Getting complacent with GPS Direct...

[inav8r]

This weekend I decided to make my annual treck in the plane back to WV to visit my family. I do this because I'm (slowly) trying to build up XC hours so I can (eventually) work on my IR. At any rate, I've done the trip a couple of times previous and I know it's a piece of cake - basically just fly east until you get there...

On the previous two trips I, of course, marked up my charts, made a full flight plan with waypoints, time/fuel estimates, etc. However when actually flying the trip I would just press direct-to on the GPS and follow the line. I would tune in the VOR's on the NAV's as I passed them just in case.

Well, this trip, (after making a lot of smaller trips around the home-drome this summer) I got complacent. I grabbed my charts, called FSS and got the winds aloft - made some quick ETD estimates (to make sure fuel was not going to be a problem) - and took off. Not a chart open, not a single NAV tuned to anything - and you guessed it - pressed direct-to and started flying towards WV from IN.

After an hour or so of flying I found myself about 20 minutes outside of Columbus OH and all of a sudden the GPS tells me that it has lost all satellite signals. No big deal, I think, this happens from time to time, hold my heading and alt and it'll be back in a few mins. I look down at my backup, handheld GPS - and same thing - no signal.

I flew on for about 5 more minutes and nothing. Cycling the power on both units does not get me any sattelites back. Thank heavens I had my flight guide and folded up charts on the empty pax seat, but still I had this sinking feeling as I realized I was going to have to do a quick vor-to-vor flight plan while flying and nearing sometimes crowded airspace.

Fortunatly I'm pretty familiar with the route and was able to quickly get established on course - and with a couple of quick cross checks I was able to confirm my position on the chart - and nothing bad happened (this time). I had to fly almost 50 miles before the sattelite signal came back - and while I ended up using the direct-to button again to finish up the trip - you can bet your sweet bippy I kept my backup NAV plan running the rest of the trip! (And for the record, on the return trip the next day I lost signal on both GPS units in the same space - but this time I was already prepared!)

Lesson Learned - don't get complacent and over rely on that all magical box - the GPS!

 

[SkyHog]

Jesse can confirm, but I had a similar thing happen while leaving KMIC for 6Y9. On climbout, the GPS just decided not to show where we're going (very near Class B, not yet cleared to enter). No line on the chart.

Jesse starts looking for the VORs along the route, and it came back, thank god. But for a while, we were gonna wind up having to figure a flight plan in air. Not fun.

 

[ScottM]

I have had that happen to me too. It also why I still follow along ont he charts and a lot of times on long XC plot my GPS route very near or on V-airways and use GPS direct sparingly. I still DME in my plane and that help a lot when the GPS is TU.

 

[poadeleted20]

It is interesting to contrast this with SkyHog's thread on whether or not it is mandatory to use pilotage/DR on XC's during primary training.

 

[SkyHog]

It is interesting to contrast this with SkyHog's thread on whether or not it is mandatory to use pilotage/DR on XC's during primary training.

It is, actually. Its a bit tough to actually see that GPS could fail you when you need it until it happens (in my case it didn't actually completely fail, but I can see that it could have). Thats the main reason that I (and IMHO, everyone should) always keep my sectional open and within grasping range if its not already folded on my lap. Its never a good idea to take the focus off flying to search around the backseat or a flight bag to find a sectional when its needed.

This is why a "paperless" cockpit is not gonna happen anytime soon, methinks.

 

[mgkdrgn]

Aint dat da truth!

When I was doing my primary, I was required to do all my CC work via pilotage/DR ... with VOR only as an emergency backup. As per my CFI "My mother can follow a needle ... I want you to know how to navigate."

It is interesting to contrast this with SkyHog's thread on whether or not it is mandatory to use pilotage/DR on XC's during primary training.

 

[jesse]

I had something similar like this happen at the midwest fly-in when we flew to Estherville for pizza. I had already flew from Minneapoils to Ames, IA.

When it was time to go for pizza I jumped in the plane and hit DIRECT TO and was on my way. I established myself on course and was talking to a few other pilots from POA on air to air.

Someone asked me what my groundspeed was and I looked down at the GPS to see that it was off. I tried to turn it back on and nothing. It was done.

I thought no big deal. I'm already established on course I'll just hold this heading and grab the sectional. I looked over at the passenger seat where I always keep all the sectionals...and there was nothing there. I looked in the back of the plane and it wasn't there either. Crap. It must have someone gotten into the luggage area when I was flying around Ames.

It was now pretty much dark out and I could make out several cities and airports but I had never been to KEST or this area so I wasn't exactly sure where it was. Still-- no big deal fly this heading and it'll get me there.

I told the other two planes on air-to-air what was up and they gave me some of basic info about the airport and I wrote it down. It was about this time that I noticed my vacuum pump had failed too there was no suction on the gauge and the AI was starting to roll to the right. I was happy to catch the vaccum pump issue with my normal scan. So now I'm trying to read the compass which is pretty much unlit in a 172. I'm trying to figure out where the airport is. Another problem. Another distraction.

One of the airplanes from the group saw me and told me that it looked like I was off course. I adjusted and made it there fine.

The entire thing really wasn't all that big of a deal. It was a perfect VFR night. I was in Iowa. I could see airports all over the place. I could have easily just flown to one and landed. But it does make you realize how stupid it is to get complacent and rely on one method of navigation.

I am almost positive that we are all guilty of jumping in an airplane, hitting DIRECT TO, and enjoying the view. You may get away with this and never have an issue. But if it does fail you now have a problem. It's not the end of the world but it's yet another distraction. Another mistake. It could be that one mistake or distraction that leads up to an NTSB report.

I flew the rest of that flight and back to Minneapolis by dr/pilotage. I've done several flights since then still without the GPS. Quite frankly--I'm enjoying it.

Lessons:

1.) Don't rely on one thing. Ever.

2.) Charts in the luggage area don't do you any good.

 

[poadeleted20]

2.) Charts in the luggage area don't do you any good.

Y'know, after more than three decades of listing the "Three Most Useless Things in Flying," I may have a fourth.

For those unfamiliar, those three are, in no particular order:

• Runway behind you.
• Altitude above you.
• Fuel in the fuel truck.

 

[Baron 55]

There was this "rich kid," [really, we're talking everyone here would've heard of his family name] gets this twin-engine plane his daddy buys him. Kid [ok, he's 18] has his multi instrument, wants to build time to be an airline pilot. Naturally, just like all of us, his folks buy him a twin so he can do this, get him a hangar and a gas card. Yawn, the way we all do it. Anyhow, the fly in the ointment is that the kid is kind of...an idiot. I'm marginally trying to be politically correct here. Long story short, parents know the kid is a problem, so they talk to a good buddy of theirs, who's a pilot examiner, ask him to refer a couple CFIs to them. I end up being one, am asked to fly along with the kid to, dad says, keep him alive and out of trouble. This sounds bad to me, but I eventually agree to go on one flight to see whether the kid and me are ok, will he listen to me. I am supposed to just let him fly this first time, only step in if things get pretty bad. So, we are on a trip, VFR, across the Rocky Mntns in a 310. The brand new GPS [portable] the kid unboxed immediately prior to the flight is velcroed to the sunscreen above the panel. His method of mountain flying is to follow the GPS, which he spends pretty much all his time watching, not out the window planning our safe passage among 14,000 ft. peaks. I tried to nudge him here and there, pay attention to where we are going, this is critical business in the mntns. He ignored me, and when he turned the plane up a blind canyon, major peaks all around, no escape if we cannot climb enough [and I was certain we could not, plus one does not fly into rising terrain without being absolutely sure the climb can be accomplished...in other words, you climb first, then enter the area, period]. I let him continue about fifteen seconds while I explained what he was getting us into, then terminated the trip and we went home.

His excuse to the DE friend? "I spend $XXX on that GPS, it's the best there is, and it was telling me to go that direction and I was in a twin, my own twin, and how the 'heck' could I not outclimb any of those peaks."

And, yes, I am serious. GPS is a great thing. As a tool in addition to one's basic pilot skills. Charts and maps don't power down. Mountains, towers, etc., depicted on maps don't move. And aircraft often won't outclimb terrain at high density altitudes even if they have two engines and the GPS tells you that's the direction to go.

 

[Anthony]

There was this "rich kid," [really, we're talking everyone here would've heard of his family name] gets this twin-engine plane his daddy buys him.

Nothing to do with the liquid operation in Golden, huh?

 

[Dave Siciliano]

There are some pretty routine direct trips I make where I know the route very well. I still print a DUATS plan for VORs on the route. Carry a full set of charts and just kind of check things once in awhile. The Garmin 530 has a wonderful feature where one can dial in the nearest VOR (airport or many other things). I like to keep a VOR in there for a crosscheck.

Did lose my GPS once flying from North Las Vegas to San Diego. I was on an airway; so, no big deal, but, like everything else, redundancy is needed for a reason.

Have to admit, I havn't done a lot of VFR dead reconing; could probably benefit from brushing up on that.

Best,

Dave

 

[ejensen]

I do direct as much as wx and terrain allow. But like Dave, I always printout the DUATS GPS flight plan with VOR waypoints and use these as time checks. I also prefold the sectionals. I don't mark the route but do mark an route point once in awhile with a highlighter.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Y'know, after more than three decades of listing the "Three Most Useless Things in Flying," I may have a fourth.

Heh... Yeah. Reminds me of when my primary CFI took off, IFR, in the Seneca and only later realized that his passenger had helpfully put his bag, including approach plates, in the nose baggage compartment.

What I found most interesting about the Estherville flight is that I think we all went GPS direct (I know I did), all took off from the same runway, and we all ended up on three different tracks. Jesse was just a hair to the left of our course before his failed, and Lance was probably a good solid mile to the left of my course.

I was using a Garmin 430, Lance has a KLN 94 IIRC, and Jesse's was an Airmap 500 I think. Interesting.

 

[jesse]

What I found most interesting about the Estherville flight is that I think we all went GPS direct (I know I did), all took off from the same runway, and we all ended up on three different tracks. Jesse was just a hair to the left of our course before his failed, and Lance was probably a good solid mile to the left of my course.

I was using a Garmin 430, Lance has a KLN 94 IIRC, and Jesse's was an Airmap 500 I think. Interesting.

After takeoff and after departing the pattern with a straight north deparature I hit the DIRECT TO button again to get a new course to KEST because I didn't want to be on the same course as you hot rods coming up behind me at night.

 

[Steve]

It seems my Garmin 96 will put me about a mile and a half away from the airport when I'm coming home unless I hit the direct button within 30 miles or so. I still use the chicken feed elevator due west of the field as a visual reference point. Too many trees around the runway to spot it very far out. They put windows in planes for a reason....

 

[cwyckham]

It seems my Garmin 96 will put me about a mile and a half away from the airport when I'm coming home unless I hit the direct button within 30 miles or so. I still use the chicken feed elevator due west of the field as a visual reference point. Too many trees around the runway to spot it very far out. They put windows in planes for a reason....

Yeah, so our adoring fans can see the way cool pilots inside. How would the public know how darn good looking we all are if there were no windows?

 

[tonycondon]

After takeoff and after departing the pattern with a straight north deparature I hit the DIRECT TO button again to get a new course to KEST because I didn't want to be on the same course as you hot rods coming up behind me at night.

I think lance and i hit the direct to button after a right turn out from departure. btw he has a GNS 480.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

After takeoff and after departing the pattern with a straight north deparature I hit the DIRECT TO button again to get a new course to KEST because I didn't want to be on the same course as you hot rods coming up behind me at night.

Great plan, except for that we did the exact same thing after departing the pattern the same way you did. Great minds think alike.

In fact, I'm guessing Lance and Tony did that too, but with their right turnout instead of departing off the downwind. That would explain why they were way off to the west.

 

[ScottM]

Heh... Yeah. Reminds me of when my primary CFI took off, IFR, in the Seneca and only later realized that his passenger had helpfully put his bag, including approach plates, in the nose baggage compartment.

This weekend as I took off I realized I left my flight log in the FBO. Thank goodness it was CAVU-VFR and I had my GPS. First time I had ever done that. I had also flown that route so many times that I did know it by heart.

But DOH!

At least I had all my charts and could always reconstruct the flight log.

 

[gismo]

After takeoff and after departing the pattern with a straight north deparature I hit the DIRECT TO button again to get a new course to KEST because I didn't want to be on the same course as you hot rods coming up behind me at night.

IIRC we flew the airport to airport course, but as we got close to you guys (we departed several minutes after you did) we deliberately offset to the left about a mile. According to the TAS we passed you about a mile to your left, wanting to avoid any night formation flying.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

IIRC we flew the airport to airport course, but as we got close to you guys (we departed several minutes after you did) we deliberately offset to the left about a mile. According to the TAS we passed you about a mile to your left, wanting to avoid any night formation flying.

That was my guess, that it was about a mile. We had you in sight LONG before you got nearly that close, though... What does your plane have, like 6 strobes? Flash flash flash flash flash!

Of course that made up for my plane which had zero. Keeping away was a very good idea.

 

[gismo]

That was my guess, that it was about a mile. We had you in sight LONG before you got nearly that close, though... What does your plane have, like 6 strobes? Flash flash flash flash flash!

Nope only four, but I might have had the landing iights on flash when we got close.

Of course that made up for my plane which had zero. Keeping away was a very good idea.

Yeah, I saw Jesee ahead of you and lower a while before I spotted your plane. Of course, Tony saw both of you before I did (darn those 20 some year old eyes of his).

 

[500KC]

I'm guilty of relying pretty heavily on the GPS myself, but I was a good boy this weekend flying atlanta to philly via suffolk, VA, I went and bought charlotte, washington, and new york sectionals Just In Case.