it's nothing short of amazing how accurate time and distance is if you stick to it
Spot on there, its never failed me! There is no fun in using a GPS. I find that prep on the ground pays divedends. When I was training for PPL, I used Google Earth to fly the route beforehand - I found it to be very useful. When I shut down the instructor said well done, good flight. Happy days
Likewise I have never heard of squawking 0030?