When Jim Seaman picked up his new Cessna 172 Skyhawk on August 22, Cessna said that he had no idea he was also helping them reach a significant milestone. Mr. Seaman, a Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation broker associate from Loma Linda, California, is the 1,000th Cessna customer to enroll in the company's Garmin G1000 factory-authorized training program.

"Information presented during the training is very cohesive," said Mr. Seaman. "The G1000 simulator is very high-tech and very visual. The learning curve is easy because of the integrated teaching approach."

During the three-day training program, each customer is assigned an individual workstation and a computer equipped with a sophisticated, Garmin G1000 simulator program. Using a combination of classroom instruction, simulator exercises, and actual flight time, customers quickly become well acquainted with the G1000's capabilities. The program meets the Federal Aviation Administration's Industry Training Standards (FITS).

Cessna trains 20 to 30 customers per week and continues to expand the training department capability to keep up with the increasing demand. The course is taught by 11 full-time flight instructors whose selection was based on their aviation and teaching experience and on their excellent customer service skills.

In addition to the factory-based instructors, there are more than 90 Cessna Pilot Center flight instructors trained to conduct the Cessna G1000 transition course in the field.

The G1000 system integrates all primary flight, navigation, communication, terrain, traffic, weather, and Engine Instrumentation and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) data on two 10.4-inch, high-definition LCDs in all new Cessna Single-Engine Piston models. These active-matrix displays feature XGA resolution (1,024 x 768-pixel count) and are capable of presenting data in brilliant, sunlight-readable color at wide viewing angles.

"I had been flying airplanes of the 1977 and 1979 vintage," Seaman said.

"Flying my new Cessna with the Garmin G1000 is like going from a very basic car to a Mercedes. The G1000's advanced capabilities decrease my workload and increase safety."

FMI: www.cessna.com, www.garmin.com