Comments on: Airways vs Waypoints

By: Jessi

Jessi — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:27:44 +0000

i have a Garmin navigator system. he find my route very good

By: Michael Cheich

Michael Cheich — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:32:55 +0000

The reverse is true for me. I fly without a certified GPS (like many military helicopter pilots), and ATC is always trying to give me clearances to way points that I can’t legally navigate to.

By: Bob H.

Bob H. — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:39:13 +0000

A recent flight was indicative of the issue you describe – cleared via GVE GVE098 v16. The 098R takes one directly to TAPPA on v16. I just put that in the GPS and let it draw the line. The flight planning site I used tipped me off before engine start, so I knew to give that a look. Then about 30 miles from TAPPA ATC cleared direct COLIN to join. The NAV 1 radio was dialed in to provide the enroute crosscheck of our position, and I could fly that if the GPS died. Of course, once direct colin, the nav 1 radio was useless until we joined the airway.

The real issue is that to fly any 50 mile segment in the mid-atlantic, it takes more than 1 chart open to the correct square. I think there is a safety issue or two in there.

As for the VORs, always have the nav radios working on the solution. It’s sometimes easier to spin an OBS and turn then it is to work the buttons and knobs on the GPS.

Anyway, airways are not going away; the name is changing to TANGO routes.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:57:08 +0000

Bruce, had the same thing happen to me cominig out of PAO this summer. I had a clearance of SJC VINCO V107 on course. Upon departure I received fly 090 maintain 400. I was then given “intercept V107 as filed”

After the request for “Vectors to the Victor” I ws able to scroll through the FtlPln on the 530 highlight VINCO then direct. Then hit the OBS and dialed in the 114 and the magenta line took me to VINCO.

I was later told that is the procedure for departing PAO. I don’t know why they could not have given me a heads up when they gave me my clearence and it would have reduced the stress a great deal.

By: Rob Lowe

Rob Lowe — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:17:55 +0000

Here’s a question – why not set the GPS to VOR mode, intercept the radial (using a paper chart or the one on the MFD), and re-program the GPS once you’re flying on the radial? That way, you don’t lose your current leg when you change your flight plan around.

From experience, I’ve gotta say it’s nice to fly IFR using a GPS. However, there are two very important points to remember when using a GPS as primary navigation on an IFR trip.

First, as long as VORs and Victor airways are around, we need to remain proficient with them, no matter what equipment we fly. NDB questions on the instrument written test annoy me to no end, but VORs are in extensive use, so there’s no excuse for us not to be able to fly them when asked. Most controllers don’t have a problem giving a vector when requested in order to get our VOR armed or our GPS programmed.

Second, flying without having a chart of your current area readily available (whether paper or electronic) is straight up reckless. Sorry to be blunt like that, but consider what you’d need to do if your GPS or PFD and MFD ever went down for whatever reason. You’d need a plan to get on track or on the ground as soon as possible. The first part of that plan would be to get your bearings immediately, so you ought to know where you are on your chart at any time.

By: herb ludgewait

herb ludgewait — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:12:56 +0000

it’s ironic that you gee whiz gps types are feeling the same discomfort us old ifr pilots did learning the new stuff. v airways are still a neccisary part of the system. act like pilots and fly. stop letting hal do it. it will get you killed

By: Dave T.

Dave T. — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:29:38 +0000

Oh my gosh, you’re kidding! Open up a chart? While flying IFR? OH THE HUMANITY!!!

By: Carl Hopkins

Carl Hopkins — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:26:36 +0000

“GPS equipped aircraft (which is most of us these days)”. Maybe true for you and your friends, but there are still a lot, I suspect a majority, of us that do NOT have an IFR certified GPS on board!

By: John Dittmer

John Dittmer — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:26:17 +0000

Hi Bruce. Good chatting briefly with you at Sun ‘n Fun on Friday. Regarding the airway problem on the GNS 480, maybe you should have one of our Pilot-friendly manuals. That way you could look up the problem and have it solved quickly and with a minimum of consternation.

By: Ralph Galetti

Ralph Galetti — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:01:12 +0000

Do some of you pilots actually fly IFR without current enroute charts? I for one am afraid to do that, though it’s tempting, especially for a long trip when old charts might work.