Should I get a handheld avionics radio?

[172andyou]

I've had one for 20 years. I can count on the fingers of one had the number of times I've really needed it. Contrarily, at those time I REALLY needed it, so I'm glad I have it. I used ever year to listen to ATC at Oshkosh.

Exactly. In almost 40 years of driving I've only needed a seatbelt once. That one time, though, it came in pretty handy. Much happier dealing with bruises and scrapes from the belt instead of picking glass out of my forehead (or much, much worse)

 

[john745]

Great answers. Thank you much to all!

 

[Tarheelpilot]

If you don’t the radios will fail on your next flight. If you do you will never need it.

 

[brcase]

Get one.... Stand around the airport and drink beer and talk smack to all the pilots coming in

This is the best reason to get one

 

[Silvaire]

Years ago I bought a Vertex VXA-710. It has everything - memory, scan, dual watch, spectrum scope monitor, VOR with split op, BRS, CTCSS, DCS, you name it. Problem is you need to go to night school for about a month and a half to learn how to use it. It has eighteen buttons and two dials that control about seven hundred and ten distinct functions and sub menus so most of the time when I pick it up I end up asking myself "Why's it doing that?"