"Mxsmanic" wrote
Snowbird writes:

Interestingly, over there he was opposed to new technology and
was heavily against the then-new digital cameras, while here he advocates
total reliance on electronic digital systems in aircraft.

No, I do not. If you examine my posts here, you'll find that I'm opposed
to
extremes. I'm opposed to relying entirely on systems such as GPS or
computerized glass cockpits, and I'm also opposed to the romantic notion
that
somehow a mere compass is going to get you out of trouble if more complex
instrumentation fails.

We obviously disagree on what is "extreme". The proposals regarding autoland
and pure simulator-based training strike me as highly extreme.


In other words, moderation is best in all things. You cannot fly safely
with
just a compass. You also run a risk of flying unsafely if you rely
entirely
on a fancy navigation system that is not proven 100% reliable, such as
GPS.


Your opinion. Aviation authorities accept compass and chart as sufficient
for VFR navigation. They also require it as mandatory.


To stay safe, you must recognize that anything can fail--and you must also
recognize that something as crude as a compass is really no more useful
than
nothing at all, so you must not assume that having a compass makes you any
safer.

The magnetic compass is included in the minimum equipment list of any
aircraft I know, so obviously authorities disagree with that opinion.


A corollary of this is that you must always verify that everything in your
aircraft is working. If you think you can get by with malfunctioning
equipment, then you don't need that equipment to begin with. If you
normally
need it and it is malfunctioning and you choose to fly anyway, you may
never
come back.


The first sentence is incorrect, while I agree with the second and third
sentence. What you must do is check if the equipment required for the
mission at hand is in working order, per the minimum equipment list. You may
take off with some malfunctioning equipment, as long as it does not
jeopardize the safety of the mission.


Regarding the magnetic compass, note that its usefulness is not limited to
those "catastrophic blackout" emergency-landing scenarios that some of the
posts here suggest. It may be simpler events such as an in-flight restart of
the FMS, or a handheld GPS falling on the floor in a small aircraft. In such
cases the magnetic compass helps against straying off course until the
problem is fixed.