"Matt Barrow" wrote:

"Peter Clark" wrote in
message ...
On Sat, 8 Sep 2007 17:11:45 -0700, "Matt Barrow"
wrote:

"B" wrote in message
Airways from a GPS: That's like buying a $1000 stereo and listening
to monaural AM radio. :~(

Maybe where you're flying. In the northeast (and even entering the
northeast, pretty much from PA east from what I've seen) clearances
aren't "direct", they're KLOU IIU J78 PSB J49 ALB GDM LOBBY KBED.
I'd rather just be able to dial that into the box. Heck, even going
from BED to PWM (Hanscom to Portland, ME - 83NM leg whos only
airspace issue is the 3000' and 4000' shelf of the Boston bravo )
always gets clearned via the PSM and ENE VORs.

That's true here in the Southwest as well. With all the restricted areas, MOA's, and high MEA's, if you
want to go IFR, you're going to be on the airways.

I guess all I'm essentially asking is, "Can't you just do airways on
the VOR?" like they always did?

Given that you have to fly the airway, it's much easier to call it up out of the database and have the GPS
automatically insert all the course changes and intersections. Without the database, you're forced to get
out the chart and find all the significant waypoints where a course change occurs, and put them in
manually, or else fly the VOR raw data as you said. Either one is a lot of work by comparison.

Mike