wrote:

So you now assume that navigating direct with a handheld GPS is
dangerous? Why is that? I can understand why people disagree whether
its "legal" or not, but safety? And pushing RAIM won't convince me.
I've seen almost as many IFR panel mount units give unreliable data or
drop out unexpectedly as I have seen that happen in handhelds. And
just a couple of days ago someone related the story in another thread
regarding his glideslope instrumentation going bad and causing the
autopilot, on a coupled ILS, to reach DH some two miles early. I'd
call that a safety issue.


When you bring up the ILS G/S you are taking on precision vertical
navigation, which is a different issue.

"Light Tin" approach couplers and ILS G/S installations have been an
issue for as long as I have been flying.

So, just because someone couldn't manage marginal couplers or G/S
receivers/antenna installations is really not relevant to use of
handhelds for IFR.

And, here the issue in the thread has primarily been legal, not safety.

I have argued with Ron before that, given reasonable, personal integrety
checks, I would be safer flying a VOR overlay approach with my Garmin
296 than with a light tin VOR receiver.