Portable GPS suitable for first job(poor ppl)?
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Portable GPS suitable for first job(poor ppl)?
Nearing the end of my training and starting to plan for the pilgrimage northwest so more budgeting needs to be done.
I was advised that while most if not all aircraft are running gps now in the GA work force it can be of great benefit if you have your own either as a back up or to use if the a/c does not have one.
Having no experience with using GPS until now, I have no idea what ones there are for portable use. Ive seen in a few pics on here what looks like a small Garmin model but Im looking for advice on what a good unit would be for a fresh CPL on a budget but with the right features looking to do outback flying. Seems to be plenty of guys and gals on here using them so it seems this is a good place to ask. Also heard that some of these car double as a road GPS? Is it even worth spending the money on?
Also, any ideas if CASA are ever going to allow iPad nav'ing?
I was advised that while most if not all aircraft are running gps now in the GA work force it can be of great benefit if you have your own either as a back up or to use if the a/c does not have one.
Having no experience with using GPS until now, I have no idea what ones there are for portable use. Ive seen in a few pics on here what looks like a small Garmin model but Im looking for advice on what a good unit would be for a fresh CPL on a budget but with the right features looking to do outback flying. Seems to be plenty of guys and gals on here using them so it seems this is a good place to ask. Also heard that some of these car double as a road GPS? Is it even worth spending the money on?
Also, any ideas if CASA are ever going to allow iPad nav'ing?
Garmin Aera 500 is pretty cool if you have a little extra to spend, otherwise i've always sworn by the Garmin 96c and have used one plenty around the NT with only one small issue with selecting user waypoints...sometimes it locked up, don't know if its something I was doing wrong though!! Quick turn off and back on again though, never locked up mid flight.
iPad and OzRunways
I doubt there is a better VFR GPS made than what the gents at OZrunways have come up for Ipad, every Aussie pilot should have it.
Plus with another simple app you can get a very passable car gps. Plus you have internet anywhere there is mobile coverage (with 3G Ipad).
Otherwise get any current Garmin Aviation GPS
Sprucegoose
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Now I have one with Ozrunways installed I am convinced it is a device for both nerds and pilots.
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I have both the Garmin Aera 500 (installed in AC) and a 96C, go for the 96C, cheaper, far more portable, can run off 12volt ciggy lighter or AA batteries, as reliable as a sunrise..
Buy some WAC's and learn to map read properly, like a real professional should!
When are flying schools going to learn that using a GPS is part of modern flying?
How many breaches of CTA would have been avoided if the pilot knew and understood GPS?
No one should get a PPL let alone a CPL without GPS training.
This is the 21st century
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Yes, totally agree Bob.
My point was more directed at the lack of basic map reading skills (ie ground speed checks, reference to 10nm marks laid on your track etc), I have seen in many newbies once the GPS is switched off. Batteries do run out alot, CB's cloud-out reception and the GPS shuts down on overheat regularly during daytime, especially up north.
GPS training in basic form is a great idea but sadly to go any further there are so many types and designs. It's a fast paced industry of change, just be careful as a pilot, what level it is TSO'd to and to what level you wish to use it.
Once in an airline you are trained and logbook-stamped for your type in use, if they use one. All larger jets are on multiple GPS receivers which we don't touch at all, while these are ancillary to the usual 2 INS's/IRS and auto tuning VOR/DME's...
I'm sure you won't be lead astray by all the other advice coming in... just buy some maps too! (LOL)
My point was more directed at the lack of basic map reading skills (ie ground speed checks, reference to 10nm marks laid on your track etc), I have seen in many newbies once the GPS is switched off. Batteries do run out alot, CB's cloud-out reception and the GPS shuts down on overheat regularly during daytime, especially up north.
GPS training in basic form is a great idea but sadly to go any further there are so many types and designs. It's a fast paced industry of change, just be careful as a pilot, what level it is TSO'd to and to what level you wish to use it.
Once in an airline you are trained and logbook-stamped for your type in use, if they use one. All larger jets are on multiple GPS receivers which we don't touch at all, while these are ancillary to the usual 2 INS's/IRS and auto tuning VOR/DME's...
I'm sure you won't be lead astray by all the other advice coming in... just buy some maps too! (LOL)
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Go out and get a Garmin 96.
They will get you in and out of all sorts of trouble. Know exactly where the lat/long screen is from the main page that you actually use. This helps in wet season or when the noise goes quiet. There will come a time where you need to place a lat/long onto your WAC chart to keep yourself out of trouble. Knowing where the Lat/Longs are and exactly how to get to that GPS page is valuable in an emergency and when you have to throw out a MAYDAY in a hurry. There is no use in being uncertain of your location!
Using the MARK function is useful for plotting out airstrips and checking ALA figures. You can change the unit settings, plot the two ends of the airstrip and actually work out a decent figure for the TORA. The Nearest function will be your best friend when operating on short hops over many sectors. Also for getting references to fields that you're near for radio calls etc.
Keep an eye on your ground-speed vs TAS for when you want to fly at the most efficient level - this concept is lost on some people.
The 96 is bulletproof. It doesn't overheat and can be dropped from a decent height and still survive and is simplistic to use. They don't chew through alot of batteries and mine has paid for itself many times.
Always keep spare sets of batteries because you never know when you will be caught short.
Buy yourself a leatherman, they come in very handy.
They will get you in and out of all sorts of trouble. Know exactly where the lat/long screen is from the main page that you actually use. This helps in wet season or when the noise goes quiet. There will come a time where you need to place a lat/long onto your WAC chart to keep yourself out of trouble. Knowing where the Lat/Longs are and exactly how to get to that GPS page is valuable in an emergency and when you have to throw out a MAYDAY in a hurry. There is no use in being uncertain of your location!
Using the MARK function is useful for plotting out airstrips and checking ALA figures. You can change the unit settings, plot the two ends of the airstrip and actually work out a decent figure for the TORA. The Nearest function will be your best friend when operating on short hops over many sectors. Also for getting references to fields that you're near for radio calls etc.
Keep an eye on your ground-speed vs TAS for when you want to fly at the most efficient level - this concept is lost on some people.
The 96 is bulletproof. It doesn't overheat and can be dropped from a decent height and still survive and is simplistic to use. They don't chew through alot of batteries and mine has paid for itself many times.
Always keep spare sets of batteries because you never know when you will be caught short.
Buy yourself a leatherman, they come in very handy.
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Garmin 495 if you can afford it or a secondhand 296, which is the preceding model but just as good, if the pennies are tight.
Don't you need 3G coverage to run ozrunways? Not often available in remote areas....
Don't you need 3G coverage to run ozrunways? Not often available in remote areas....
Don't you need 3G coverage to run ozrunways?
Given the apps available now for the iPad and the multiple uses you can have with the iPad, I'd just buy one of those. You're only after a VFR tool, and the iPad is suitable for that.
morno
Just make sure that you buy the Wi Fi 3G version. Only it has the GPS receiver fitted. Once you buy it you don't need to use a Sim card to run Ozrunways. However it would be very useful to have a Data connection whilst on the move. 
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Cheap and cheerful it's hard to beat a Garmin Etrex H for around $100 new
Batteries last a good 25 hours will get full reception sitting on the cockpit floor and being tiny easily fits in any nav or headset bag.
At the end of the day you should have learnt to navigate by DR in your CPL, and be aware of the different types of airspace around you. If you need more than a Bearing, Track, ETA and a Groundspeed to confirm what you should already know, what are you going to do when the unit switches off?
Garmin 96s, 495s, etc. are all nice to have, but hardly a MUST HAVE FOR FIRST JOB, especially for the price. Worth spending a tad more and getting one of the units that hooks up to a PC to enter new waypoints, displays a HSI, etc.
Batteries last a good 25 hours will get full reception sitting on the cockpit floor and being tiny easily fits in any nav or headset bag.
At the end of the day you should have learnt to navigate by DR in your CPL, and be aware of the different types of airspace around you. If you need more than a Bearing, Track, ETA and a Groundspeed to confirm what you should already know, what are you going to do when the unit switches off?
Garmin 96s, 495s, etc. are all nice to have, but hardly a MUST HAVE FOR FIRST JOB, especially for the price. Worth spending a tad more and getting one of the units that hooks up to a PC to enter new waypoints, displays a HSI, etc.