In article .com,
says...


I know a pilot who described handheld radios as a container for storing
dead batteries. I'd personally invest in a nice aviation GPS before a
handheld, especially if I have dual comms in my plane, but that's just
me.

Regards, and good luck!




Maybe - maybe not.

I've carried a handheld for years now, and it's never seen any "serious"
use. I use it to listen to ATIS and traffic when doing a preflight,
before switching on the aircraft's battery and avionics master - but
that's just "because it's there" kind of use, and also serves a s a
check to make sure the thing itself is working.

I have however, on two recent occasions taken the thing out of my flight
bag during flight. The first was an issue with a bad PTT switch. I ended
up plugging my headset into the co-pilot's position, and using the other
PTT switch, but I probably would have been just as well off using my
ICOM headset adapter, and not had the wire pulling on my head!

The other was a rental 172 with dodgy VOR's. With Com1 completely dead,
and Com2 "apparently" OK, I was able to use the VOR function of the
handheld to emulate the KX155A's "to" and "from" modes that I've gotten
used to, as well as a cross-check for the aircraft's VOR indicator I had
little confidence in. Turned out OK, and the flight would have been the
same without the handheld, but I realized the VOR indicator I had always
thought to be a useless gimmick actually does work.

So now, even though it's one of the least used items, I have upgraded it
to "essential" status in my personal rating, and wouldn't want to go
further than a local flight without it.

I concur you will not usually pick up much of anything on the ground, as
soon as you get a few miles from the airport. I can't even tell if mine
is working correctly until I get to the airport.