While the big guns go for their degrees in SA......
I believe that this issue of lookout and SA and lack of it is down to the training. Uk PPL has no requirement to learn GPS systems and only very basic instrument flying. All the while a good look out is drummed into the student. The GFT comes and goes, the license arrives and an aircraft is hired. Now many pilots are fairly gadety people, so they can't wait to get into the cockpit and start playing with all the kit that remained either switched off or unexplained by the instructor. Add a hand held GPS. All of a sudden there is a miriad of distractions although navigation (that was never very easy) is now done for you. The lookout is degraded. Maybe a good moving map GPS will benefit SA, but only if it is integrated into the basic flying skills. So may be the PPL should include instruction on navigation systems and how to use them as an aid rather than leave them to be a future distraction.
Last edited by Droopystop; 22nd September 2005 at 13:40.