The Sporty’s Pilot Training App Adds a New Garmin Autopilot Course

The latest PilotWorkshops course is now available in the Sporty’s Pilot Training app.

Garmin GFC Autopilots: Next Level is a 140-minute video course designed to help pilots get beyond basic autopilot buttonology and better understand how Garmin GFC autopilots behave in real-world flying. The course is taught by Ryan Koch, an instrument flight instructor and the developer behind several PilotWorkshops training programs.

Rather than simply reviewing what each button does, the course uses progressively complex flights to demonstrate practical techniques for using the autopilot during:

• Takeoffs into IMC
• Departures and SIDs
• Approaches and missed approaches
• VNAV descents
• Textual departures and holds
• Step-down approaches
• Non-RNAV approaches

It also covers the subtle details that can make a difference in the cockpit, including anticipating autopilot turn direction, choosing the right vertical mode, understanding the difference between NAV and APR, and knowing what to verify after engaging the autopilot.

Learn on Your iPad

The new course joins a growing selection of PilotWorkshops training programs available through the Sporty’s Pilot Training app. The app lets pilots watch course videos on an iPad or iPhone, and course videos can be downloaded for offline viewing.

That makes the course useful beyond the cockpit, too. Watch a lesson at home, review a technique before a flight, or download the course for a trip when an internet connection isn’t guaranteed.

The Pilot Training app now includes several PilotWorkshops courses in addition to Sporty’s own training library, including Garmin GTN: Next Level, Instrument Rating Accelerator, IFR: The Missing Lessons, Private Pilot: The Missing Lessons, and others.

Ready to learn more about your autopilot?

Garmin GFC Autopilots: Next Level is available now with a free preview in the Sporty’s Pilot Training app and through the Sporty’s online course portal.

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Eric Radtke

It was his first airplane trip at age seven that made Eric decide to become a pilot. "While boarding the airplane, a flight attendant noticed my interest in the flight deck and urged me to go talk to the pilot. I give a lot of credit to that pilot for my career choice." Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and went on to an airline career. He learned to fly at Sporty’s as part of the University of Cincinnati’s Professional Pilot Program, an initiative he later directed. Eric now manages Sporty’s media network. In addition, Eric serves as a Captain in a Cincinnati-based corporate flight department.

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