Originally Posted by FormationFlyer
Er. No 3. Where is your information for this? 1 & 2 are already accepted. 3 isnt and I havent seen a proposal in the UK for this - I would be interested in reading the background material - out of curiosity - and I would add that all approaches to a/d under IMC must be published approaches.
At the AGM of PPL/IR Europe at Cambridge Airport on 6th May 2006 there will be a presentation by Adam Whitehead, Staff Flight Examiner from the CAA, on the progress that has been made with trialling GPS approaches in the UK. I understand it is possible one of those approaches could be active by that date. I believe non-members are welcome to attend, so you may like to come along. Details can be found on the PPL/IR Europe website.
Also, I believe you are incorrect when you say that all approaches in IMC must be published approaches. And my view would seem to be supported by the CAA, since in January 2003 they published an RIA for a proposed amendment to the ANO that,
inter alia, would prohibit any person from flying any instrument approach procedure to any aerodrome in the UK otherwise than in accordance with an approval granted by the CAA to the person in charge of the aerodrome. The proposed amendment has not been incorporated.
Finally, on GPS comparison with other aids, it is simply ludicrous that you and others continue to put forward arguments as to why GPS is a fundamentally less reliable system than the traditional aids. Nobody is saying that it is 100% reliable and, yes, that needs to be taken into consideration, but it's pretty damn close. My aeroplane has had panel-mounted GPS alongside a traditional full-airways fit for the last twelve years. During that time, I've experienced one instance of loss of GPS accurate-position availability, and that was for a period of around one minute! Across the same period, I've lost count of the numerous times I've been unable to use VORs because of their unserviceability or lack of range at lower levels, or unable to use NDBs because of weather or worries about their hopeless inaccuracy at night or near the coast.
Experience has shown, for me, that the basic arguments against use of GPS are fundamentally Luddite in nature. I am 100% confident that the vast majority of pilots getting a reasonable level of exposure to GPS reach the same conclusion. So, whatever the views of the dinosaurs, it is fast becoming the prevelant form of navigation in GA, and that is not going to change.
What is needed for safe use of the GPS equipment is knowledge, some limited skills development, and appropriate SOPs. But that is no different from many other aspects of flying an aeroplane safely.