Afraid to fly

Well, I'd prefer to not use it for x-c's (as long as VOR's and such are still out there, which I assume they are since people fly these aircraft IFR all the time) but it does sound like it would be really good for situational awareness. $600 new though, eek. Also, can you attach it somewhere or does it have to lie on the seat next to you or something?
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Don't be hardheaded Rose :). If you get a GPS and use it a few times, you will love it, guaranteed! I have a yoke mount with mine, and it is mounted right in front of me. Easy to get to and easy to see, except when it gets dark. Then, I use a flashlight (it has a monochrome screen and I don't like to turn on the backlighting because of battery drain).
 
Rose2012 said:
Well, I'd prefer to not use it for x-c's (as long as VOR's and such are still out there, which I assume they are since people fly these aircraft IFR all the time) but it does sound like it would be really good for situational awareness. $600 new though, eek. Also, can you attach it somewhere or does it have to lie on the seat next to you or something?
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You can buy a good, used, Garmin moving map for a few hundred dollars or less. Look for a 196. Most have a yoke mount or glareshield mount that you can take from plane to plane. VOR's are a thing of the past, GPS is the here and now, and the future for both VFR, and certified IFR units. Use it for cross countries.


Anyone have advice on dealing with crazy airspace and lots of training traffic?
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Just practice, and familiarity, and keeping your eyes open and head on a swivel.
 
Incidentally, a G1000 airplane is far more difficult to learn than a handheld gps or an ipad with foreflight. Don't let your G1000 experience make you shy of some of the easier to use stuff. Don't get me wrong - handheld products take some getting used to as well - but I found the G1000 to be non-intuitive.
 
Rose2012 said:
Handheld GPS's aren't approved for IFR though. Right? Geez, I don't even know.
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Correct. Walk then run. VFR GPS for a few bucks then learn the airspace, then move to IFR panel mounted certified GPS.

You know a lot more than you think.
 
Anthony said:
Correct. Walk then run. VFR GPS for a few bucks then learn the airspace, then move to IFR panel mounted certified GPS.

You know a lot more than you think.
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Well, none of the aircraft in the club have GPS, so until that's an absolute requirement and they get installed...

But I'll consider a handheld, if I decide I can justify the money. Maybe even so driving around on the ground learning landmarks would help.

<sigh> Maybe things have changed too much.
 
Handheld GPS's aren't approved for IFR though. Right? Geez, I don't even know.
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Not approved for IFR but they are approved for "situational awareness." Flying IMC the old fashioned way with a handheld GPS on the yoke eases the task a lot. Go or the handheld, just know you don't have to spend 3 or 4 thousand on one. You don't need all the bells and whistles.
 
Rose, you are selling yourself short. Just do some flying with another pilot for a little while. YOU CAN DO IT. You are doing it.

You are back! Enjoy it.
 
Nothing says you can't fly more with an instructor AFTER he signs you off. If you don't feel you have the skills to fly alone, don't. Take that 200 pound dead weight with you on a few adventures.
As to GPS, learn as much about the G1000 you need to know to change the frequency and to set "direct to". The "direct to" is set to your airport while you're on the ramp. Then at least you can find your way back. Learn how to set "nearest airport". For the rest of it, the more you fly with it, the more you will learn. Obtain a copy of the manual and learn some new function as you fly.
Get back to basics. Relearn pilotage. Relearn ded reckoning. Do simple trips as mentioned earlier. Your first x-c during you PP was a short straight line. You added more complexity as you flew. No one except yourself expects you to jump in a hi tech plane and instantly know everything about it. Find and fly a low tech plane.
"Say Again, Please" is a good reference for mic fright. Just remember, we aren't graded on our radio communications. Aviate, navigate, and communicate. It's last for a reason.
By the way, after 20 years with my ASEL, I am working on a helicopter add. I am just starting to feel ahead of the thing and getting over task saturation. I can (almost) taxi and communicate with the tower. And I still haven't figured out the G420 except for frequencies and "direct to".
 
Mafoo said:
If you have an iPhone, you can get a $20 app that will do a very good job of keeping you from being lost.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skychartspro/id364731059?mt=8

I am sure there is something equivalent on Android, if you have one of those phones.

If you don't have either, then step one is to get one :)
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This is a really good point. If you're not sold on a portable GPS, but have a smartphone, iPad, or Android tablet, you can get similar functionality for the cost of a nice aviation app (less than $100). Then you can decide if that is adequate for you, or if you'd like a dedicated aviation GPS.

As for the fear, it's normal to be a little anxious IMO. The trick is to use the anxiety for good purposes (making you a more conscientious pilot), and not let it overwhelm the joy of flying. In the end you only have limited control over what happens in life, you could get hit by a meteor just walking around. Control the things you can control about flying (which is a lot), and let the rest take care of itself.
 
bullwinkle said:
This is a really good point. If you're not sold on a portable GPS, but have a smartphone, iPad, or Android tablet, you can get similar functionality for the cost of a nice aviation app (less than $100). Then you can decide if that is adequate for you, or if you'd like a dedicated aviation GPS.

As for the fear, it's normal to be a little anxious IMO. The trick is to use the anxiety for good purposes (making you a more conscientious pilot), and not let it overwhelm the joy of flying. In the end you only have limited control over what happens in life, you could get hit by a meteor just walking around. Control the things you can control about flying (which is a lot), and let the rest take care of itself.
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Good post, but it's even better. For the aviation apps I know of, you don't even have to lay out any money to see if you like them. They have 30 day, full functionality, free trial periods.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Good post, but it's even better. For the aviation apps I know of, you don't even have to lay out any money to see if you like them. They have 30 day, full functionality, free trial periods.
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Yea, and I think there are 3-4 of them. So that's 3-4 months of free geolocation.
 
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