Over a period of time aviation seems to make changes due to technical advances.
As such in the past certain "basics" of aviation that were once written in
stone have gone by the wayside.

So here is one for ya. Last week I started a student on the ground school
basics of cross country planing. Draw the line on the sectional from airport to
airport. Discuss all the wind, magnetic and other variables etc. After about 20
minutes into the discussion the students 13 year old daughter who was intently
watching asked the question. "Why do all that when I can do the same thing in
30 seconds on the handheld GPS and enroute it will take care of the wind
correction"

Got me to thinking. So question is, what is the opinion of the troops as to
when the system will change and as part of the written/PTS for any rating there
will no longer be the requirment to draw the line and figure out all the other
stuff for the X-C portion of the test. Just put in airports/waypoints and go
for it.

Five years? Ten years? Or will it stick around forever?

Walt
Forty+ years as a CFI and still drawing lines on sectionals.