Why The Hell... (random rant)

Snowbird writes:

Interestingly, over there he was opposed to new technology and
was heavily against the then-new digital cameras, while here he advocates
total reliance on electronic digital systems in aircraft.

No, I do not. If you examine my posts here, you'll find that I'm opposed to
extremes. I'm opposed to relying entirely on systems such as GPS or
computerized glass cockpits, and I'm also opposed to the romantic notion that
somehow a mere compass is going to get you out of trouble if more complex
instrumentation fails.

In other words, moderation is best in all things. You cannot fly safely with
just a compass. You also run a risk of flying unsafely if you rely entirely
on a fancy navigation system that is not proven 100% reliable, such as GPS.

To stay safe, you must recognize that anything can fail--and you must also
recognize that something as crude as a compass is really no more useful than
nothing at all, so you must not assume that having a compass makes you any
safer.

A corollary of this is that you must always verify that everything in your
aircraft is working. If you think you can get by with malfunctioning
equipment, then you don't need that equipment to begin with. If you normally
need it and it is malfunctioning and you choose to fly anyway, you may never
come back.

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Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.