"Jase Vanover" wrote in message
. ..
Background... newly minted PPL, looking to ease navigation via GPS. I
actually find it cool to navigate via maps, compass and timepiece, but I
realize there is a lot more capability out there.

I'll be renting for awhile, so portability is important. I've done the
standard research (including searching prior posts on this newsgroup), but
still have a few questions that remain unanswered.

The Garmin 396 looks pretty awesome. I don't know if I'll fly enough to
warrant the Wx subscription, but I have a healthy respect for weather and
so lean towards it for the additional security.

The only downside I see in the 396 is screen size. I like what I've seen
of the Avmap (Jay... figure I can count on your endorsement here, based on
reading past postings). I think all it's missing vs. the 396 is weather.
Would be interesting to know if anyone has heard if this will be a soft
upgrade in the future. Also, I believe the Avmap is direct powered from
the plane, and I don't know if and how this will be possible on rental
aircraft. Any insight?

I've also run into the Flight Cheetah in my searches, though haven't found
much talk about it on the newsgroups. It seems to have everything, but I
hesitate to be a "test pilot" being a neophyte at flying to start with.

I won't say cost isn't an issue, but I have room enough to spare to pretty
much get whatever portable is best. I welcome any and all advice on the
issue. Thank you to all in advance.

Personally, I think the WX feature is very handy, depending on where and
what you fly. I fly a high performance homebuilt with a wood prop. The high
performance part lets me overfly plenty of weather and to quickly get to and
through gaps in bad weather. However, the wood prop means I really, really,
need to avoid flying in rain. For me, XM weather is in my future, but maybe
after the "new" has worn off and the prices are a bit lower.

In your case, you need to figure out what having the weather overlay is
worth. You can buy a great aviation GPS for well under $500, although it
may not be in color and it may not have the very latest bells and whistles.
It'll still have a map, the databases, and all the other functionality. If
you go that route, you can probably buy that GPS today, wait a year and buy
today's top-of-the line GPS with weather capability (a 396, hypothetically),
and spend less total $ than you would just going out and buying the 396
today.

Something to think about. Of course, you may want/need the 396's
functionality today, and if that's the case, go for it. One appropriate tool
is far more useful than several tools that *almost* get the job done.