I skimmed your article. You are obviously a very clever bloke. Great notes on wind always being a negative on a round trip
I will look at the emailed wx. That's a useful add-on to one's toolbox especially when abroad and roaming (which is when things tend to go wrong
).
Probably thread creep, and GtE will probably slap me for that, but I am engaged in a debate with a friend of mine at the moment. He has access to a bells and whistles glass cockpit Cirrus, and won't get off the ground unless it is CAVOK and everything is working including data sync between iPad and GPS. I'm flying a 1960's PA28 with steam instruments... he thinks I am now unsafe because I am using out of date avionics... Difference is I can go flying on my own because I love the Map + Compass schenanigans...
He is just silly. Has he explained why you are supposedly unsafe?
I must admit that when I used to rent out my TB20 (years ago) I would not let anybody fly it unless they were competent with and used radio nav. My reason was that using "traditional" nav it is easy to get into a pickle and while the worst-case in the UK is the proverbial interview at the CAA without tea and biscuits (unless you are cocky and don't grovel in which case they will prosecute, and they seemingly will prosecute a major-visibility event like an air show), abroad it can be worse and the theoretical penalties in e.g. France are ~ 10k euros or aircraft confiscation. But then it was
my bouncy castle and all that...
I would go slightly wider eyed if somebody wanted to go from UK to say Crete using DR but if they are competent and stick to good vis wx etc etc there is no problem with it.
he will only go flying with an attractive bird next to him who he is trying to impress....
Well, he is 100% right to take birds out only in perfect wx