WX and decision making

[tundra_flier]

I agree with CJ5, I only fly for fun.  Scud running isn't any fun.   Though I've been tempted a couple times by "get-home-itise".  But I've always come to my senses and bought a ticket on Frontier.  You guys have a lot more flashy things on your panels and a spare engine to boot. 

Phil

[Baradium]

I agree with CJ5, I only fly for fun.  Scud running isn't any fun.   Though I've been tempted a couple times by "get-home-itise".  But I've always come to my senses and bought a ticket on Frontier.  You guys have a lot more flashy things on your panels and a spare engine to boot. 

Phil

I like flashy thingies!   

If you were going to scud run, you'd want to be very familiar with the area, have an IFR aircraft and IFR training (very important because you don't have nearly as many outside clues), and an IFR GPS would be nice...

I agree that not scud running is the best idea.... better to get home late than not at all.

[fireflyr]

I agree with CJ5, I only fly for fun.  Scud running isn't any fun.   Though I've been tempted a couple times by "get-home-itise".  But I've always come to my senses and bought a ticket on Frontier.  You guys have a lot more flashy things on your panels and a spare engine to boot. 

Phil

I like flashy thingies!   

If you were going to scud run, you'd want to be very familiar with the area, have an IFR aircraft and IFR training (very important because you don't have nearly as many outside clues), and an IFR GPS would be nice...

I agree that not scud running is the best idea.... better to get home late than not at all.

Ya'll don't NEED an IFR gps---Git yerself a Garmin 296 handheld and you'll have more information than a 1980s Boeing 747, then you'll be able to fly VFR (even at minimums) with confidence--got terrain awareness--but best of all get the IFR rating.

[happylanding]

I've a garmin GPSmap 295 and the only thing it doesn't do is coffee. if you get the extension with route charts also (I mean to drive) you will find all the restaurants, hotel and whatever comes to mind for a 100$ hamburger! btw, it keeps annoying you with alarms if you're flying slightly above minimums and if your route is near CTR, since it keeps telling you're near airspaces. but it's a nice toy! 

[Baradium]

I've a garmin GPSmap 295 and the only thing it doesn't do is coffee. if you get the extension with route charts also (I mean to drive) you will find all the restaurants, hotel and whatever comes to mind for a 100$ hamburger! btw, it keeps annoying you with alarms if you're flying slightly above minimums and if your route is near CTR, since it keeps telling you're near airspaces. but it's a nice toy! 

Airspace alarms could be a good thing if you *weren't* paying attention.      Of course, it's generally good practice to know anyway.

A trap some pilots get into is relying so much on the GPS that they have no idea what is going on if it fails.  You never want to be in a situation where a single instrument failure can result in your loss of situational awareness!

Speaking of food:
In the US there is a resturant chain called Lamberts.  They are located in Sikeston, Missouri (SIK) and Foley, Alabama.    The founder was a pilot and they are very pilot friendly.  They are a pretty popular resturant and a lot of tour buses like to stop there as part of trips (they can have an hour wait fairly easily).  However, if you fly in you can radio in to the FBO as you're coming in for the "Lamberts Shuttle" and they will send a van to get you.  As a pilot you and your passengers get taken to the back door, you bypass the line and get the first availible table.  Makes you feel really special.    I've been to each location once.  The first time to Sikeston in an airplane and the second time to Foley on the ground.  I enjoyed both times but it was fun to get the VIP treatment the first time.

I'm sure there are other places like that around, lamberts is the only one I've been to personally.

I also know that Birmingham, AL has free otis spunkmeyer cookies at the FBO and Huntsville, AL's FBO has brand new ford focuses loaned by the local ford dealer for free courtesy cars for transient pilots.   Definately worth looking into what's around when you are going somewhere.   That's the big disadvantage of airline flying, I don't get to do a lot of that fun stuff...

[Frank N. O.]

Wow! Lamberts sure sounds cool, everything right down to the choice of the loaner car! Now if only I could get a PPL and a plane....

At least I can get confirmed that there are nice places in the world here, that's always a great booster for my mood, although it's not fun know none of them are on this part of the planet.
Frank

[cj5_pilot]

I've a garmin GPSmap 295 and the only thing it doesn't do is coffee. if you get the extension with route charts also (I mean to drive) you will find all the restaurants, hotel and whatever comes to mind for a 100$ hamburger! btw, it keeps annoying you with alarms if you're flying slightly above minimums and if your route is near CTR, since it keeps telling you're near airspaces. but it's a nice toy! 

Tundra has a Garmin handheld (don't recall what model) we took out 3 years ago Silver Salmon fishing....it kept showing the boat being about a 1/4 mile inland 

We just figured that 6 knots and sea level just made it lazy

[Baradium]

I've a garmin GPSmap 295 and the only thing it doesn't do is coffee. if you get the extension with route charts also (I mean to drive) you will find all the restaurants, hotel and whatever comes to mind for a 100$ hamburger! btw, it keeps annoying you with alarms if you're flying slightly above minimums and if your route is near CTR, since it keeps telling you're near airspaces. but it's a nice toy! 

Tundra has a Garmin handheld (don't recall what model) we took out 3 years ago Silver Salmon fishing....it kept showing the boat being about a 1/4 mile inland 

We just figured that 6 knots and sea level just made it lazy

LOL!   That's the problems with handhelds and one of the reasons you can't use them IFR... they can be a bit off. So can regular IFR GPSs, but they are supposed to be more accurate than that.  IFR installations require a lot of study of how they pick up signal to make sure nothing distorts it. 

[Ted_Stryker]

GPS units can vary in accuracy depending on the type of receiver, and how many satellites are "visible" to it.  A GPS receiver really needs and unobstructed antenna outside for maximum reception (which is why such receivers are on top of aircraft, not under them, and why they say "DO NOT PAINT" on them too).

Remember too that if you get a RAIM warning, you're not good for IFR use on one.

AOPA has a couple of good seminars on their safety sub-site for both VFR and IFR use of GPS units.

The programs even count towards your FAA Wings Program as seminars!  Check 'em out!   

[happylanding]

Wow! Lamberts sure sounds cool, everything right down to the choice of the loaner car! Now if only I could get a PPL and a plane....

At least I can get confirmed that there are nice places in the world here, that's always a great booster for my mood, although it's not fun know none of them are on this part of the planet.
Frank

Come on! I've only been to Denmark when I was a child, but I remember it as being a nice place....And we do have beautiful places here too, scattered around Europe! If you are looking for something breathtaking, try once Scotland, I assure you you will be amazed by it! it actually takes your breath awayyyyyyyy.....
the first time I visited it - and I try to go whenever I can - I could not think such a place existed. I assure you the colours you find there... I've not seen anywhere yet. a green that's the idea you could have had of a fairy place when toddler, a blue sky that's sometimes patched by clouds that looks like soft ice cream and the brown, it has a "scent" of chocolate and violent together....and if I've not convinced you, gimme a sec and I'll post the pics, even if they were taken on ground!

[tundra_flier]

Tundra has a Garmin handheld (don't recall what model) we took out 3 years ago Silver Salmon fishing....it kept showing the boat being about a 1/4 mile inland 

We just figured that 6 knots and sea level just made it lazy

My little GPS III is perfectly accurate...the coast was just in the wrong location!    Seriously though, it has aiports mapped out very accurately.  Anything else, roads, rivers, lakes etc tends to be a couple hundred feet off.  But then, even at C-150 speeds, if you need to know the location of the coast line from your GPS to within 100ft, it's probably too late anyway. 

Phil

[TheSoccerMom]

Just last winter I was using a 295 with the latest update, and it routinely and consistently put the airport in the harbor, almost a mile offshore.  There was no budging it.  And, we flew out of there for a month.

Using a VFR-only GPS in IFR conditions is asking for trouble, but then again, I guess I am a big scaredy-chicken.

Fortunately we also had the IFR panel-mount, but it was an eye-opener, just the same.  (We had the VFR ones for survey reference only.)  It was a stark difference....

Just my two cents' worth...  pluck, pluck...

[cj5_pilot]

I routinely fly IFR without a GPS.

IFR=I follow Rivers
IFR=I follow Roads
IFR=I follow Railroads

 

[tundra_flier]

Just last winter I was using a 295 with the latest update, and it routinely and consistently put the airport in the harbor, almost a mile offshore.  There was no budging it.  And, we flew out of there for a month.

Using a VFR-only GPS in IFR conditions is asking for trouble, but then again, I guess I am a big scaredy-chicken.

Fortunately we also had the IFR panel-mount, but it was an eye-opener, just the same.  (We had the VFR ones for survey reference only.)  It was a stark difference....

I've always heard that using 2 GPS's in close proximity will cause distortion errors, since they'll recieve false signals off each other.  Did you try turining off the panel mount GPS?  It did dawn on me after the fact that when using my GPS III on the boat, there was a dash mount GPS being used in the wheelhouse at the same time.

Phil

[Baradium]

I've always heard that using 2 GPS's in close proximity will cause distortion errors, since they'll recieve false signals off each other.  Did you try turining off the panel mount GPS?  It did dawn on me after the fact that when using my GPS III on the boat, there was a dash mount GPS being used in the wheelhouse at the same time.

Phil

I've never heard of GPS units sending signals myself.

I've flown in multiple aircraft with dual GPS units installed.  My multi was in a seminole with dual Garmin 430s and same was installed in the Arrows I finished my commercial in.  The recievers are next to eachother and they are both IFR certified.   For some operations there are actually requirements for dual installed GPS units, although I believe those all involve commercial operators (such as 121 carriers) in specific instances.