Flying IFR with Garmins

I don't know if the 296 has the same capability as the 430, but on the 430
you can define user waypoints as radials and distance from a VOR.


Michael

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...
How do you do that with the 296? How do you program in a radial to fly
to? I don't even see radials on the VORs when I look at it. I haven't
been able to find anything on this in the manual.

There's nothing to stop you using the VOR for course guidance but using
the
GPS track readout to ensure that your track matches the VOR radial.
Forgive
me if that's very obvious, but I'm always surprised at how many pilots
don't
use that aspect of the GPS to take the hard work out of tracking
conventional navaids (particularly on the ILS).

Julian Scarfe

There's nothing to stop you using the VOR for course guidance but using
the
GPS track readout to ensure that your track matches the VOR radial.
Forgive
me if that's very obvious, but I'm always surprised at how many pilots
don't
use that aspect of the GPS to take the hard work out of tracking
conventional navaids (particularly on the ILS).

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...
How do you do that with the 296? How do you program in a radial to fly
to? I don't even see radials on the VORs when I look at it. I haven't
been able to find anything on this in the manual.

That's not what I mean. I'm talking about something much more trivial. The
only number on the GPS you need is the TRK readout. Use the NAV's CDI for
course guidance. Best illustrated with an example.

You're on the 250 radial and want to track a 070 course to the ABC VOR. Set
the CDI to 070 and turn the aircraft until the track readout shows 070. The
aircraft will (barring VOR errors) stay on the radial. If it does move,
turn the aircraft to adjust the track.

The GPS doesn't need to know about the existence of VORs or LOCs.

It doesn't help you with programming the GPS for course guidance along a
winding airway, but it's an aspect of GPS utility that many pilots seem to
ignore.

Julian Scarfe

Sounds more like the old days of trying to fly an NDB intercept.
Correcting cross winds in your example sounds harder than actually
usnig a VOR. The reason I like airways on the GPS is because while the
clouds are wacking the crap out of you and you're jumping through busy
airspace, you can quickly turn the plane to maintain the center of the
airway. You also don't need to figure out what intersection the airway
turns at next. It sounds like Garmin IFR pilots keep an enroute very
close at hand so they can figure out where all the turns are in the
airway.

-Robert


"Julian Scarfe" wrote in message news:vzwBc.5$AX2.0@newsfe6-win...
You're on the 250 radial and want to track a 070 course to the ABC VOR. Set
the CDI to 070 and turn the aircraft until the track readout shows 070. The
aircraft will (barring VOR errors) stay on the radial. If it does move,
turn the aircraft to adjust the track.

The GPS doesn't need to know about the existence of VORs or LOCs.

It doesn't help you with programming the GPS for course guidance along a
winding airway, but it's an aspect of GPS utility that many pilots seem to
ignore.

Julian Scarfe

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...
Sounds more like the old days of trying to fly an NDB intercept.
Correcting cross winds in your example sounds harder than actually
usnig a VOR.

I think that's only because I laid it out so painfully. How about this
method?

1) At VOR, turn aircraft to track towards next VOR
2) Goto 1.

The reason I like airways on the GPS is because while the
clouds are wacking the crap out of you and you're jumping through busy
airspace, you can quickly turn the plane to maintain the center of the
airway. You also don't need to figure out what intersection the airway
turns at next. It sounds like Garmin IFR pilots keep an enroute very
close at hand so they can figure out where all the turns are in the
airway.

Some of the differing perspective in this thread are due to flying in
environments with different demands. I fly in an environment in which the
requirement is almost always to fly direct towards a waypoint rather than
track a centerline, and which is sufficiently busy that making significant
turns to make aggressive radial intercepts is going to raise some eyebrows
at ATC. You fly in an environment in which the choice is to follow the
airway centerlines or hit rock.

All that said, airways on Garmins would be a nice feature.

Julian Scarfe

"Julian Scarfe" wrote in message news:nKRBc.1345$I43.1315@newsfe6-win...
"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...
Some of the differing perspective in this thread are due to flying in
environments with different demands. I fly in an environment in which the
requirement is almost always to fly direct towards a waypoint rather than
track a centerline, and which is sufficiently busy that making significant
turns to make aggressive radial intercepts is going to raise some eyebrows
at ATC. You fly in an environment in which the choice is to follow the
airway centerlines or hit rock.

All that said, airways on Garmins would be a nice feature.


Well, I ordered the unit and am pretty excited about getting it.
Sportys said they should have some in this week to ship. I'm really
excited about putting on the hood and seeing if I can maintain the
blue side up using their turn-coordinator display. I think that could
be a HUGE IFR backup. It will also be cool to take the unit out when
you get to your destination and use it to find your hotel.

-Robert

Robert M. Gary wrote:
How do you do that with the 296? How do you program in a radial to fly
to? I don't even see radials on the VORs when I look at it. I haven't
been able to find anything on this in the manual.

If it's like the 196, go to the page displaying the pseudo-HSI and press Menu,
one of the options is "OBS".



There's nothing to stop you using the VOR for course guidance but using the
GPS track readout to ensure that your track matches the VOR radial. Forgive
me if that's very obvious, but I'm always surprised at how many pilots don't
use that aspect of the GPS to take the hard work out of tracking
conventional navaids (particularly on the ILS).

Julian Scarfe