AN SMA PLT USING AN ADVANCED NAVIGATION SYSTEM FAILED TO SELECT THE VLOC MODE AND FLEW THROUGH THE CLRED LOCALIZER COURSE WITH GPS SELECTED.

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DURING A SHORT CROSS COUNTRY FROM ZZZ TO OSH; AND WHILE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN; WE WERE CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 36 APCH BY CHICAGO CTR. WE WERE ASKED TO MAINTAIN 2700 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED AND WERE ASKED TO CONTACT TWR. WE CONTINUED ON THE ASSIGNED HDG EXPECTING TO INTERCEPT THE LOCALIZER. NO SUCCESS. TWR ASKED US IF WE INTENDED TO LAND RWY 36 AND WE RESPONDED YES. TWR SAID THAT CHICAGO CTR INDICATED OUR ACFT POSITION WAS 3 MILES RIGHT/EAST OF THE RWY 36 CTRLINE. REALIZING THE RADIO NAVIGATION TROUBLES; WE CANCELLED IFR AND LANDED SAFELY ON RWY 36 USING VISUAL REFERENCE. POST LNDG DISCUSSION ENSUED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF NAVIGATIONAL ERRORS. WE DISCOVERED THE GARMIN 430 TO HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR GPS; INSTEAD OF THE DESIRED VLOC SETTING. ONLY ONE BUTTON SEPARATED US FROM SUCCESS AND FAILURE. WE WILL BE EXTRA CAREFUL TO AVOID THIS PROB ON ALL FUTURE IFR APCH EFFORTS. BY THE WAY; OSH LNDG TFC WAS VERY QUIET AT THE TIME OF THIS NAVIGATIONAL ERROR. NO REQUEST WAS MADE TO CONTACT TWR. NO OTHER ACFT WERE IMPACTED BY OUR ERROR. BETTER PLT UNDERSTANDING OF THE GARMIN 430 WOULD HELP TO AVOID THIS PROB IN THE FUTURE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WAS THE ACFT'S OWNER; A FRIEND; IS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED BUT HAD THE ADVANCED NAVIGATION EQUIP IN HIS ACFT. THE OWNER WAS FLYING THAT DAY WITH THE INSTRUMENT RATED RPTR ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. WHEN THE APCH BEGAN; THE NON INSTRUMENT RATED PLT FLYING WAS EXPECTING THE VLOC NEEDLE SWING AND THE AUTOPLT TO CAPTURE WHILE THE INSTRUMENT RATED NON FLYING PLT WHO DID NOT KNOW THE SYSTEM DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. HOWEVER; HE KNEW THAT THEY DID NOT SELECT THE GPS APCH PRIOR TO FLT. THE GPS ILLUMINATED CDI LIGHT WAS MISSED BY BOTH PLTS WHO THEN BECAME CONFUSED ABOUT WHY THE COUPLED AUTOPLT DID NOT CAPTURE THE LOC WHEN THE CORRECT ILS FREQ WAS SELECTED. SECONDLY; THE RPTR WAS CONFUSED BECAUSE THE DISPLAY WAS TRACK UP WHILE HIS PAPER CHART WAS NORTH UP. THE TWO PLTS WERE FLYING VMC AT THE TIME AND COULD SEE THE ARPT BUT BECAUSE HE COULD NOT MAP THE NORTH UP APCH PLATE TO THE TRACK UP ELECTRONIC DISPLAY HE WAS UNSURE WHAT HE WAS LOOKING AT. RPT'S FEEDBACK IS; 'BE MORE THAN JUST FAMILIAR WITH THE EQUIP.' NEITHER PLT HAS COMPLETED A FORMAL TRAINING COURSE ON THE GARMIN 430. THE RPTR FEELS THE FAA SHOULD REQUIRE A MINIMUM CERTIFICATE ON ADVANCED NAVIGATION SYSTEMS PRIOR TO OPERATING AN ACFT WITH A SYSTEM INSTALLED. THE MAJOR ISSUE IS COST AND SECONDARILY; AVAILABILITY OF COURSES. HE FEELS THE FAA SHOULD OFFER A BASIC AUTOMATION GND SCHOOL FOR ANYONE.