What's it like now?

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Rose2012

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Rose2012
My BFR is done, and now I hope to move on to some instrument work and (eventually) an IPC after the holidays. It's been quite a while since I've done any IFR flying - maybe five years? I feel overwhelmed just looking through this forum. GPS approaches? Have never even flown one. Seriously, when I stopped flying in 2003, it was VOR and ILS approaches with some NDB's thrown in if I was feeling daring.

Now, the airplanes I'm flying now still don't have IFR GPS's, so I'm guessing it's going to be similar to what I was doing before. I guess. It is even typical to fly an ILS anymore? Are they are any drastic changes to IFR flight that will affect me?
 
Sure it's typical to fly ILS's. It's not like those are being decommissioned en masse and replaced by GPS. (Yet.)

But why would you be afraid of GPS approaches? The hard part is learning how to read the chart and fly the needles (and GPS approaches with vertical guidance look a lot like ILS approaches)...which you've apparently already done. The only new bit is the buttonology of selecting the approach on the GPS box.

If you can learn to read an approach chart and fly it, I'm confident you can also learn how to punch the relevant buttons on a GPS.
 
Not really afraid of them, just like my cheap club 172's without GPS. I didn't know if that was going to keep me from doing any meaningful IFR anymore. I used to routinely fly in IMC without even DME, so I can definitely enjoy flying with less, but wasn't sure if that was even possible anymore.
 
GPS approaches are great. Much more stable than the wobbly signal from VOR/LOC. And typically more flexible in terms of entry. And there are lots more of them. And you usually get a moving map which relieves brain loading.
 
Rose2012 said:
Not really afraid of them, just like my cheap club 172's without GPS. I didn't know if that was going to keep me from doing any meaningful IFR anymore. I used to routinely fly in IMC without even DME, so I can definitely enjoy flying with less, but wasn't sure if that was even possible anymore.
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Pick a few airports that you might consider flying IFR to, and visit Airnav.com to look at the approach options.

NDBs are going the way of the dodo, and VORs are supposedly following in a few years if/when the ADS-B mandate kicks in, but they're still hanging in there for now.

In summary: Since you last paid attention to IFR flying, there have been lots and lots of new GPS approaches published. There have been many NDB approaches deleted when the NDB was decommissioned. And there are probably just about the same set of VOR and ILS approaches.

Maybe not as different as you were thinking, but look around and see for yourself.
 
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There were plenty of GPS approaches in 2003. Get a CFI and brush up. Easy peezy.
 
GPS IAPs are the easiest kind out there once you get everything set up and verified.
 
I was nervous about them too; never flown one before, and I was well into my instrument training.

After you fly one, you'll go "awwww geeeeez, this is what I was nervous about?". They are way easy to fly.

There are only a few extra things to know, like when a PT is necessary; usually pretty easy to tell by looking at the approach plate.
 
just make sure you have an instrument certified GPS such as a Garmin 430. Most handheld and removables are for reference only and can't be used as the primary for GPS approaches.
 
pericynthion said:
What's the relation between the ADS-B mandate and VORs?
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There is no direct relationship. ADS-B and VOR MON (Minimum Operational Network) are part of the long term FAA plan for Nextgen. VOR MON is related to the move towards RNAV routes and procedures using PBN (Performance Based Navigation). PBN is largely based on GPS and GPS WAAS technology, although DME-DME RNAV is still planned to remain in use, primarily for enroute and terminal operations. ADS-B is the surveillance technology along with radar ATCRBS as a backup.

VOR's will start to disappear a year from now according to the MON. The MON is not an elimination of VOR, but a reduction in the number of them and the airways ans procedures that use them. VOR reception will be available at 5000 AGL. Most of the area west of Denver, Alaska, and Hawaii will not be affected by the MON.
 
There is a direct relationship. It's called money.

No bucks, no Buck Rogers.

FAA has to market NexGen as somehow useful over the older tech to move funds from one bucket to another, politically.

Especially important to tie ADS-B Out to ADS-B overall, to tie that to NexGen. Even if ADS-B Out by itself adds nothing of value to a system that's already admitted it will still need Primary RADAR to confirm ADS-B Out aircraft locations.

WAM is far cheaper and doesn't require the retention of Primary RADAR for anything other than Air Defense.
 
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