“Simply Amazing” is the first thought that came to mind when checking out the SVT on board my wife and I’s new DA40 XLS. Having just upgraded from a 2007 DA40 XL, we were excited to check out the new features provided by the G1000 – SafeTaxi, WAAS, HITS, Charts and SVT.

My wife and I own a graphic design studio called King-Searls Designs (www.ksdport.com) currently in Greenville, SC. Based at GMU, we operate at one of South Carolina’s busiest airports. GMU is home to flight schools, corporate flight departments, air taxi operators, and numerous transient aircraft, and as such, one must constantly “See and Avoid.” And let me tell you, this is done much easier with the SVT option on board. Traffic, terrain, obstacles, and even airports are much more visible from inside the aircraft on your PFD versus trying to see the same picture looking outside on a hot/hazy summer day.

The amount of information actually provided by the G1000 w/SVT is more than one can appreciate for some time. The 3-D representation depicted on the PFD of what is outside the aircraft provides a tremendous amount of additional awareness, efficiency, proficiency, and most importantly, safety to the pilot. Any good pilot will constantly be thinking of the “what if’s” while flying. Yes, listening to the XM radio on board your DA40 is also fun while in cruise flight, but what if that highly unlikely engine failure occurred? Could you make your nearest airport or off airport landing site? This question, along with many others, is answered instantly on the SVT equipped G1000 through the Flight Path Marker (FPM). Your FPM depicts the projected path of the aircraft accounting for wind and aircraft direction. So if you are at your glide speed and headed toward your landing site, and the FPM is on or beyond your intended landing spot, then you will make it to that site.

The substitution of “brown” below the PFD horizon to represent ground with an actual
3-D depiction of terrain is another obvious enhancement in safety and awareness provided by the G1000 w/SVT. You will be alerted both visually and audibly of any dangerous proximities to terrain, obstacles, or traffic (better if TAS equipped). This added awareness became obvious on a recent flight into Asheville, NC. With mountainous terrain below, in and out of clouds, a 1,000ft ceiling, and on a heading to intercept the LOC for the ILS34, my mind was completely at ease as I saw the 3-D terrain on the PFD move safely below. The flight path marker showed my descent would clear all terrain and obstacles, and the “highway in the sky” (HITS) boxes presented a picture of my future flight path descending on the ILS (all of which cleared terrain and obstacles) all the way down to the runway (which I could see on the PFD as well!). However, looking outside the canopy, I could only see portions of terrain, limited visibility due to haze, no runway, and occasional IMC. Can you now see the added safety?

Having flown a wide range of aircraft from small single-engine props to corporate jets to the 50 passenger ERJ145, I can honestly say the avionics provided by the G1000 w/SVT blows them all out of the water. No matter how fancy the glass cockpits in today’s airliners look, they do not provide the kind of information available in your Diamond – simply amazing!

From the weekend flyer, to the flight instructor, and right up into the corporate pilot/airline pilot skill level, the SVT has applications beneficial to all. Can you remember first learning to fly using an NDB as your navigation source? Whether it was intercepting a bearing, flying an NDB approach, or holding over an NDB, it first took a few drawings on the back of your flight log to get that “mental picture.” And while you flew that NDB approach, your focus may have been solely on “pushing the head”, or “pulling the tail,” and nothing else. Dependent on levels of experience, our mental capacities are only so big. The G1000 w/SVT relieves the pilot of any tendencies to fixate, allowing that pilot to have the full picture during any task – normal or abnormal. Since you now have the HITS easily showing you where to point the airplane during that NDB/GPS approach, your mind is free to monitor other items as well. Not to mention, in an abnormal or emergency scenario, having these added features will reduce a pilot’s workload, increase your awareness, and increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.

These are only a few of the many examples of how technology, SVT in particular, has significantly increased a pilot’s level of awareness, and thus has also increased the safety of our industry.

Another important aspect of owning any aircraft is properly maintaining and caring for your investment. Our DA40XLS is currently managed and maintained by Special Services Corporation out of Greenville, SC (www.specialservicescorp.com). They have a professional team of mechanics and pilots that are trained on the Diamond aircraft and attend to the various needs of our aircraft so we can keep our focus on the fun part – flying! So if you plan on purchasing a new or used Diamond aircraft, take the time to familiarize yourself with the nearest Diamond service facility.

We have also received outstanding customer support from the team at Premier Aircraft Sales from day one. From the purchase of our DA40XL in 2006 and right through our newest purchase of the DA40XLS a month ago, Premier’s dedication to meeting our needs, answering our questions and dedication to keeping us happy has kept this customer smiling. We would like to give a special thanks to John Armstrong for always taking our numerous phone calls, for his professionalism, for his fun spirit and great customer service. Thanks for an outstanding product.

Safe Flying,
Brad Searls

ATP, CE500

King-Searls Designs, LLC

Greenville, SC