For AirVenture last summer, Garmin added the FISK Arrival procedure to its navigation databases, and now it created a SmartChart for the VFR arrival at the upcoming Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo fly-in at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Florida.
Last year Garmin reinvented electronic procedural charts with its SmartCharts, which are accessed in Premium subscriptions of the Garmin Pilot app. With less clutter and a far more dynamic interface than traditional charts, SmartCharts are in the Pilot app for use as the primary source of chart data for instrument approach charts, departure procedures, standard terminal arrivals, and airport diagrams. At the time, Garmin said it developed SmartCharts to reduce pilot workload (and error) by only providing the chart data that’s relevant to the existing flight. After using these charts for the better part of a year, I think Garmin got it right.
For flying VFR into the Sun ‘n Fun event it’s the Lake Parker VFR Arrival procedure, and you call it up in the Pilot app as you would any other published procedure. Select the Charts tab in the Airport Information page, scroll to the Arrival Procedure, and select Lake Parker VFR ARR. That’s a screen grab of the actual SmartChart shown here.
The fly-in NOTAM is here. It’s also available in the Garmin Pilot Documents tab.
Garmin is also including the Sun ‘n Fun VFR Arrival procedure in the 2604 database cycle update for its GPS navigators.
There is one important downside to having this chart on your iPad; it’ll lead you to fly head down instead of looking out for the ground references listed in the NOTAM and for traffic. My final time into Sun ‘n Fun on the Lake Parker arrival, I was overtaken by an airplane that apparently thought I was not close enough to the twin in front of me. Shortly after, as I was passing the Cake Tower and about to turn toward the airport, TWO Velocity in close formation cut in front of me, flying straight into the pattern. In both cases the other airplanes flew much closer to mine than I’ve ever experienced.
Look outside!
Fisk?
FISK is the arrival for AirVenture.
Kind of my point.
They aren’t saying the FISK arrival is associated with S&F, they only mentioned that Garmin added that arrival last year for AirVenture and this year the arrival for. S&F has been added.
I thought I made that pretty clear.
For AirVenture last summer, Garmin added the FISK Arrival procedure to its navigation databases, and now it created a SmartChart for the VFR arrival at the upcoming Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo fly-in at Lakeland
Pretty cool. The clutter free charts are terrific. It’s also nice that it’s loadable into the GPS, which means autopilot coupling is an option to help keep your eyes outside on traffic. I fret a little that following the GPS track means everyone is being a little too precise and being not just near but exactly on course.