Are handheld GPSes becoming a defacto primary nav source?

Paul Tomblin wrote:
This week I did several IFR flights, some in IMC and most in VMC. On a
couple of those flights, ATC offered me direct to the next VOR after the
one I was navigating to, well before I could actually pick up the signal.
One time departing Rochester, they told me to go direct Elmira when I was
less than 500 feet off the ground and there are 2000 foot hills between me
and Elmira. So I turned to the approximate direction, and punched "GOTO"
on my handheld GPS, and followed the GPS's HSI until I climbed up high
enough to get a signal.

They don't offer a vector, or say "direct when able", they just say "05X,
go direct East Texas".

It seems to me that they know we can't recieve that VOR, but as long as
we've got the GPS on board, it doesn't matter to them. I guess as far as
legalities go, we're just ded reckoning in the right general direction
until we pick up the VOR.



I pretty much always file IFR /u or /a, and I've come to the conclusion
ATC does assume you have some sort of GPS or Loran available. I almost
always get some sort of "direct". I've only been asked once if I had
GPS available, on an IMC Angel Flight from Tulsa to Houston. Soon as I
was handed off to Fort Worth (about McAlester, OK) he inquired about
GPS, then cleared me direct HOU. Another fun part was the arrival.
We did a "best forward speed" intercept of the localizer at 8000, with
the approach flown at 160. On another trip into New Orleans, during a
STAR, I was given a direct to a fix that "shortcutted" part of the
procedure.

I've also wondered if ATC somtimes observes the "quality of your
performance" and then maybe helps/expects more accordingly.

Tom Pappano, PP-ASEL-IA