Leave your GPS at home

[modelman]

I'm sure a great many of people here still complete a PLOG with track lines,times etc but if they are really honest,once they strap in then it's GPS all the way.
I include myself in the above,but I have started to sharpen up my DR skills by not switching it on.( have yet to leave it at home as I see no need to put extra pressure on oneself if the DR session goes a bit squirrely).
This has been precipitated by a recent GPS outage when I was in less than perfect vis.(love those VOR/DME's)

Anybody else keep their GPS turned off?

MM

[gfunc]

In the aircraft I rent they have the nav/com radio built in (Garmin 430), so technically no; but I do zoom in all the way and try and navigate by map and dead reckoning, since its more challenging and fun.

The only exception is near the boundaries of controlled airspace, where I use the GPS to double check I'm not infringing. It's poor airmanship not to.

Gareth.

[IO540]

I fly 100% on the GPS.

An IFR panel mount unit is always (unless doing a local bimble along the coast) programmed with the route, and when flying VFR I also have the real VFR printed chart running on another GPS (a tablet computer) so I can see airspace etc.

I would not fly without GPS. Too easy to make a mistake and end up busting CAS, etc. Flying should be enjoyable, not full of worry about where exactly one is.

[steveking]

I fly from the south east were controlled airspace is every where and my aircraft can quite happily cruise at 150 + kts. I have VOR kit in the aircraft and on longer flights back up what the GPS says with VOR's as I have had it go off twice, both times were ariel probs as my 296 is panel mounted and uses the remote lead. I know carry the original antenna in the aircraft just incase. Although DR can be satisfying Im not sure I'd like to rely on it in the airspace enviroment we have. I suppose if I were on a flight where I knew I was well away from controlled airspace then it could be fun to switch it off but as for leaving it at home Hmmm probally not.

[FREDAcheck]

I carry GPS most of the time, and have it switched on. However, I never rely on it as the sole means of navigation. In VFR/VMC, I make sure that 100% of the time I know where I am by eye. When IMC or out of sight of the surface, I make quite certain my route and waypoints can be navigated entirely by radio nav.

Frankly, GPS is more accurate and more reliable than the VOR equipment in the planes I fly (and much more so than NDB/ADF navigation). But even GPS fails. The most common failure (for me) is inaccurate programming of the route or the waypoints, or other finger trouble. And I update the database only every couple of years, so airspace boundaries are not be relied on.

My policy, except on local flights, is always to have two independent methods of navigation. But that's just me. I'm not going to argue with anyone that says they always/never use GPS/DR/radio/INS/divine-guidance or whatever.

[stocker]

I never keep mine off.
Its always there for reference if the vis is not great otherwise I never look at it.
Scotland is a doddle to find your way around in good vmc but I imagine some of the flatlands of the south would be a challenge when things all look the same. I`d use it for nav down there all the time.

[dublinpilot]

I never fly with the GPS off. I do however, on the occasional flight, turn it away so that I can't easily see it.

Any doubt though, and I will refer back to it.

I would not advocate turning it off, but keeping it onboard as a backup. This is for the simple reason, that GPS's find it more difficult to get a fix when moving fast. (This is particularly important with non Sifi III models, which is most of the portable aviation units.)

Combine this with a poor view of the sky in many GA machines, and perhaps the unit not having been switched in in 8 weeks (which means an old satelite position database) means that you might struggle to get a fix when you most need it.

For these reasons, I tend to turn it on, getting a good 3d fix, and then turning it away where I can't see it, if I want to test my dr skills.

dp

[172driver]

GPS always on and database up to date. On longer flights, also VOR and NDB (the a/c I usually fly has two VORs). For amusement, always do some VOR triangulations or NDB tracking.

There are a couple of good reasons not to switch your GPS off when flying.

1) as stated already, especially handhelds w/o external antenna can have trouble locking on to the satellites - and the next-to last thing you want is having to wait anxiously for the unit to position itself

2) the LAST thing you want, however, is your own lack of currency with the unit. I certainly wouldn't want to have to think too hard about the various GPS functions when I really, really need it. The more complex the unit, the more 'currency' is required. I sometimes fly an a/c that's 430 equipped. As do this rather rarely I make sure to put in a sim session for the 430 before going flying (this is a free training CD from Garmin).

Call me a stickler, but I try to remain current with ALL the equipment I have in the various a/c I fly. Why anyone would want to fly with a navaid available and *off* is somewhat beyond me.

[scooter boy]

GPS (x2) - on
autopilot - on except for takeoff and landing
TCAS - on
VOR/DME as backup and for ILS
eyes outside of the cockpit (except when in IMC)

I carry a spare handheld VHF radio, EPIRB and handheld GPS

You really mustn't feel guilty about relying on new fangled technology.

Ded reckoning is for the PPL solo X-C.

SB

[AfricanEagle]

I don't have a gps.

Been around the whole of southern Europe using map and compass, never been lost, so far.

[englishal]

I like to cover up the oil pressure and oil temperature gauges. I find it satisfying to listen to the engine note and use that alone to determine if the engine is operating ok. Never had an engine failure yet....

[JW411]

I went solo in 1957. I went on to have a professional career lasting 48 years. I have witnessed the arrival of the first flight directors, LORAN C, triple INS, triplex autoland systems etc etc.

I have seen the flight deck population go down from five to just two.

Throughout all of this I have embraced modern developments in so far as I have assessed the new equipment that became available as to whether they make my life and my flying better or not.

Whilst all that was going on, I managed to keep touch with my beginnings and ran a gliding club in my spare time and flew every light aircraft that I could get my hands on.

I have now retired from professional flying and (some years ago) bought myself a spamcan. I fitted it with such equipment as a Garmin 430, DME, Mode S etc so that I can, if necessary, have a full IFR capability. I don't have all this gear fitted so that I can get myself into trouble but rather to get me out of trouble!

Now then, I will use everything that I can to make a safe flight. Therefore, I ALWAYS make a manual flight plan (using a whiz wheel etc) so that I always have something to fall back on just in case someone pulls the 3-pin plug out of the wall.

However, I ALWAYS programme the Garmin 430 and use it and its capabilities.

I always map read as I go along and, after 50 years of flying, I can also say that there are large parts of UK that I don't even need a map to tell you where I am.

Nevertheless, if you want to stay out of trouble, then the only possible way to stay out of trouble is to adopt the belt and braces method.

Use everything that is available to you and use it intelligently.

[Tone]

I'm with englishal on this one, to make it even better wear an active headset so that you have to feel any problems through the seat of your pants. I also think it's a good idea to turn the radio off while VFR.
I've got a deaf Father in law who sometime wears a switched off hearing aid, I guess he just enjoys winding us up.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Anybody else keep their GPS turned off?

I don't usually bother to turn it on.

I especially don't turn it on if I'm in an aircraft with a large moving map and teenage boys for passengers, they'll just stare at the screen the whole time and not look out of the window.

Yes I draw the lines on the map, but basically I follow VORs.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I usually fly with a GPS; I'd say that on about 20% of local flights, and 50% of cross-country flights I use it.

I always have a PLOG on my kneeboard; I'd say that I always fill it out for trips I don't know well already, and most times I use it fairly fully. I usually use the whizz wheel for doing most of the calculations.

I fairly often use GPS for primary navigation, especially at the last bit of finding a small difficult-to-spot grass airfield. I never use GPS for sole navigation.

G

[S-Works]

Use GPS as primary Nav. Always draw a route on the map with frequencies, wind etc. Never use the whizz wheel or other flight computer, perfectly capable of applying rule of thumb calcs for wind correction etc.

Also managed to navigate around all of Europe and never been lost once or infringed airspace.

Why on earth people think making life difficult for themselves makes them a better aviator is quite beyond me.

[jollyrog]

I'm still fairly new, with 150 hours and just got my first SEP revalidation.

Until about 30 hours ago, I didn't use a GPS but I bought a Garmin 496 and have taken it on every flight since, except my IMCr lessons.

I still do a full map mark up and plog before every flight, but programme the GPS for the routes. I still note times and ETAs for my waypoints on the plog, just as I was taught to, so really the GPS is there as an aid, not primary navigation.

Last month, I was flying from Waterford to Kerry when I realised that my plog was complete nonsense. First time I've messed one up and this one was rubbish. Then, for the first time, I relied on the GPS. I didn't actually feel that comfortable with it. Yes, everything was fine and Irish airspace is easy, but there (should have been) something low-tech and failure free about the paper. I kept thinking that things would get interesting if the GPS lost signal or failed.

I like my paper. I triple checked the plog for the return journey that day, before leaving Kerry.

[tom_ace]

Used to rely on GPS a lot, until one froze and I happily trundled into birminghams airspace. Still use it, along with VOR, DME, NDB, and by looking out the window. It's an invaluable bit of kit.

[Cusco]

I always fly with a GPS (and a spare turned on in the flight bag)

I also put waypoints in the RNAV , follow VOR/DMEs , draw lines on the map and have a fully wound stopwatch too.

A 'turned off GPS' in the cockpit is the same as runway behind you when you start the take off roll.

Cusco

[steveking]

Talking of GPS's. I just saw the new Garmin 695 wowww.