Originally Posted by
IO540
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What really amazes me however is how many obviously intelligent people on the flying scene buy into this anti-GPS stuff.
Sure, a GPS can pack up. I've had the panel mount one pack up, on the ground, and had to fly VOR/DME/vectors for 700nm all the way home. No big deal at all. I had a couple of backup GPSs which worked but not much good for airways. A VOR or DME could pack up just as easily; the difference is that somebody will just have a moan and get his cheque book out whereas with a GPS he tells everybody about it, as some sort of apocalyptic warning of impending doom for all things that get airborne.
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I am not anti-GPS but I think that many people place too much reliance on it, to the extent that when it packs up, they are unable to navigate in any other way as IO540 describes. You just have to use it as part of your navigation method, just like you use a map or a VOR. If you regularly update your map with your position from GPS, then, when it goes, you know where you are (or rather where you were at your last update).
I recall in 2001 coming south from East Fortune in August when it failed - I think it was MoD jamming testing. My mate as PIC had a total brain failure - "what do I do now?". "How about continue on the same heading and look at the map?" "What heading were we on?"!!!
In IFR you expect, and practice for, failure of various systems. The difference is that there are lots of people without IRs who use GPS as their primary and ONLY navigation means, and forget their spare batteries (etc).