In article , William W. Plummer wrote:

When I get back to my instrument training, I'm simply not going to have
a GPS in sight. GPS is easy to learn after full training on the
standard instruments.

I appreciate the attitude. If you can mentally translate from keeping
the needle centered to your position along an airway, you can do it
whether the needle represents a VOR signal, localizer signal, or
GPS. That's the basic IFR nav skill to master.

Once you have the basics, though, don't underestimate the complexity
of current GPS interfaces. I swear, you need a degree in computer
science to operate those things (fortunately for me...). I've had
the plane for a year now, and I'm still learning things about the
GPS.

On today's trip, I used the flight plan for the first time since
my flight home when I bought the plane. That time, I had another
pilot flying, so I could have as much heads down time as I needed.
This time, I did the flight plan on the ground before starting the
engine.

Despite the complexity of the capabilities, it does make things
easier once you get comfortable with it. Anyone can use the moving
map and direct-to feature right away, particularly for VFR flight,
but the more advanced features take practice to master.


Morris (just a direct-to kinda guy)