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Old 11th Jan 2017, 19:01
  #22 (permalink)  
n5296s
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
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:-) I'm amazed how long it took someone to say this.

I love vintage things as much as anyone. I have a fantastic example of a 1950s electromechanical calculator sitting on my desk, but I don't use it to do my taxes. I use 1950s era valve amplifiers to listen to music, but my avionics are all firmly solid state. I'm a huge fan of the vintage computer work going on at the National Computer Museum, but I use a Macbook to do actual computing.

I can and have navigated with everything available, yes even including ADF/NDB - even flew an NDB approach to perfection on my IR checkride. But that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

The ONLY role of ADF/NDB in the 2010s is to get through checkrides etc that demand it. It has no more role in practical (and safe) navigation than the four-way range or the large arrows formed on the ground across the western USA. The FAA has (finally) dropped them from its written tests (so I'm told - they were still there for mine). Just as well, because there are very few NDBs left here.

The CAA seems to operate on the basis that it is still 1949. That's just something you have to live with if you want to fly in the UK, but it doesn't make it a good recipe for practical flying skills.
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