In article ,
Gerald Sylvester wrote:
is no such thing as a 'VFR GPS.' It is just an 'other' GPS. It could
be a Garmin Forerunner to a Garmin 396. As long as it is not certified,
who knows where it falls between those. Now we all know the 396 is
on the same level as a IFR-certified GPS but all those others leave
a LOT of room for interpretation in the design none of which the user
has access to (manufacturer proprietary).

Feature implementations should be readily apparent. The bottom line
with this debate is that RAIM is one of the key features that makes an
IFR enroute and approach certified GPS so certifiable. RAIM is a
verification mechanism, not simply a method of notifying the user when a
signal is lost.

In my opinion, there is no practical difference for enroute navigation
between a panel-mount certified GPS and a hand held which is not
certified.



JKG