The point is that it is
not necessary to use 'direct to' with other Garmins which have more flexibly configurable 'present position' options. This is how it is described in the manual for the GNC250:
This feature is
not included in the Aera series and I for one would miss it. Here's how the 'present position' options are described for the Aera series:
When teaching students in the earlier stages of their PPL course, we always ensured that they could read their present position as a brg/dist from home aerodrome
long before they started navigation training. So, if they were to become uncertain of position, they could call the home aerodrome and simply state their brg/dist before requesting assistance. A very useful feature for training aeroplane use.