Dual glide slope?

Topper

Pre-takeoff checklist
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I have a 182 and am getting ready to jump into ir training. I have a few squawks that I am going to cure by installing a used 430w. When I talked to the avionics shop about the install, he suggested I consider installing a second glide scope. Just wanted to get thoughts from someone with ir experience. I think it may add a couple of grand. The only reason I may not do it is I expect to upgrade to another plane in a year or two. I am guessing I don't get the extra money back when I sell, not that that is a big deal. How usefull is the second glide scope?

Thanks,

Jim
 
What do you think the chances are of losing your #1 GS when the weather is below nonprecision minimums?
 
It is nice to have, but not essential. I have a dual GS installation, but except when I am flying an ILS, I don't use it. I haven't flown an ILS in anger for at least 4 years, I much prefer the LPV. In some instances where there is both an ILS and a LPV that overlay the same path, fixes, and altitudes, I would use the #2 unit to backup the #1 with the LPV, but in the majority of cases, there isn't an ILS to the same runway, at least in my flying.
 
What do you think the chances are of losing your #1 GS when the weather is below nonprecision minimums?

The chances seem fairly low that I would lose it at that critical point, however since I have no experience, I don't know. What are the chances of losing it as you outlined?
 
The chances seem fairly low that I would lose it at that critical point, however since I have no experience, I don't know. What are the chances of losing it as you outlined?
After 41 years of flying IFR, it hasn't happened yet.
 
I would think it's pretty rare. My CFII said he's had the ILS itself go out while on approach and he had to use just the localizer.
 
Remember that your #2 Nav will have a localizer anyway, which means that you have a backup means of getting via a VOR or LOC approach (or simply ILS without the GS, which will have localizer-only mins). You probably won't be flying when it's actually mins out very often. If you are, then it might make more sense, but overall it probably won't be an issue. Your 430 probably won't fail (they have a good reliability record), and CDIs are also typically pretty reliable. So even with those as your two potential failure points, it's rather unlikely you'll ever have an issue.

We are installing a 430W into the 310 to compliment the 530W as I type this (well, someone else is doing it, and they're probably taking today off, but you get the point). We do fly when it's mins out reasonably regularly, and we also fly in areas where losing a GPS would be pretty bad due to lack of radio communication and no approaches to get in other than GPS for 100+ miles. We also have an Aspen which, while it's a great tool, proved less reliable than our 530 when it let out a poof of smoke and quit working somewhere south of Cozumel, Mexico, also meaning that I didn't have a means of getting the 530's display on a CDI.

My suggestion is to stick to the single GS. It won't increase the value of your plane when you go to sell it, and when you move up, then you can consider having a second GS.
 
Thanks everyone! Exactly what I needed to know.

Jim.
 
If you're putting in a panel with new avionics, there's almost no reason not to. Most of the GPS/NAV/COMs these days have GS receivers as do even many of the standalone nav/coms on the market. When I put in the SL30 in my plane, I picked up a second GS indicator (prior to that only one of my two KX155's had GS).
 
If you have a failed G/S you can always descend to the MDA altitude and look for the runway.

José
 
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