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In Europe, you cannot fly much IFR without a BRNAV system. That means at
least a Garmin 430 for most people. THAT is the way routes are planned,
not with ADF.


I think you would be in some trouble trying to tell EUROCONTROL people that
their system requires an American GPS! ;-) The B-RNAV requirement (only
above FL115 and in busy terminal areas) can be met with a KNS-80 type
DME integrator as well, though I agree obviously a Garmin-type GPS is by
far the easiest way to do it, and the most precise. The European rules are
really based on airline traffic requirements - they will be moving from
B-RNAV to P-RNAV requirements possibly this year - once again only for
airline operations in major terminal areas. They are not in the least
concerned with smaller airports, which often do have NDB approaches, with
or without GPS overlay.

There are some differences between European countries. You see some GA
activity at Munich, where they even have a GA terminal - not sure about
Berlin or Frankfurt. In France GA aircraft, even bizjets are not admitted
at the major platforms. You have to get down to airports the size of Nantes
before you start to see a mix.

I was watching traffic at Boston Logan a few days ago, and I have the
impression there were almost as many GA movements as Airliners. Mostly
Gulfstreams and Hawkers, of course, but I even saw a C-182 take off
(possibly an "angel" flight). Never see that at Charles de Gaulle!

GF