Cirrus Perspective - Flight Director vs. Autopilot 

Thanks. Didn’t realize I could command the FD with the AFCS. What a sweet aide to hand flying. It’s like bugs on steroids!

Thanks for sharing. Lots of good demos. Still learning!

I wish I had found this video sooner…thank you for going through this step by step. Extremely informative after I’ve spent way too many hours attempting to get this down.

THANK YOU! This brought me a lot more clarity on this topic; which is sometimes hard to retain in the cockpit while trying to avoid Bravo airspace/traffic/terrain and still manage my workload. I'm a rusty pilot who has been transitioning to a SR20 (yep feel like Buck Rogers being thawed from steam punk gage days into G1000's! sometimes!) and my understanding on this topic has been hampering my progress. Very helpful! Keep up the content! Hopefully, I'll get a chance to show a little more mastery next time! :)

Superb discussion of the use of the Perspective FD! Please do some more of these and show the center console as you are making adjustments. I am especially interested in your routine of take off and climb out as you go to AP. Keep the videos coming, I am new to this system and this has been the best Tutorial I have seen.

All your videos are very informative.

I found this video to be very helpful -- thank you.

Excellent video. I finally understand the FD. I’ve completed the King G1000 course, and your explanation made far more sense to separate out the functionality of the FD v. AP. How it captures the “picture” of your current scoreboard. I was also confusing using the AP v. hand flying in FD mode. I’m doing my Cirrus Embark transition training in 3 weeks, and this is a big help. The only part I didn’t quite follow was the sequence for using the IAS in the climb. From straight & level flight was in the sequence of inputs of both the FMS & the aircraft to accomplish a smooth transition into a IAS climb? Thanks for sharing.

Excellent clip! FD has been a bit of a mystery until now. Thanks!

Very informative. Thanks.

One of the best explanation. Keep it up.

Great Video. Thanks

Brilliant video.. thankyou

My X-Plane skills greatly increased... thank you :)

Awesome video.

Nice video very informative.

This is one area I think avidyne has a slightly better interface. When you are in AP mode, and go to FD mode the command bars go from magenta to green so there is no question you are in FD mode ,also there is a big button and annunciator that says FD. I think the bars on the Garmin go hollow which is nice, but there is nothing in the annunciator panel that specifically says it’s in FD mode. I particularly like switching from AP to FD modes towards the end of precision approaches. Also there are certain things with especially with the DFC 90 I like. For instance, if you push and hold VS and have the Alt preselect the AP automatically inputs a 500 FPM descent. Little things, but fewer button pushes. With that said the GFC700 is an amazing AP and has some features that the Avidyne setup doesn’t have.

very good explanation .

Wow that's incredible! I have only flown cessnas with steam gauges before all of this technology came out.

You have taught me how to use flight director for simulation. Ty

Great video, I'm a student pilot but will be getting a Cirrus for sure, end of next year.

This video was extremely iseful Thanks a lot

Thanks for the video. This will come in handy as I transition to a 2016 Cirrus from my old 2005 (with Avidyne). The only bummer is that you are pushing a LOT of button off screen. If you get a second camera, most editing software will let you use "picture in picture" or "split screen" to show exactly what is going on. Thanks again.

Well the GPS on the Scoreboard is unique to Garmin, on the other aircraft you would see FMS, because the FMS receives inputs from IRS & GPS and it figures out the best accuracy.

Great video just learning perspective plus. How do you flight level change ( IAS) and climb by air speed ? I saw the IAS change by some knob? Or were you doing it by pitching up ? please do more videos . The cameras was perfect on this to watch how you demonstrated.

My biggest gripe with the Perspective system is the only way you can shut the AP off without killing the FD is by pushing the AP button on the FGP. It’s so backwards compared to every other avionics system I’ve flown behind.

So basically, Flight Director is a “guide” for hand flying. It’s sort of in between, complete hand flying and auto pilot. Do I have that right?

I am trying to figure out why my sr22 autopilot freaks out in FS2020. Is it the flight director that causes it?

Al where should I send the $149? lol. Really informative, Thanks!

Not sure why you don’t show which knobs you are pushing/twisting? At least half the time, otherwise great help ! but I have a separate picture trying to figure out which knobs you are using, thank you!

Does the FD have any authority on the yoke or does it just provide prompts for you, or the AP, to follow? Thanks

now THAT’S some wind

FD vs AP is not a quite correct title. Correct was Pilot following FD commands vs AP following FD commands, because the AP is also guided by the FD.

Here's my dumb question for today,,,,,, is this IFR? or typical VFR flying? I've booked my first discovery flight later this month. Trying to learn all I can.

What do the pink boxes indicate?

Yeah but a 747 has a dual cueing flight director which is more precise when used with efis instrumentation.

I can't believe anyone who flies a G1000 would not know the basic fundamentals of the difference between the FD and AP.

Im a professional xplane pylot that eats doritos and orange pop and I just flew from Atlanta to melbourne beach. I have to go potty now. Bye