Lost stories here

Kyle Boatright wrote:

The GPS started giving believable information, and things were right with
the world again.

It all proves that even a GPS isn't a good substitute for maintaining
situational awareness.

My satnav is configured to give me a dot indicating the actual GPS
placement along with the directional arrow that the system software
snaps to the road that it thinks you're on (this is how most car
systems work), and you'd be surprised at how often the map data isn't
quite correct. A section of Rt. 50 in DC Metro is mapped offset
probably 100 feet from where the road actually is, for example...my nav
would show me on the wrong side of the divided 6-lane for about 1/4
mile or so.

"Typhoon502" writes:
My satnav is configured to give me a dot indicating the actual GPS
placement along with the directional arrow that the system software
snaps to the road that it thinks you're on (this is how most car
systems work), and you'd be surprised at how often the map data isn't
quite correct. A section of Rt. 50 in DC Metro is mapped offset
probably 100 feet from where the road actually is, for example...my nav
would show me on the wrong side of the divided 6-lane for about 1/4
mile or so.

I drove up to Prince Edward Island over the holidays. For the first
10km or so of driving over the Confederation bridge my GPS was
convinced I had turned my car into a boat and was driving through the
Atlantic ocean about 1km west of the bridge... It was quite amusing
to watch. (And no, it was not a temporary glitch -- I saw the same
error on the return trip.)

Chris

Jay Honeck wrote:
Post your lost story here, so we can all laugh at them.

Just think -- with the advent of GPS, this is one thread that no one
will understand in another 20 years.

Again? :-) I have an extensive collection (over 400) of air
navigation books.

1900s = we'd never get lost as soon as we had "lighthouse" balloons all
over.

1910s = we'd never get lost as soon as we had good compasses.

1920-30s = we'd never get lost with all the coming radio beacons.

1940s = we'd never get lost with a separate navigator on board.

1950s = we'd never get lost with a good autopilot.

1960-70s = even better beacons.

1980-now = gps

2020-xxx = ?? Probably ground guidance for everything Each plane
will be a remotely-piloted vehicle. The pilot can't get lost... he's
in a chair on the ground.

Cheers, Kev

"Kev" wrote in message
oups.com...

2020-xxx = ?? Probably ground guidance for everything Each plane
will be a remotely-piloted vehicle. The pilot can't get lost... he's
in a chair on the ground.

At which point his video drivers will crash and he'll have to beg some
flight simulator geek on the usenet to help him land his plane. Or call
tech support:

"Please to uninstall and reinstall Windows 2020, update your video drivers
and reinstall your pilot software. If you continue to have difficult, send
an e-mail to and you will receive a reply within 24-48 hours. My name is
Nahasapeemepetilon. I hope you have been helpful to this."

-c

2020-xxx = ?? Probably ground guidance for everything Each plane
will be a remotely-piloted vehicle. The pilot can't get lost... he's
in a chair on the ground.

Good God! You mean....(wait for it)....Mxsmanic rules!?

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On 8 Jan 2007 14:40:16 -0800, in rec.aviation.military "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

Post your lost story here, so we can all laugh at them.

Just think -- with the advent of GPS, this is one thread that no one
will understand in another 20 years.

Pilot in 2027: "Lost? How could you ever get *lost*?"

:-)

(Actually, it's already true now -- but we all still remember "BG" --
Before GPS...)

One of the reasons I joined the Air Force, rather than the Navy. We
like our airfields to stay where we left 'em...

--
William Hughes, San Antonio, Texas:
The Carrier Project: http://home.grandecom.net/~cvproj/carrier.htm
Support Project Valour-IT: http://soldiersangels.org/valour/index.html