INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PLTS EXPERIENCE CFTT ON NIGHT VFR CROSS COUNTRY.

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IN CRUISE 40 MI FROM ZZZ AT 6500 FT MSL; I ASKED MY STUDENT (PVT; FIRST NIGHT XCOUNTRY; AND UNFAMILIAR WITH G1000 EFIS); TO CHK FIELD ELEVATION AND TPA AT ZZZ. I CANNOT REMEMBER HIS RESPONSE ON FIELD ELEVATION; PERHAPS INDICATING THAT I WASN'T REALLY LISTENING; AS THE NUMBER I WANTED WAS TPA. HE RESPONDED THAT PATTERN ALT WAS 1300 FT; WHICH HE LATER INFORMED ME WAS BASED ON AN INCORRECT ADDITION OF 200 FT INSTEAD OF 1000 FT TO THE FIELD ELEVATION; RATHER THAN REFERRING TO THE PUBLISHED TPA). DESIRING TO DEMONSTRATE THE VERT NAV DSCNT PLANNING TOOLS OF THE G1000 AVIONICS; I WAS ALREADY ON THE APPROPRIATE VNAV PAGE; AND FAILED TO CHK FIELD ELEVATION MYSELF EITHER WITH THE USE OF THE G1000 OR THE PAPER SECTIONAL CHART. THE VNAV PROFILE WAS PROGRAMMED FOR A DSCNT AT 600 FPM; TO ARRIVE 6 MI FROM THE ARPT AT 1600 FT (I INTENDED TO DSND TO TPA CLOSER TO THE ARPT; TO ENSURE THAT OUR ALT WAS 'PADDED' AND TO WAIT FOR THE FIELD IN SIGHT). WE FLEW THE PROFILE EXACTLY; AND I SELECTED TAWS ON THE MFD MAIN MAP SCREEN. ON INITIAL CONTACT WITH TWR; THE CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO SQUAWK A UNIQUE CODE; AND TO RPT 5 MI FINAL STRAIGHT-IN FOR RWY XX. HE ALSO ADVISED OF TFC IN THE PATTERN. WE COMPLETED OUR DSCNT AND LNDG CHKLISTS; AND I BEGAN TO SEARCH FOR THE RWY (WE HAD THE BEACON IN SIGHT) AND THE OTHER TFC. AT ABOUT 1900 FT MSL; I BECAME CONCERNED THAT WE WERE LOW BECAUSE I FELT THAT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THE RWY; THAT THE TFC IN THE PATTERN APPEARED TO BE ABOVE US; THAT THE MAP WAS 90% YELLOW (THE COLOR FOR LESS THAN 1000 FT BUT MORE THAN 100 FT AGL) AND THAT THE LIGHTS ON THE GND APPEARED TO INDICATE THAT WE WERE BELOW 1000 FT. I INSTRUCTED THE STUDENT TO CLB SEVERAL HUNDRED FT AND ASKED AGAIN WHAT TFC PATTERN WAS; WHILE MOVING TO THE WAYPOINT -- ARPT INFO PAGE. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE QUESTION; THE TWR CTLR ISSUED A LOW ALT ALERT; AND PROVIDED CURRENT ALTIMETER SETTING. I INSTRUCTED THE STUDENT TO CLB AGAIN; AND ASKED THE CTLR WHAT TFC PATTERN ALT WAS. I'M UNSURE IF THE CTLR HEARD OR RESPONDED; BECAUSE MY STUDENT (STILL UNCONCERNED) INFORMED ME AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME I VERIFIED THE CORRECT ALTIMETER SETTING AND THE FIELD ELEVATION ACCORDING TO THE GARMIN THAT FIELD ELEVATION WAS 1100 FT. I COMMANDED A CLB TO 2100 FT UNTIL THE ARPT AND APCH LIGHTING WERE IN SIGHT. I FELT THE PRIMARY CAUSE WAS THAT I FAILED TO DOUBLECHK FIELD ELEVATION (MUCH LESS CHK THE PAPER CHART). CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE PREOCCUPATION WITH THE VNAV FUNCTION; FAILURE TO REF THE PUBLISHED AFD AND SECTIONAL CHART; AND THE STUDENT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY DEFINE AND IDENT TPA; AND THE FAILURE TO PROGRAM AND SELF-BRIEF THE NDB 35 (GPS OVERLAY) APCH PROC FOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS (I HAD REJECTED ITS USE BECAUSE THE FINAL APCH COURSE WAS NOT EXACTLY STRAIGHT-IN). EFIS WAS A FACTOR IN THAT; ON MOST OF MY FLTS TO THAT ARPT; I HAVE ONLY AN ALTIMETER AND PAPER CHART; SIMPLIFYING ALT AWARENESS. EFIS WAS A POSITIVE FACTOR IN TERRAIN WARNING AND EASE OF DISCOVERING ACTUAL FIELD ELEVATION WHEN THE PROB WAS DEFINED. I RECOMMEND THAT THE PIC FIRST POSITIVELY IDENT ALT AND TERRAIN INFO PRIOR TO DSCNT WITH THE ACTUAL PAPER CHARTS PRIOR TO DSCNT AND/OR VNAV PROGRAMMING. SECOND; THAT THE VNAV'S ALT ABOVE WAYPOINT (THEREFORE AGL) FEATURE BE USED INSTEAD OF; OR TO XCHK; MSL ALTS FOR DSCNTS TO LNDG. SAFE COMPLETION OF THE FLT WAS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF PRIOR EDUCATION ON HUMAN FACTORS; SPECIFICALLY CFIT IN BOTH MOUNTAINOUS AND FLAT TERRAIN; PROMPTING MY IMMEDIATE CLB COMMAND AT THE FIRST DOUBT. ALSO; THE CTLR'S PROMPT LOW ALT WARNING WAS OBSERVANT AND HELPFUL; AND CAME AS SOON AS HE POSSIBLY COULD HAVE REALIZED WE HAD GONE (EVEN SLIGHTLY) LOWER THAN WAS NORMAL ON APCH.