"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
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"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.


I tend to agree. I bought a Garmin 196 for less than $500 on ebay and it's
worked perfect for what I need today.

As a "newly minted PPL" I would avoid any weather that would require you to
even think about needing a 396. I've been flying just fine for almost 20
years without XM weather and the closer I go to bad weather the dumber I
feel after I land.