Incorporating GPS into training

[skychaser]

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this topic. As it stands right now, GPS training is absent from most if not all Private Pilot curriculums and rare to find in Instrument curriculums.

It is true that student pilots should learn the "hard way". However, once they've learned the "hard way" I feel it would be logical to get them up to speed on modern navigation systems ie. GPS. After all, as PIC you are supposed to be using all AVAILABLE resources, right?

Instrument students are another story all together. Most Instrument students aren't exposed to GPS approaches until after their rating when flying a friends plane equipped with an instrument approved GPS. This is sad.

Maybe it's time to begin integrating GPS training into flight training. What are your thoughts?

 

[Illini Pilot]

here at u of i, half our fleet of archers have ADF only and half have GPS only. the first semester of instrument training is solely dedicated to ILS, LOC BC, VOR approaches and some x-country procedures. 2nd semester you addon on GPS and NDB approaches, while also working on the other approaches, and also doing a lot x-country procedures. i felt that learning the "easy" VOR/ILS procedures/getting a basic knowledge of instrument flying, etc, then adding on the harder to learn NDB and GPS approaches after learning the basics.

i feel that the reason GPS is not often integrated into private/instrument training is because the "old guard" is still around. even though most CFIs are young people who have had exposure to GPS, i think most still feel like their instructors did too, that you shouldnt have it until after your license/rating. however, the changing face of aviation i think is requiring more proficency in managing the aircraft(setting up the GPS,etc) along with flying the airplane(although this has always been true, just a new technology) also, maybe the simple financial obstacles to putting a GPS into a small flight school's 172 or whatever requires 1000s of dollars, not something a lot of schools can afford.

 

[Doozer]

I'm a freelancer, working primarily with a couple of local clubs out of a grass strip.

In my private syllabus, I stress pilotage & dead reckoning. However, during the cross-country phase, I also teach the student to use whatever equipment is in the aircraft he is training in. If the aircraft doesn't have GPS (or NDB), I still introduce him to as much of the concepts of whatever equipment he's likely to encounter in GA. If the aircraft isn't GPS equipped & he hasn't bought a handheld, I bring mine along & show him how it works. Sometimes we'll use a C-172 with GPS or NDB instead of the C-150 just to expose him to the capabilities of the equipment.

I do much the same in my instrument syllabus. Fortunately, my club has a PA-28-180 that recently had an instrument certified Garmin GNS 430 installed (& the ADF removed). That's now the instrument trainer of choice; however, I also insist on a couple of lessons in our C-172 to teach NDB/ADF intercepts, holding & approaches.

I'd like to believe that other conscientious instructors are doing the same; however, when my students find out they aren't, that's going to certainly help my business.

 

[bigD]

I think it's gradually getting better. I'm seeing more and more instructors incorporate GPS into their primary and IFR training. Like Illini said, CFI's in general are reluctant to change, and even the younger ones tend to see GPS as a supplemental form of navigation and append it to the end of training. But now that you're starting to see 430's in everything from Bonanza's to Tomahawks, serious GPS navigation is becoming accessible to everyone, and I think CFI's are beginning to realize that.

 

[Tryful]

Well I myself am a student pilot at a fairly new school and in all of our PA-28's we've got 430's as standards, and only 2 a/c equipped with ADF's.

At first when I started they would hardly let us use the 430's and make us look outside, but the school then changed their policy by encouraging the CFI's to let us use the garmins. I've had some pretty good instructors over the course of achieveing my private, on my x-ctrys they taught me how to effectively use the 430 in the plane to make sure all is well. Basically use your brain first then double check with the GPS.

Now that I'm in my instrument training I can see the difference of using a GPS it makes a world difference sometimes. Especially when your workload is really high. Sometimes my instructor will let me use it to my advantage, othertimes he will say well now you are in a non-gps equiped airplane get me to where we need to go.

Also on another note when I went up on my private pilot checkride the examiner encouraged me to use all tools at my disposal ie the 430. I asked him on his policy on his instrument and commerical ride and he said the same. So the examiners are also changing to. And trust me he made me work at some points but not to hard.

And thats the word from a student pilot.

Tyler

 

[bigD]

I think it's foolish not to use every tool available to you when flying. The CFI's just need to pound in the idea that GPS is not a replacement for proper preflight planning - i.e. it doesn't allow you to merely launch, punch direct, and go. Nor does it allow you to keep your head buried in the cockpit when VFR.

Personally, I love gadgets, and if there's something in the plane that I don't know how to use, it drives me nuts, and I have to learn it.

 

[skychaser]

Thanks to those of you who have posted your opinions. I think it's about time that CFI's begin integrating modern navigation systems into training. Hopefully we will be doing just that where I train....very soon!

 

[Illini Pilot]

another thing:

i think as GPS becomes more prevalent, CFI need to make sure they dont just say "push the D button, twist the knob to KXXX and hit enter." just like the workings of VORs, NDBs and any other nav aid, pilots should have an indepth knowledge of the GPS network (ie satelites, triangulation, etc).

 

[BeachBum]

Personally, I've always seen the GPS as useful, but somewhat of a crutch. Maybe it's because I was trained without a GPS, I don't know. It just seems that I tend to use the GPS when I'm feeling lazy and don't want to take the time to pull out the charts and look up VOR frequencies or plot a course. I also tend to lose situational awarness when using a GPS. Any monkey can press a couple buttons and follow a line on a moving map. But ask him to point out his position on a chart and see what happens. The GPS also tends to degrade basic navigational skills. It's just too easy, and in my humble opinion, too boring. I normally use the GPS as a backup navigational system, just to check and make sure that I am where I think I am.