"Guy Elden Jr." writes:

It may be legal to fly in instrument conditions with two VORs and an
ADF, but is it really safe if you're the only pilot in the plane,
weather is forming all around you, and you have to hand fly the
plane?

Why wouldn't it be safe? I have nothing against GPS or an autopilot
-- I'll happily accept the gift of a Garmin 530 and/or STEC 30
installed in my Warrior from the first person who offers -- but even
though I'm a very new IFR pilot (only since last August), I've flown
myself and my family several times in solid IMC, day and night, using
the VORs and the ADF. As far as workload goes, I don't think it's any
harder tuning in a VOR frequency than it is selecting three or four
alphanumerics with a rocker switch or buttons for a GPS waypoint.

The only time I'd be reluctant to trust VOR or ADF for enroute would
be flying through a canyon or something similar, where a mile or so
off course would matter quite a bit. I don't live near any terrain
that high, though.


All the best,


David