PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - The end of ADF at last?
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Old 14th August 2007 | 08:30
  #35 (permalink)  
S-Works
 
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 0
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From: UK,Twighlight Zone
Well I am glad you are a dying breed, lets hope you don't get a job with the CAA.....

Doing a type rating last few weeks in Canada, the guy teaching us was as old as the wright brothers and had a fascinating career flying everything from body bags in 172's across alaska using LORAN and ADF to Classic 747. He could see no place at all for ADF in this day and age and said that modern airliners that proclaimed to use NDB were actually just using the FMS to point at where the beacon should be. The Garmin can do that just as well.

ADF was a good tool when there was nothing better, just as carbs on cars were before fuel injection. Times change and if we don't change with them there will be nothing left of GA.

I for one won't miss the cost of maintaining a bit of kit that probably gets used twice a year and costs me a fortune to keep working. I have flown one NDB approach for real this year after arriving in Guernsey and the ILS was U/S in my friends Lance that only had steam kit (rectified now with a Garmin fit). The only other time I fly them is my ME/IR renewals.

Joining CAS at WCO is over half my airways joins and I won't miss the needle pointing miles off the track the GNS is giving. Guess what I have never missed WCO with the GPS but I would have many times with the ADF.
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