Beware of Synthetic Vision Systems

[pelmet]

Looks like the SVS is so prominent in the background that it is extremely difficult to ignore it when it is faulty and use only the accurate portion of the PFD. The manufacturers do warn not use SVS as primary navigation and apparently some pilots turn it off during critical portions of flight. Personally, I have only ever used it on VFR only aircraft. It is pretty cool stuff.

"Seeing, Not Believing: Incident Shows Limitations Of Synthetic Vision Systems....A confusing night incident in Western Australia when radalt goes awry."

http://aviationweek.com/connected-aeros ... on-systems

[PilotDAR]

I was ground running an SVS equipped Caravan once, we were doing electrical tests, including a compass swing. Thus, I was on the runway (Muskoka, adequately quiet weekday mornings). The SVS showed the runway strips, and as I was largely eyes in, with my feet firmly on the brakes, I was not watching outside so much. I noticed that the runway stripes on the SVS were moving, which I instinctively took to mean that the plane was moving, so I applied more toe pressure to the brakes. This happened several times. Surely with this high application of toe pressure, the plane could not still be moving! It wasn't, and had not been, it was just the GPS signal with guided the SVS wandering, the plane was quite still the whole time!

[Axial Flow]

The situational awareness that they bring to the game outweighs the risk just like any system...a rad alt failure brought down a 737 while everything else was fully functional. I am surprised they don't mix WAAS GPS altitude, altitude from the ADC in with radar altimeter signal and have a geometric height similar to the EPGWS altitude.If they don't all agree make the SVS revert to brown and blue. I guess life it too easy these days and avionics do mostly everything and people get used to it. Also wondering why the pilot wouldn't have just looked at his back up attitude indicator instead of looking outside on a moonlit night?

Garmin now has a HUD that displays SVS on it which I think will be pretty amazing. If they could afford to install it on 703 aircraft, there would never be a day where the pop and chips wouldn't make it in!

safety-enhancing.jpg (57.27 KiB) Viewed 1546 times

[pelmet]

The situational awareness that they bring to the game outweighs the risk just like any system...a rad alt failure brought down a 737 while everything else was fully functional.

Not really...a failure to monitor airspeed brought down that 737....a basic requirement for your first solo.

An SVS failure is much more risky to the competent pilot for the reasons stated in the article.

[StandingBy]

I've noticed that doing a go-around from minimums (ILS so you are fairly low), the runway depicted on the SVS goes by 'underneath' you, which on the display was down, which was quite disorienting, and added to the mental pull of acceleration error. After experiencing it several times in a controlled setting (night VFR not much for reference), I would consider not using the SVS on an approach to mins in actual weather, unless other benefits outweighed this risk. Would be pretty handy coming into an unfamiliar airport with lots of terrain in IMC I imagine.

[bobcaygeon]

Compared to doing an approach and missed approach at a black hole airport without a flight director in a high powered aircraft, I'll take the risks associated with it.