The danger of teaching GPS to PPLs is that, because of the presentation of data on the GPS, it is too easy to use it incorrectly, i.e. to fly by reference to the moving map, rather than by reference to compass and stopwatch.
Why. That’s the way its been done since - well forever.
Times are changing.
I learnt to use a sextant. You will be hard pushed to find a yachtie that can.
I remember my first Decca set. You relied on DR because you couldn’t rely on the Decca.
It is becoming the norm for new aircraft to have a panel mounted GPS. I suspect that G1000 glass screens will end up cheaper for the manufacturers to fit than traditional instruments. At the moment the profit margin is high, but there are huge savings in fitting two glass panels and a rack of avionics conveniently located somewhere else in the aircraft than shoe horning a collection of traditional avionics into a panel.
Times are changing.
We have always plotted a course, steered a heading and compared how well this is worked out compared with some other reference (be it visual cues, VORs, DMEs or NDBs). Gradually we fine tune our heading and end up with something that is acceptably accurate.
Good fun, yes, but efficient and intuitive, I doubt it, we do it that way because well we always have.
Give a student a G1000 and a magenta line and he will approach getting from A to B in quite a different way.
Ah, I hear you say, but just wait until a sun spot sneaks up unexpectedly and watch the chaos ensue. You may be right, but most people couldn’t replace their fan belt with a pair of stockings, but fortunately fan belts are also a lot more reliable than they use to be.