On Fri, 25 Jul 2003 20:09:31 -0400, Roy Smith wrote:

For primary IFR navigation, sure you need an up to date database.
Especially for approaches. But for emergency backup? Hardly.

"Neal" wrote in message
...

If you use one for even just VFR, you really need current airport
identifiers. In the past year and a half, there's been about a half
dozen or more airport identifier changes and/or airports that have
closed completely, within a hundred miles of my home base.

In an emergency in unfamiliar territory when you hit that NRST button
and it steers you towards that airport that shows to be in gliding
range, and you turn that direction and establish your glide only to
find a brand new neighborhood full of freshly built houses instead of
a runway...

Seems like another good reason *not* to use the NRST button!

In an engine failure situation, you probably still have your panel
equipment, and you certainly still have your situational awareness and chart
to tell you about suitable emergency landing spots.

I think the sort of emergency Roy is thinking of is a total electrical
failure in IMC. In that case you just need well established waypoints to
get you where you were intending to go. A handheld GPS with an outdated
database does a pretty good job of that.

Julian Scarfe