I'm posting this mainly for  aviationfurs

Had the privilege of flying a beautiful, practically brand-spanking-new 182 through Civil Air Patrol, which is seriously, seriously nice. The G1000 is NOT a cheap package, and requires quite extensive tutorials and training to operate, but for the neat stuff you can do with it, it's worth the time to learn. I will be getting a G1000 simulator from Garmin, myself.

It is a much more complex system, obviously, the engine run-up was at least five times as annoying, and I personally prefer good ol' mechanical instruments, but seeing as this is pretty much a staple in new aircraft, it's kind of a necessity to understand.

Of course, the main thing that makes a 182 physically different to fly than say a 172 is the variable-pitch constant speed prop, which would be that blue knob between the black (throttle) and the orange (fuel mixture)

Also, I got to see auto-pilot in action for the first time... let me tell you, it's fucking scary XD