Solar storms spell trouble for GPS

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .
| On Wed, 25 Oct 2006 06:17:38 -0500, "Jim Macklin"
| wrote in
| :
|
|
| BFD, All those radios are called Aids to navigation for
a
| reason, they are conveniences.
|
| Were you aware of the design flaw in GPS as implemented?
I just
| thought it might be a good idea to provide the information
to those
| weren't.
|
| Of course, this issue makes no mention of solar mass
ejections, that
| can potentially knock out any satellite.
|
| It appears that we are (finally?) seeing some
technological innovation
| tickling down to the GA fleet, but I'm becoming uneasy
with the
| apparent lack of robustness engineered in these early
systems.
|
|
| CAL found Paris with just a compass and a chart.
|
| Yes. It was an Earth Inductor Compass*. I've never seen
one of those
| in any aircraft in which I've flown, let alone piloted.
|
|
| * http://oldbeacon.com/beacon/earth_inductor_compass.htm

On Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:38:27 -0500, "Jim Macklin"
wrote in
:

An early version if the slaved compass, just like nearly all
cabin class and all G1000 systems use.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a slaved compass require
electrical power to operate? "Slim's" Earth Inductor Compass didn't
require any power except that generated by the coil rotating in the
Earth's magnetic field. So if I'm correct, those pilots flying behind
a dead glass-cockpit would only have a whiskey compass to navigate
with.