Mxsmanic wrote:

Besides, not all aircraft have G1000s installed, fortunately.

This is the real crux of the matter with the new stuff. In the old days, I
could jump into pretty much any airplane equipped with VOR receivers and
figure out how to use them. There just wasn't that much functionality, so
the UIs were all pretty much the same.

With modern GPS, glass panel, etc, it's a whole new story. I've spent a
lot of time over the past few years showing people how the CNX-80 (GNS-480)
works. Basic proficiency take 10 flight hours spread out over 4-6 flights,
and that assumes the student puts in some effort to study the manuals
between flights. I would expect another 10 hours of practice on their own
before they launched into any serious IMC.

And, once they have mastered that, they have learned how to fly ONE model
of GPS. If they move to another unit, some of the knowledge will cary
over, but a lot of it will be starting from scratch.