Leave your GPS at home
Join Date: May 2001
Location: 75N 16E
Age: 54
Posts: 4,729
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
englishal; Was wondering, do you use a software package that completes PLOGs for you using real weather/timings etc? If so be interested to know what it is.
I also use SkybookGA.co.uk and when I have the Jepp Plog I plug this into Skybook too and generate a Tripkit of all weather charts and notams overlaid on my route. Then I download the datachunk to my cheap-as-chips eTrek GPS as backup. Now if my 496 fails, I still have the route on my eTrek and although no moving map, it doesn't matter, I can reference it to the map. Skybook tell me that soon you will be able to generate a PLOG from the website, which I look forward to..
All this only takes 5 mins once you know where you are going.
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
When flying an NDB approach and you also have a hand held aviation GPS running do you fly the GPS track line or try and maintain the track with the ADF needle when the ADF is hunting back and forth due to whatever is causing the hunting of the needle?
Here is another quick one.
When flying towards an NDB that is several hundred miles in front of you would you use a hand held GPS to maintain an accurate track or only use the ADF needle?
When flying towards an NDB that is several hundred miles in front of you would you use a hand held GPS to maintain an accurate track or only use the ADF needle?
Quite right, IO540!
One uses experience to assess whether GPS and 'conventional' information conform and reacts accordingly.
For VFR navigation, I'm a staunch advocate of a map, stopwatch and GPS! Line on map, quick calculation of heading and time using either whizzwheel, abacus, calculator or software, then pop the route into the GPS. Check track/dist is as expected, then enjoy the view maintaining track.
I teach (if I ever get the chance....
) 'Standard Closing Angle', map and whizzwheel at basic level - but no-one should poo-poo the sensible use of GPS within its limitations.
As I said at a GPS conference recently, "How many of you used your Garmins or Tom-Toms to find this place when you drove here?" I certainly did!
Dinosaurs who view GPS as Satan's Tool will never agree though. But equally, the idiot who rocks up to an aeroplane with his handheld, enters DCT to somewhere without checking route or even NOTAM, then busts airspace and/or the Red Arrows does no favours whatsoever to the huge number of people who use GPS correctly.
One uses experience to assess whether GPS and 'conventional' information conform and reacts accordingly.
For VFR navigation, I'm a staunch advocate of a map, stopwatch and GPS! Line on map, quick calculation of heading and time using either whizzwheel, abacus, calculator or software, then pop the route into the GPS. Check track/dist is as expected, then enjoy the view maintaining track.
I teach (if I ever get the chance....
) 'Standard Closing Angle', map and whizzwheel at basic level - but no-one should poo-poo the sensible use of GPS within its limitations.As I said at a GPS conference recently, "How many of you used your Garmins or Tom-Toms to find this place when you drove here?" I certainly did!
Dinosaurs who view GPS as Satan's Tool will never agree though. But equally, the idiot who rocks up to an aeroplane with his handheld, enters DCT to somewhere without checking route or even NOTAM, then busts airspace and/or the Red Arrows does no favours whatsoever to the huge number of people who use GPS correctly.
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think we are paying the price for many years of GA being full of statements like "GPS is illegal" or "GPS is illegal for primary navigation" etc etc, coming from quasi-official publications like GASCO or GASIL (which have the appearance and certainly the patronising prose which suggests, perhaps not entirely unintended, that it is the mouthpiece of the CAA). Plus the mainstream GA mags saying the same - though they have become a lot more modern lately.
Taking a novice pilot who has never seen anything other than the inside of a flying school, it is hardly suprising that so many pilots believe this crap.
I think that one reason that modern technology is more warmly embraced elsewhere in Europe is that the schools/clubs out there are less reluctant to have experienced PPLs hanging around. In the UK, the school environment is relatively sterile and the student gets to know exactly nothing which doesn't come from the instructors - until he gets his PPL and then how the hell do you go from here to somewhere far away??
Taking a novice pilot who has never seen anything other than the inside of a flying school, it is hardly suprising that so many pilots believe this crap.
I think that one reason that modern technology is more warmly embraced elsewhere in Europe is that the schools/clubs out there are less reluctant to have experienced PPLs hanging around. In the UK, the school environment is relatively sterile and the student gets to know exactly nothing which doesn't come from the instructors - until he gets his PPL and then how the hell do you go from here to somewhere far away??
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: North West UK
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Belt 'n' braces!
Bose sums things up very well - use all the information available and CROSS CHECK. Like the original 3 points of reference to identify a town...
We have 2x 430s installed, so redundancy should ensure that we don't get lost, but we still do a plot, use the wizzwheel and check the notams etc. We have experienced failures with HH GPSs caused by interference from the radios on certain frequencies. Also, the Garmins are slightly slow - has any one else noticed this? There seems to be about 15 seconds delay over a given positive location. This is not too much of a problem at height, but can be significant at low level.
RF
We have 2x 430s installed, so redundancy should ensure that we don't get lost, but we still do a plot, use the wizzwheel and check the notams etc. We have experienced failures with HH GPSs caused by interference from the radios on certain frequencies. Also, the Garmins are slightly slow - has any one else noticed this? There seems to be about 15 seconds delay over a given positive location. This is not too much of a problem at height, but can be significant at low level.
RF
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We have experienced failures with HH GPSs caused by interference from the radios on certain frequencies. Also, the Garmins are slightly slow - has any one else noticed this? There seems to be about 15 seconds delay over a given positive location. This is not too much of a problem at height, but can be significant at low level.
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't own a portable GPS but the aircraft i fly most of teh time does have a 430 , whihc si jsut use as a back up to reconfirm where I am.
I don't use dead reckoning but use radio navigation exclusively. I haven't used dead reckoning since my skills test so would be rusty using that method.
Probably not a good thing if I'm honest , but radio navigation has servered me very so far so don't see any reason to move away from it. I plan my flight as IFR anyway so seems the obvious way for me operate.
I don't use dead reckoning but use radio navigation exclusively. I haven't used dead reckoning since my skills test so would be rusty using that method.
Probably not a good thing if I'm honest , but radio navigation has servered me very so far so don't see any reason to move away from it. I plan my flight as IFR anyway so seems the obvious way for me operate.
Join Date: May 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 4,631
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The VOR network is conveniently designed around airways on route navigation. Whilst clearly it can be made to work reasonably well for IFR and VFR navigation OCAS the more especially if you have RNAV that is not its ideal purpose. In fact it is often really hard to construct a route OCAS using only VORs without having to factor in all sorts of deviations to avoid danger areas, ATZ, CAS, NOTAM’ed airspace etc. Why would you want to complicate the process if you could keep it simple? In fact I would imagine in IMC this is a better recipe for infringing some bit of airspace that you wished you hadn’t than following the magenta line.
Much better to enter a precision flying event if your chart skills are a bit rusty and you feel you want to brush them up. These events are a great deal of fun and a far better way to see how good (or bad) you really are. Interestingly those who reckon their skills are pretty good, but haven’t taken part before, usually find they are in for a shock!
Much better to enter a precision flying event if your chart skills are a bit rusty and you feel you want to brush them up. These events are a great deal of fun and a far better way to see how good (or bad) you really are. Interestingly those who reckon their skills are pretty good, but haven’t taken part before, usually find they are in for a shock!
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Londonish
Posts: 779
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
what's the big deal? The number of CAS infringements?
Amen to that Islander 2, reading the reports of CAS infringements is nothing short of embarrassing.
Amen to that Islander 2, reading the reports of CAS infringements is nothing short of embarrassing.
I'd love to see a breakdown between GPS directed busts / didn't do any nav or planning busts / did proper map&watch but got it wrong busts.
IMHO, the inept / lazy will find a way to fcuk it up, whatever the technology. Sure, GPS is a great tool, but the universal panacea for airspace busts? I'm unconvinced!
Last edited by Mark1234; 5th Nov 2008 at 16:19.
Join Date: May 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 4,631
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
And fly-by-gps will fix that? Seriously?
It is not the GPS that "fixes" anything.
What really "fixes" things is the pilot being able to see in real time exactly where he is on a large colour moving map.
Of course, I suppose there are a few who havent even worked out how to read a chart - yet - but as they say, you can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you are never going to get it right with all of the people all of the time - someone is always "special"!
