Why The Hell... (random rant)

On Apr 4, 10:23 pm, Mxsmanic wrote:

That's one reason why I often like to fly big aircraft.

You don't fly big aircraft. You don't flyany aircraft. The closest
you come is playing with an entry-level simulator game.

there's a lower
threshold below which I don't bother.

Lower threshold? Playing with MSFS is a first baby step into
aviation--there is nothing lower. And your upper threshold excludes
anything actually capable of flight.

Mxsmanic wrote:


There
are plenty of spots on charts where the compass will be 6-8 degrees off even
from the already irrgular declination over larger areas.


LOL! My BS meter just went off scale! Declination? Lines of magnetic
_variation_ are plotted on VP charts and better than 0.5 degree accuracy
(except at local anomalies which are only noted in nautical charts as
far as I've seen so far). Declination in navigation is actually
something else but I'll let you googgle for it.


Cheers MC

wrote:


You do understand there are real, flying, airplanes with no electrical
system, don't you?


Err, no I don't think he does. He plugs his airplane(s) into the wall
and waits for it to boot up.

Cheers

Mxsmanic wrote:


GPS finds true north. And, just incidentally, you can find true north by
looking at the sky.


LOL! How do _you_ do that exactly?

Cheers

In rec.aviation.piloting Newps wrote:


EridanMan wrote:



GPS have batteries, power isn't the issue. The problem (in my
experience) with GPS is that they're _SO_ good that people very
quickly delegate all of their navigational requirements to them,
letting their pilotage, dead reaconing, and other navigational skills
atrophy (in my humble experience at least). This is fine, until the
tremendously complex system finally fails (either intentionally or
otherwise). Either way, its not something I want to bet my life on.

The exact, word for word, arguments against VOR, NDB, four course
ranges, colored lights, etc. It goes on and on.

But, it is a good arguement for not doing away with all the other
backup systems since GPS can totally go away for a number of reasons.

I don't see much real use for NDB's these days (ignoring for a moment
not everywhere has a GPS approach, but that's just a paper work
problem) with VOR's and GPS available.

If some new, independant, system becomes available, then VOR's become
obsolete and can be turned off like the four course ranges were.

--
Jim Pennino

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In rec.aviation.piloting DR wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote:


There
are plenty of spots on charts where the compass will be 6-8 degrees off even
from the already irrgular declination over larger areas.


LOL! My BS meter just went off scale! Declination? Lines of magnetic
_variation_ are plotted on VP charts and better than 0.5 degree accuracy
(except at local anomalies which are only noted in nautical charts as
far as I've seen so far). Declination in navigation is actually
something else but I'll let you googgle for it.

I can't think of any local anomaly that is both strong enough and large
enough to be anything other than a transitory "burble" at most to the
compass of an airplane in flight.

--
Jim Pennino

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Tim writes:

Tell that to Charlie Lindbergh.

Charles Lindbergh had not only multiple compasses but charts and a timekeeping
device. He never would have gotten anywhere with just a compass alone.

--
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writes:

If you want to go to and from true and magnetic, you need a chart to
get the local difference.

If you want to do anything, you need more than a compass.

If all you want to do is go in some particular direction until you
can see a recognizable landmark, all you need is a compass.

In order to recognize the landmark, you need something more than a compass.

--
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EridanMan writes:

The system is a rube goldberg contraption with an instant-on kill
switch.

There is no instant-on kill switch. It takes quite a bit of time to send
commands to all the satellites.

Wait until someone launches a home-made GPS guided cruise
missile into Washington DC, watch them flick the switch, and see what
happens. Just hope it doesn't happen at night, and you're not in the
air at the time.

They can't do that any more. It would be a worse disaster to turn it off than
it would be to just let it run, for both military and civilian use.

It also requires constant, very expensive maintenance, a complex
receiver in good working order, and as I mentioned, can be turned off
at the push of a button. None of these are traits you want for you
primary navigation system.

It cannot be turned off at the push of a button. I'm not aware of any
constant maintenance requirement. Databases have to be updated by a
monopolistic price-gouging private enterprise, but that's a separate issue.

The simplest, fastest and most dependable (in VMC) way of finding true
north (or any form of navigation) is simple spatial awareness and
pilotage. A good chart, and a good eye.

I wouldn't trust those.

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Newps writes:

The exact, word for word, arguments against VOR, NDB, four course
ranges, colored lights, etc. It goes on and on.

And correct each time.

--
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