While we're talking about Garmin GPS

For IFR, you've a flight plan programmed, right? That means you've your
distance to your next waypoint on your map (unless you swap out that number;
the Garmin leaves room for only four values as I recall).

You can have your desired track to the next waypoint too, but you know that
anyway as you're keeping that number - or something like that number balanced
by wind - in your HI.

Why isn't that enough for a position report if you're between waypoints? That
is, if you're 20 miles from the SAX VOR flying a course of 080, you're 20 miles
out on the SAX R260.

Actually...I miss some things from the planes I used to rent. For one, the
NAV/COMs had the ability to display the TO/FROM bearing right on the NAV/COM
panel. I liked that. A lot. For intercept purposes, I preferred that to the
CDI. It made knowing one's location relative a VOR simpler; no CDI twisting
and hunting.

More, the MFD installed with the KLN GPS had a little data field (in the lower
left, maybe) which always had the "best" (for some definition) "location
report". All you had to do was read that to ATC.

- Andrew


Andrew:
Product is the KMD150, 550, and 850 MFD. Data field was in the lower right
corner, and had to be configured for the "NRST VOR" rather than the "NRST
WAYPOINT". Also keep in mind that the distance would be expressed in NM, but
the direction would be expressed as cardinal, i.e. NNW 15.7 nm DCA vortac. Plus
it would not pull up the nearest TACAN even if that was the closest navaid.

It would have been more convenient if Honeywell would allow you to specify an
easier format such as DCA 338 15.7 nm. Not all controllers can work with a
"north by northwest". They confuse it with some Cary Grant & Eve Marie Saint
movie that Alfred Hitchcock made.


paul k. sanchez, cfii-mei
on eagles’ wings
2011 south perimeter road, suite g
fort lauderdale, florida 33309-7135
305-389-1742 wireless
954-776-0527 fax
954-345-4276 home/fax

paul k. sanchez wrote:

It would have been more convenient if Honeywell would allow you to specify
an easier format such as DCA 338 15.7 nm. Not all controllers can work
with a "north by northwest". They confuse it with some Cary Grant & Eve
Marie Saint movie that Alfred Hitchcock made.

I never had a problem using that style of reporting. I'd guess it was
enough information that they knew where to look on their RADARs for my
squawk.

I do wonder, though, why this style was chosen instead of a bearing. As a
programmer, I can see that converting the bearing to a verbal and
approximate description is a little extra work. As someone familiar with
navigation, I see it represents a loss of detail.

So...why do it?

Anyway, it's been months since I've used those airplanes. I'm now in a club
which flys with Garmins, so - even though I do miss aspects of those
rentals - what those rentals did is not too important to me anymore.

- Andrew