Roger's Runway: SVT Pathways

The big feature of any synthetic system is the 3D terrain and the highway in the sky (HITS), and the new Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) for the G1000 is no different. The 3D terrain and the SVT’s version of the HITS, called Pathways, bring a new level of confidence to the cockpit. The Pathway boxes (which are 700 feet wide by 200 feet tall) offer course guidance for all phases of flight from en route legs, approach procedures, and finally arrival and departure procedures. One of the really nice features is that each of these legs is colored coded based on the navigation source - just like the HSI changes colors. So if the navigation source is GPS then the Pathway boxes are colored magenta. If the source is a VOR or localizer then the Pathway box is green. White Pathway boxes represent legs of the flight that are not activated yet. The Pathways also provide descent information for programmed legs, like approaches. If you have an ILS or a LPV approach loaded into you flight plan then the Pathways will actually gradually move down representing the glide slope. As long as you fly through the boxes, then the Pathway will guide you to your destination.