Originally Posted by Islander2
But those same antagonists, in some cases, are complicit in a serious failing of the current PPL for many students, and I do get hot under the collar about that.
The fact is, a majority of pilots WILL use GPS when they get their licence, and some of those poor, misguided fools will go on to use it as the primary means of navigation. But the position taken by some individuals within the CAA and within much of the training industry will have ensured that many of those pilots received little or no useful tuition in flight planning and navigation where a GPS is to be used. They will not have a proper understanding of the gotchas, and how to avoid them. And they will not have a scientific basis for developing appropriate SOP's.
Those same individuals then wag their fingers where GPS is said to be a contributory factor in CAS infringements or head-in-cockpit airproxes, and attempt to take the moral high ground by saying: "I told them not to do it!"
[snip]
Surely, instead, the training industry should be providing practical assistance in GPS operation ... based on facts and experience rather than 'it wasn't like that in my day' prejudice ... to help those pilots fly safely.
Quite agree totally. Which is why GPS training *IS* in the PPL syllabus, and should be taught wherever practicle. I ensure that all my students get basics in GPS (typically use of long-lat, and NRST, Direct) etc - anything else starts getting very GPS specific though and they are best reading the manual for their prefered unit.
Originally Posted by Islander2
GPS is here to stay. It WILL be used by numerous pilots as their primary means of navigation. Scaremongering by saying that it's not legal (untrue), unreliable (untrue) inaccurate (untrue), too difficult to use safely unless you fly daily (untrue) and all the other nonsense that is aired on here from time to time is unhelpful.
er....sorry which bit of primary means is not legal (untrue)? Christ we are talking about PPLs here - and students - not ruddy 747 FO & captains - Who the hell in the PPL world uses BRNAV or PRNAV? hands up?! I can probably count them on one hand. GPS in the open FIR is not a legal primary means for the average PPL holder. Perhaps you can show us the reference that states it is?
unreliable(?) - potentially, NOTAMS are regularly put ot regarding GPS jamming and areas of unreliable reception - so it is to a degree more unreliable - but in specific circumstances. For the average Joe the reliability issue is not one of technology per se - but more one of BATTERIES....
