On 3 Sep 2006 08:00:09 -0700, " wrote:

John Kirksey wrote:



I hope it's not cheating, because that trick made partial panel approaches
real easy on my checkride

*** I guess the reason I think of it as "cheating" is - what happens
if the magic
box dies in the clouds? Better be able to do the job with the old
equipment....

- Jerry Kaidor

Some time ago I had to make a PAR approach to an airfield. Normally I
would expect to use the AI & VSI for primary navigation but I found I
was using the DI almost exclusively. I was being given instructions in
the form of left/right of track and above/below glideslope. Following
the DI numbers and making very minor VSI adjustments gave an easy
approach with minimal error.

I've done a similar flight using the GPS when VFR and found using the
numbers very easy, even my wife, who's not a pilot, made a very good
job of keeping heading.