes how ideas borrowed from the auto...
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416 Airline Pilot Career Path: Part 61 vs Part 141, R-ATP & Getting Hired (Jason Blair)
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Airline pilot career path roadmap with Jason Blair: Part 61 vs Part 141, R-ATP, and what matters most for getting hired. Max talks with Jason Blair about building an airline pilot career path that gets you to the right seat faster—without expensive detours. If you’re comparing Part 61 vs Part 141, wondering whether R-ATP changes your strategy, or trying to figure out what actually helps with getting hired, this episode is a practical roadmap. Jason explains how to think backwards from your target job (regional, major airline, charter, corporate) and make training decisions that...
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415 Log IFR Instrument Currency in an FAA-Approved Simulator + Redbird Factory Tour
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Josh Harnagel, COO of Redbird Flight, about a practical use-case that matters to almost every instrument pilot: logging IFR instrument currency and staying proficient in an FAA-approved simulator. Josh explains why many pilots buy Redbird’s FAA-approved tabletop devices specifically for currency—especially to knock out the holding requirement—and why he likes shooting an approach in the simulator before flying it in the airplane. Max shares why he does the same thing before recurrent training, because simulator reps surface the “gotchas” that can spike workload in...
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414 Epic E1000 N98FK Crash at Steamboat Springs: LNAV+V Advisory Glidepath Trap
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
An Epic E1000, N98FK, crashed near Steamboat Springs, Colorado during a night RNAV (GPS) approach. The lateral track was almost perfect, but the vertical profile was fatal: the airplane remained on an LNAV+V “advisory glide slope” and descended below the 9,100-foot MDA into terrain. Max explains what Garmin calls Advisory Vertical Guidance, why LNAV+V can look nearly identical to an LPV on the PFD, and why it does not provide obstacle protection below minimums. He shows the airplane crossed the FAF MABKY and stepdown fix WDCHK essentially on altitude—then continued descending...
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413 Cirrus G3 Vision Jet: CPDLC Datalink + 6-Adult Cabin (Matt Bergwall) — AOPA President Job + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Matt Bergwall, Executive Director of the Vision Jet Product Line at Cirrus, about the just-announced Cirrus SF50 G3 Vision Jet—and before that, he offers an unusually personal look at what the AOPA President’s job actually requires. Max opens by explaining that he interviewed for the AOPA President role twice and uses that experience to outline what makes the position difficult and consequential. In his view, the job is not simply “being the public face of GA.” It demands relentless travel to connect with members, lawmakers, regulators, and stakeholders—while...
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412 Cirrus SR22T N17DT Stall Crash: Flaps Retracted on Low-Power Approach + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
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411 Vision Jet SF50 Landing Gear Collapse: Wrong Lever After Touchdown +GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
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410 Cirrus SR22 Safety: Stabilized Approaches and Go-Around Accident Lessons
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Mark Waddell of the Cirrus Owner and Pilots Association (COPA) about how Cirrus pilots can reduce accidents by focusing on the places where the accident chain most often begins: unstable approaches, indecisive go-arounds, and delayed choices during power-loss events. They discuss what pilots are doing in the cockpit that turns routine flights into incidents, and what specific habits and training standards reduce that risk. Mark explains that 2025 included eight fatal Cirrus accidents and twelve CAPS saves. Mark argues that the big safety wins come from addressing repeatable...
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409 Statesville Citation 550 Crash (Greg Biffle): New ADS-B Clue & Rain-Induced Illusions
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with host Scott Hamilton of WBT, Charlotte's News Talk radio, about the Statesville, North Carolina Citation 550 crash that killed NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and six others, then expands the conversation with a fresh technical finding and a practical training takeaway for pilots. While preparing for the short radio interview, Max revisited the ADS-B track and noticed something he hadn’t seen anyone else write about: the altitude anomaly isn’t merely a “jump,” it’s an impossible spike. The key number is stark. The ADS-B data shows a reported climb of 1,374 feet in 1.64...
info_outlineMax talks with airline pilot and Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Jim Pitman to clear up a persistent avionics myth: that pressing the APR (Approach) key activates a GPS approach. In reality, APR is part of the automatic flight control system (AFCS)—not the GPS navigator. Its function is to arm the flight director’s lateral and vertical capture modes so the autopilot (if engaged) can follow the approach path. You can also view a video version of this episode. Just look on the page for August 15, 2025 video. And while you're on that page, please sign up to support the show.
Jim’s “apples vs. oranges” analogy helps pilots keep the two systems straight:
Apples = GPS navigator functions like activating an approach, sequencing waypoints, and CDI scaling.
Oranges = AFCS/autopilot functions like heading, NAV, APR, and altitude hold modes.
Max and Jim break down common scenarios in G1000 and Garmin Perspective+ cockpits, including:
- How to know an approach is active (look for magenta waypoint below the approach title).
- Why APR is often pressed at the wrong time—and how that can disarm modes.
- When to press NAV instead of APR (e.g., intercepting before clearance).
- How to interpret scaling modes (LPV, LNAV, terminal, en route) inside the HSI.
- Using OBS mode effectively and when to turn it off.
They also discuss common checkride errors, such as failing to deselect OBS or mishandling the SUSP (suspend) key during a hold. Jim explains why the FAA expects private pilot applicants to demonstrate basic knowledge of installed automation—even without an instrument rating.
You’ll hear practical techniques to avoid “automation surprise,” like keeping the active flight plan visible, always checking the flight mode annunciator (“scoreboard”) before and after pressing a button, and using the “look–press–look” habit.
Finally, they clarify the confusion between loading and activating an approach: often, the best way to start is simply going direct to the IAF or IF rather than pressing “Activate Approach.”
Pilots can download Jim’s free “G1000 Common Errors & Solutions” guide at flywithjim.com/G1000 and Whether you fly glass-cockpit IFR regularly or are just starting instrument training, this episode will help you use the APR key correctly, fly more precise GPS approaches, and avoid costly autopilot errors.
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