Where The Hell Am I

[Double Wasp]

Hey there,
Under another topic twotter mentioned that he was lucky have experieced life at before GPS. I thought that this was ironic but now that I think about it there is a lot of people out there that have grown complacent. Don't get me wrong I love GPS. When you want to go somewhere hit direct and go. I do feel that map use is also very important if not essential. I know some people who haven't opened a map since their commercial ride. This, as far as I'm concerned is not only unprofessional but dangereous. I more than worth while to have a look at a map especially when you are going someplace new. Terrain heights, runway orientation and navaid location relative to the airport is essential knowledge even in VFR. Remember 3 miles vis isn't that great especially if you are new. Even if you fly in an area often it pays to find out the names of local hills, lakes, mountains so when you are talking to a local pilot they have a better idea. There also might be two lakes fairly similar 45 miles east of the airport for example.
It never pays to rely only on GPS or navaids, especially if you are not flying the newest of equipment. There is always the chance that one night not even in IFR everything will go black. It is not only helpfull to know which lake/mountain/whatever you are over but also which one comes next. Your maps do you no good packed in the back with the bags.
Well I guess thats the end of my rant.
Cheers
DW 😉

 

[twinstar_ca]

double wasp, i think what you just ranted about is called "airmanship" and you said it very well!!!

not only maps, but wasn't it you, chuck, who said on your delivery trip with the PBY's you shot the stars a few times just for practice??

 

[N2]

I agree never trust GPS 100% I had a Garmin fail on me recently leaving YOW. I thought something didn't look right on arrival when it took us NW of the field then turned us in instead of going direct as programmed to do. On the way out the ground speeds were all over the map so it got the old "off" switch and back to the good old VOR's! Thank god I can still map read!


:down:

 

[Charles W.]

Twinstar :

Actually the last time we shot any position fixes with a sextant was on the trip from Dakar Senegal to Natal Brazil in a PBY in Oct. of 1998.

One of the guys brought his sextant and played with it getting fixes over the South Atlantic....but the three GPS's we had running worked better.

Chas W.

 

[R1830]

Also map reading gives you something to do on that 400th trip to that town by the lake...you might as well know what the lake with the two little islands is called....keeps a guy somewhat alert..also you'll know where all those helicopter guys are hanging out when they report over whatever point...just remember to look up......

 

[graunch1]

However, late at night,departing Goose Bay for Keflavik/Cambridge with a U/S GNS 500, the Garmin 45 portable in the window worked just fine. Of course it was for information purposes only

 

[flythenumbers]

I like to use the GPS for all the ETA/ETE stuff, my wizz wheel is just too hard to use while flying, but always keep the map out and do check points. Easier to stay found than try and find yourself if you are lost. Got a moving map GPS (Anywheremap), its cool, but due to some poor terrain data, every lake in southern ontario is 'Big Lake' 🙂

 

[R1830]

Isn't there only 3 or 4, and I thought they were all pretty big...seriously though, my Garmin 195 has earned a permanent place in my flightbag..wonderful piece of kit for those days when not everything is working as advertised.

 

[imfsub12]

yep my 295 is ausome tooo... love it but also use the maps tooooooo... never leave home without them....

B)

 

[twotter]

Yeah, I can remember when I flew my first Beaver that had a Loran in it... Boy, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.. I figured how the heck did we survive without it?? Now these nice machines like the Garmin 195, 196, and 295 make it like taking candy from a baby...

God, I can't imagine how much cheaper my laundry would have been back in the late 70's if I would have had one of them... 😀

 

[Bohica]

Wished I'd had one a few times while chuggin' along between Gagnon and Nitchequon at about 300 feet. All those loon sh!t lakes sure look alike.